A pearl is basically derived from a shelled mollusk. It is made up of calcium carbonate and is usually hard and spherical in shape. Because of their beauty and rarity, people have developed a sort of craziness for pearls, especially women. And probably that’s why Pearl farming has emerged as one of the largest commercial industry in the past few decades. It is the process whereby cultured pearls are grown on farms. Many oysters are then nucleated and reared for around two to five years, to develop into a pearl. But the farm needs utmost care throughout the process since it can be easily destroyed by both controllable and uncontrollable factors.
Tahitian pearl farms have been very popular in the past and still their popularity is touching new heights every single day. Interestingly, despite the name Tahitian Pearls, they are not a product of Tahiti Island and Tahiti doesn’t posses any pearl farms at all. Most of them are located in French Polynesia. A Tahitian pearl is a combination of black and green color. These pearls are produced in black lipped oyster naming -Pinctada margaritifera-. These pearls are not completely black but are also available in many other colors like: – green, silver and charcoal. Proper black color pearls are extremely beautiful and rare to find.
Indeed, these pearls are an eye candy but have we ever thought what it cost to get the delight of these pearls. Many pearl farmers are using inappropriate methods for pearl cultivation which is damaging our ecosystem. We should not forget that in our need and greed, that we are also disturbing the nature and exploiting the resources. Sustainable pearl farming methods of aquaculture should be adopted by the farmers so that our fragile ecosystem is not disturbed. We must respect the nature and always use most sustainable farming methods. Moreover, today the customers also value the products more which are nurtured in a respectful and sustainable manner.
The farmers can also opt for ecological pearl farming methods to avoid the wastage of natural resources. Ecological farming ensures healthy food and farming solutions, for today and tomorrow. It basically promotes the idea of protecting biodiversity, soil, water and climate and not using chemical based fertilizers and pesticides. Adopting ecological farming methods reduces the risk of soil erosion.