 Pearl production is a process that begins with the collection of young oysters called SPAT. This collecting process involves placing collecting stations, which are made up of a framework of plastic shades which due to their dark colour and special design attract the young oysters, which are a few millimeters at their largest.
The young oyster will attach themselves to these shades via its byssus. It will stay like this for a period of one to two years, after which it will be detached delicately from the collecting station: this process is called DETROCAGE. These young oysters will then be strung together in chaplets until they grow to a large enough size to be successfully grafted. Once these oysters possess the right combination of characteristics they will be gathered and prepared for the painstaking grafting process. |
