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South Sea Pearl History

In the 1880s, divers off the coast of Australia discovered the Pinctada maxima oyster. Their large size attracted the attention of local traders. Soon pearling schooners filled with Sri Lankan divers began to harvest the oysters for its shell rather than for pearls.

The oysters were so plentiful that at low tide they could be picked from the exposed sand. As the oysters became depleted, more and more sophisticated diving methods had to be used.

As the Australian pearl industry boomed, the small town of Broome became the pearling center. In fact, South Sea pearls were originally called "Broome pearls". Within three years of the original discovery, Australia was supplying 75 percent of the world's supply of mother-of-pearl for making shirt buttons.

The natural pearls found from harvested oysters were a rare bonus for the divers. Many fabulous specimens were found over the years.

By the 1930s, over harvesting had severely depleted the oyster beds. The government was forced to strictly regulate the harvest to prevent the oysters from becoming extinct.

In the 1890s, William Saville-Kent who began culturing blister pearls (Mabe pearls). In 1922, the government became afraid that cultured pearls would threaten the natural pearl market and outlawed cultured pearls. The prohibition remained until 1949.

The first commercial pearl culturing farm began in Western Australia in 1956. Australia now produces about 60 percent of the world's South Sea cultured pearls.

Japanese companies began culturing South Sea pearls in Indonesian in 1970. The Philippine South Sea culturing effort also began in the 1970s.