After a minimum of two years of careful nurturing, the oysters are raised from the sea once again and returned to the vessel for harvest. Until the moment the shell is opened, the result is unknown. The pearl shape, size, surface quality and colour cannot be predicted with certainty.
During harvest, technicians carefully open each oyster to remove the pearl. The process is conducted with care, causing minimal stress to the oyster and allowing some individuals to be re‑operated for a second time. In this way, up to three pearls may be produced from the same oyster over a period of around six years. In the final cycle, mother‑of‑pearl shell and pearl meat is also collected.
Each harvested pearl is later assessed against established quality criteria known as The Five Virtues: size, shape, complexion, lustre and colour. Only a small proportion of pearls meet the highest quality thresholds. What emerges at harvest is not simply a gemstone, but the biological record of time, environment and living tissue—formed layer by layer beneath the surface of the sea with careful stewardship.
The pearls are graded in the same natural state as they emerge from the oyster and the range of categories is vast. Paspaley Pearling Company, the primary producer of Australian South Sea pearls, classifies its pearls into nearly 6000 individual grades. This stringent process makes the grading exacting, but is necessary to ensure consistency.
Bijoux
