Sustainability
OUR PEARLS ARE INTRINSICALLY SUSTAINABLE
Pearls are the only rare and precious gem on the planet today born within a living organism – The Oyster.
One of our highest mandates is the education of our audiences towards the many miraculous benefits this incredible creation of the deep can have on both people and planet when grown with the highest possible standards of ethical care.
GUARDIANS OF THE OCEAN
In 2009, we made an industry changing decision to open the doors of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm to the public – to what was previously a very secretive industry. Our aim was to create true transparency around the nature and cultivation of the finest and most sustainable pearls and connect people to the amazing places in which our pearls grow.
Today, we welcome over 10,000 excited visitors a year to our farms, who become completely immersed and positively enriched in the many facets of the Australian pearling story, from it’s ancient beginnings to today’s modern pearl farming techniques.
After spending the past decade watching what was once a thriving Australian industry almost completely disappear one of our greatest privileges has been to help create new opportunities for Australian pearl farmers by engaging in an entirely new way with the next generation of pearl appreciators, as we delve into the many incredible facets of this rare and precious gem.
Guardians of the Ocean
EVERY HECTARE OF OYSTER REEF (PER YEAR) WOULD:
Filter
2.7 billion
litres of seawater.
Remove
225 kg
of nitrogen and phosphate.
Produce
375 kg
of new fish to catch and eat.
Provide new homes for
100+
marine species.
Remove
10,000 kg
of carbon (equivalent to the average emissions of 2 cars).
Studies provided by The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
THE POWER OF POSITIVE PEARLING
Pearling provides multiple services to surrounding ecosystem and communities. This includes employment, education and empowerment for people and extends to the protection of mangroves, seagrass and salt-marsh, the most efficient carbon sequestration substrates (Blue Carbon sinks) on the planet.
The combination and synergies of core and co-benefits of pearling makes it a natural partner to the Blue Economy to support actively its journey towards improving the lives of the communities and areas we work in, creating jobs and opportunities, work hard to harness renewable energies, actively clean up marine litter and pollution that flows through our farm areas and help to conserve marine life and our oceans. The wild pearl shell fishery in Australia is the only responsible and certified gem fishery in the world (certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, MSC).
Positive Pearling
A closer look at the science of blue carbon
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
In order to truly grow the worlds most exceptional pearls, we must also ensure that the quality of the pristine waterways in which we grow our pearls within are upheld with the highest possible standards of care. Since 1990, the known surface area of our ocean has increased in temperature by 1 degree Celsius due to early onset climate change – not surprisingly since that time, our fragile pearling industry has seen a dramatic decline in pearl production.
A pearl farm is a marine research centre by nature, and this is enhanced by our ‘Kimberley Marine Research Station’ which facilitates independent research helping to understand the environments in which our pearls grow. Cutting edge research such as our Oyster Breeding programs and partnerships with leading universities including James Cook, Macquarie and the University of WA helps us bridge the gap between the heartaches of the past and the pearl farm prosperities of the future.
Our passion for pearl provenance and industry wide transparency around the production of pearls has also compelled us to tread new and innovative ground by establishing, alongside our friends at Everledger, the worlds first blockchain based provenance proof for pearls. This means that the pearl consumers of the future will have a certified way of knowing, without question, the quality and provenance of a pearl. In this way, our overarching goal of education and empowerment for pearl consumers around the world is becoming one important step closer to reality.
