Golden Pearl
On the island of Palawan in southwestern Philippines, the only living person in the world, who revealed the secret production of a rare form of jewelry and gold pearls. Go to the fragile natural pearls are treated like royal jewelry. Each oyster takes 5 years to produce one such gem, and the slightest jolt could kill it.
A small boat maneuvered between rows of rope stretched over a vast area that is used for the production of golden pearls. Five divers wear a mask and scuba and plunge into the turquoise water. Come harvest season pearls. In this location, surrounded on all sides by the 20 th islands, oyster-producing pearls, protected from strong currents. First oysters spend 2 years in an incubator, and then grow in a period of 3 years at a depth of 15 meters in calm warm waters of the South China Sea.
This farm pearls are harvested is 500 km. from Manila and is very well protected from the emissions of a large city. Absolutely no effort thrown out to protect the oysters from external influence and negative impact on their growth.
Jacques Branell, since 1979 the director and co-founder of the farm, very worried about their possessions. He began to closely examine them further from the sky, flying his helicopter. No detail overlooked. On the ground, he wears a pink shirt, hat and jogging runs to inspect the farm. In English, he gives orders to his Filipino assistant, who was trying everywhere to follow the boss.
In fact, Jacques is more concerned with what lies beneath the waves. Fishing with dynamite and cyanide are still prevalent among fishermen Palawan archipelago. Because of this, many corals have died, and now the same thing could threaten oysters. The owners of the pearl farms even provide local authorities with new motor boats so they could closely monitor the fishermen and to protect the natural resources that are around.
“Cultivation of pearls is very time-consuming process,” explains Jacques. “Any change in temperature and water conditions can affect the oysters. Anything that feels and experiences the oyster effect on the pearl and can spoil its quality. “For 38 years I have been in cultivation of pearls, but are still learning, always learning something new. Mining of gold pearls very challenging task. To achieve perfection in this business must overcome a long way. ”
Before you put oysters in the sea after 2 years the incubator, each placed a small nucleus around which will grow a pearl. Then within 3 years divers will periodically get cells with oysters and turn them to pearls were perfectly round, as well as the shine of their X-ray to make sure that the pearl is all right.
But the most difficult in the cultivation of pearls has been breeding oysters «Pinctada Maxima». 15 years, biologists have wrestled with breeding rare species of oysters. The company now Jacques is the only one in the world that possesses the secrets of the production of golden pearls.
The divers returned to shore with the first part of the crop. They brought baskets full of oysters, in which both are gems, but despite all the care for several years, no one can guarantee excellent quality. A few hours later, already in the studio, Jacques Brannel evaluates the first gems of the new crop. “Not all the pearls may have a golden color, some are white or champagne. Of the 700,000 pearls, which are produced on farms, Jacques, over 75% are considered of high quality pearls.
One of the workers brought the pearl, looking at that in Jacques’s eyes light up. “This - the pearl of the highest quality - Hanadama», he exclaims with pride.
In the company of Jacques Brannelya employs over 1000 people in the Philippines, opened 12 stores, in which all the produced and sold on-farm pearl.
Jacques Brannel, a former captain, came to the Philippines for more than 30 years ago after sold for the debts of his farm to grow black pearls of Polynesia. But now he believes that he received in full for its past failures. Jacques says that does not pursue wealth, as has already achieved everything he wanted. His house is located in the prestigious district of Manila, and recently he bought a small “Flower Island”, where he rebuilt the former resort and made it their second home. Jacques loves the Philippines, he married a local woman and wants to be the golden pearls have become a symbol of the archipelago, the same as it was black pearls in Tahiti.