South Sea Pearls

csmcpng

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Mar 8, 2019
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Hi All, I have heard conflicting stories about SSP. Why are they called South Sea Pearls ? Any ideas ?
regards, csmc
 
They are farmed in warm southern ocean waters...Australia, Indonesia, Mynamar, Philippines...

They are cultured in Pinctada Maxima which occurs in these waters.
 
Last edited:
South Sea Pearls

They are farmed in warm southern ocean waters...Australia, Indonesia, Mynamar, Philippines...

They are cultured in Pinctada Maxima which occurs in these waters.
Yes that is correct but you left out Papua New Guinea. Also, I believe the term South Sea Pearls comes from early 1950's when after WW2 the allied powers ( USA, England, Australia ) being such good folks decided to rebuild the Japanese economy after the devastation of atomic bombs. The Japanese prior to WW2 were basically the only country producing cultured pearls ( Mikimoto ) and there were known pearl grounds in northern Australia, being Thursday Island and Broome. These pearl grounds were fished for mother of pearl shell ( MOP ) not for cultured pearls.The Japanese were told to go to Australia, south of the equator and begin cultured pearling. Kuri Bay, north of Broome was established in 1956 by the Japanese. Hence the name South Sea.
regards, csmc
 
From Pearlsasone course: (https://www.pearlsasone.org/courses/84220/lectures/1226159; must be signed in to see page)

"South Sea pearl farming traces its roots to the originator of the cultured pearl industry—Kokichi Mikimoto. He and his Japanese colleagues referred to all pearls grown south of Japan as "South Sea" pearls. The name is still used for pearls cultured in the silver-lipped and gold-lipped South Sea pearl mollusks, but no longer used for pearls grown in the black-lipped, Tahitian pearl mollusk."
 
So, that would mean natural not cultured pearls that Mikimoto was referring to. Unless he was talking about his predecessor William Saville Kent.
 
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