PHUKET is known as the ‘The Pearl of the Andaman’ because of its natural beauty, but what many people don’t realise is that Phuket is also home to one of Thailand’s most important pearl farms.

The Phuket Pearl Farm, about a mile offshore from Sapham Bay on the island’s east coast, cultivates between 5000 and 10,000 pearls a month for both the domestic and international markets.

Their pearls even adorn the necks of Thailand’s Royal Family.

Princess Mahajakri Sirinthorn was given a pearl necklace made of pearls cultivated at the farm, and Her Royal Highness, Princess Bajrakittiyabha probably picked up a pearl or two when she visited the farm in 2007.

“Mankind has always admired the pearl’s natural beauty, but to our ancient ancestors, the process that created pearls were largely a mystery,” said Phuket Pearl Farm owner, Amorn Inthararoen.

“Some of our ancestors believed pearls were dropped by God from the heavens, and others thought they were the teardrops of mermaids.

“But over time, more scientific explanations emerged, based on observations that the pearls shared the colour and texture of the oyster shells in which they formed.

“In the thirteenth century, the Chinese began cultivating pearls by putting foreign objects inside the oysters to encourage nacre growth,” he said.

“Production techniques have developed over the centuries and pearl farming has now developed into a major industry.”

Mr Amorn makes sure all the pearls are as perfect as possible and personally checks each one before it is sold or fashioned into pearl jewelry, ranging from necklaces and earings to pendants and full sets.

He loves working on the farm and doesn’t mind getting down and dirty in the mud and the mire where the pearls are grown.

It takes about ten minutes on a long-tail boat to get to the farm where marketing manager, Saran Somrak, is happy to show visitors how a pearl farm works.

He said it takes up to two years for pearls to cultivate.

Mr Saran said the climate and water conditions along Phuket’s west coast were ideal for pearl production.

“Two daily tides ensure a steady, natural supply of nutrients for the oysters feed on,” he said.

“There is a lot of high quality plankton there, and the water temperature is between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius, which is perfect for pearl farming.

“And the local sea currents ensure a constant supply of clear seawater all year round.”

Cultured pearls produced on farms are similar to natural pearls in every way, except that nature is given a ‘jump start’ when a nucleus, or a small bead, is surgically implanted into the oyster.

The oyster then deposits layers of nacre around the bead to form the pearl.

Mr Saran said three different kinds of pearls were farmed in Phuket, Mabe pearls, Akoya pearls and South Sea pearls.

“Mabe pearls are only half shaped, Akoya pearls are round and range in diameter from two to nine millimeters, and the South Sea pearls, the Queen of Pearls are spherical pearls with a minimum diameter of eight millimeters,” he said.

“The pearls can be white, cream or even black in colour, but rose-white or silver-pink pearls are still the most popular.”

Pearls are judged by their beauty, and the best quality pearls have a lustrous gleam.

The smoothness of the pearl’s surface is also taken into account, and the less blemishes there are, the higher the pearl is ranked.

Round pearls are considered more valuable, but drop and baroque shapes are becoming
more popular.

The size of a pearl is determined by the size of the bead which is inserted into the mother oyster.

Mr Saran said it takes between one and two years for each pearl to grow to the required size.

The Inthararoen family have been farming pearls in Phuket for three generations.

“My grandfather started farming pearls almost 40 years ago,” said Mr Amorn.

“The pearl industry was first introduced to Phuket by Japanese pearl farmers, and my grandfather learned from them,” he said.

“Before the tsunami hit Phuket in 2004, I farmed about 100,000 pearls oysters every year, but the tsunami washed away most of our oysters, and our production fell by about 70 per cent.

“But I never gave up, and with a bit of help from the Board of Investment Office, we moved into the world market.

“We are now producing between 5000 and 10,000 pearls every month and we supply both the domestic and the international market,” he said.

The pearl farm has become something of a tourist attraction and more than 100 tourists a day take the five minute boat ride out to the pearl farm to see how pearls are grown and cultivated.

They can also watch as craftsmen turn the pearls into works of art, and if they like what they see, they can buy a finished piece of jewelry at a bargain price.

For further information, call 076 238 002, or visit phuketpearlfactory.com