How we found them.
Back in 2013, we attended the first sustainable pearl forum in Hong Kong, and event hosted by the Tiffany Foundation, where we met Mr. Than So Win, the manager of Belpearl Myanmar who offered us a chance of a life time to visit and witness a pearl harvest at their farm in one of the most remote and undisturbed marine regions of South East Asia.
About the Island.
Established in 2013, Belpearl Myanmar is located in the Mergui Archipelago on the island of Shwe Kyun, a stunning mountainous island about an hour's speedboat ride from the town of Kawthung, at the southern most tip of Myanmar.
Previously the site of a derelict gold mine, Shwe Kyun is now is home to 107 trained pearl technicians, sea workers and divers that are dedicated to producing naturally gold pearls, one of the rarest color of South Sea pearls.
Upon approaching the island, we marvel at the emerald colored shallows that surround the island, filled with coral and teeming with schools of fish. Mr. Win explains that the reason why Shwe Kyun was chosen was due to its ideal location where strong ocean currents mix, providing the right conditions for plankton and other nutrients to proliferate and sustain the Pinctada Maxima oyster that produces Golden South Sea pearls.
No Oyster, No Pearl.
Before we starting our tour, we enjoy some freshly cut local coconuts, a well needed refreshment, because the temperature here is undeniably hot and humid. We start with the Hatchery room, which looks a bit like a laboratory but with large tubs of water bubbling away. Mr. Win explains that this is perhaps the most important section of the whole farm because: "No oyster, no pearl!" To demonstrate, he turns off the lights and points a flashlight into one of the tubs. Through the beam of light we see that thousands of baby oyster spat suspended in the water.
Through the use of the hatchery, the farm is able to produce its own stock of oysters in a sustainable manner, without putting pressure on the wild oyster stocks that have become increasingly rare in the country due to over-fishing.
The Moment of Truth.
We are then led to the adjacent Seeding room, where three technicians work on specialized desks with shallow tubs filled with oysters some as large as a dinner plate. Peering behind the desk we see one of Belpearl Myanmar's expert technicians remove a glistening round-shaped golden pearl from within the oyster. It is only in that moment after a period of nearly two years, that size, shape and quality of the pearl is finally revealed. Once the pearl has been removed, the technician "re-seeds" it the hope that it will produce second pearl nearly two years later.
The harvested pearls are then sent to the Grading room where each pearl is counted, measured, weighted and selected according to its basic quality factors. First, its size is determined by measuring the width of its widest point Then its shape is roughly categorized by its own unique shape, and finally is unique color is categorized into general shades of Gold, Yellow and Cream.
Visit the Farm.
Feeling adventurous? Belpearl Myanmar is one of the few farms in Myanmar that hosts tours to its farm where visitors can witness the farming process and see how the various projects that the farm operates, including its reforesting program of the former gold mine. Tours can be arranged during the harvest season through the Burma Boating touring company.