This article first appeared in the Pearl Report 2024-2025.

The name Autore has become synonymous with radiant South Sea pearls and award-winning jewellery designs. And rightly so. Lovingly grown in the immaculate blue waters off Australia and Indonesia, Autore’s South Sea pearls are among the most coveted in the world.

A testament to this is steady demand from clients across Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and the US alongside Hollywood celebrities adorning themselves with Autore’s stunning pearl jewellery pieces. The company is likewise making waves on the sustainability front.

Robust trade

South Sea pearls enjoyed solid market demand in 2023 and in the first half of 2024, revealed founder Rosario Autore. This is particularly true for white South Sea pearls, which are favoured for their incomparable lustre and near-perfect round shape.

“The market’s appetite for white South Sea pearls has been extremely strong and prices have been steadily increasing,” he remarked. “This was evident in results of our auctions in 2023 and 2024.”

About 90 per cent to 95 per cent of pearl lots offered at Autore’s auctions sell, notwithstanding business uncertainties, noted Rosario. This can be attributed to buyers’ unwavering fascination for top-quality South Sea pearls.

The market’s growing penchant for novelty and individuality, meanwhile, is fuelling a great deal of interest in unconventional shapes such as baroque and keshi pearls, notably in Australia and China.

Rosario explained, “We are a vertically integrated company and from our observation, all pearl shapes are moving. This demonstrates demand from our diverse clients and highlights their respective preferences and those of their end-consumer.”

Echoing comments from other trade players, he said pearl production was slightly down in the latter part of 2023 and during the first semester of 2024. Specifically, Autore’s pearl farms in Australia suffered from reduced seeding in 2021 to 2022 mainly due to Covid-19 restrictions as well as loss of shell arising from internal travel curbs in Australia.

This also resulted in the loss of seeded oysters as Autore had no staff at the farms to maintain onsite operations. “We expect production in Australia to climb steadily in late 2024 and early 2025,” noted Rosario.

Autore owns and operates 10 South Sea pearl farms across Australia and Indonesia, harvesting more than 350,000 pearls per year. These pearl farms are in Lombok, Sumbawa and West Java, in addition to sites in Australia off the coast of Broome, Western Australia and Elizabeth Bay, Northern Territory.

Extensive research and development are also at the core of Autore’s operations. Owing to continued investments in technology and production techniques, live shell specimens on its farms have tripled in number since the Covid era. The company is also harvesting a higher percentage of top-quality white pearls from both its Australian and Indonesian farms.

Autore grades its South Sea pearls at its Sydney headquarters for distribution to prestigious jewellery houses and wholesalers around the world. Its clients can also source their pearl needs at four auctions held by the company every year. The pearl lots are displayed in Kobe, Japan and Hong Kong.

Strong and sustainable

Autore is certified sustainable across all operations, noted Rosario. With a solid focus on sustainability, upholding its social and environmental responsibility is deeply ingrained in the company’s philosophy.

“The Pinctada maxima, as the only living organism that can produce a gem, requires clean and abundant waters to thrive. Therefore, marine environment is one of Autore’s most valuable assets since it is vital to growing beautiful and lustrous pearls,” he continued.

As such, Autore dedicates time and resources to understanding the surroundings of its pearl farms and finding ways to minimise the ecological impact of its operations as well as ensure a balanced, diverse and undisturbed ecosystem.

Autore is Certified Sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and is a member of The Pearl Producers Association, an organisation of Australian South Sea pearlers.

Within Australia, farming entities are allocated a quota to ensure sustainable fishing of wild Pinctada maxima oysters and to guarantee abundant shells in the wild.

The pearl specialist focuses heavily on hatchery-grown Pinctada maxima shell to minimise usage of its quota for wild fishing. Additionally, hatchery-produced oysters help boost quantities in the wild through subsequent spawning – a natural result of added shells in the ocean.

The oceans where Autore farms are located restrict commercial fishing to protect marine life and prevent overfishing. Autore’s farming infrastructure further provides substrates for marine life to grow and thrive, and attracts fish and sea organisms including marine flora, such as seaweed, and marine fauna, including invertebrate and vertebrate species.

The company continuously invests in and puts resources towards rebuilding reefs, propagating corals and other organisms, which in turn promote fish and sea life.

Further proof of its commitment to help farming communities thrive, Autore provides employment in regional areas where it is extra challenging to find jobs. It also offers additional opportunities for indigenous communities.

In 2014, Autore collaborated with JARI Foundation, a marine conservation advocate in Indonesia, to teach the importance of environmental preservation to communities at the Lombok pearl farm. The programme is still ongoing.

Specifically, its aim is to bolster local primary school students’ level of knowledge and understanding of pearl farming and marine conservation.

“The initiative strives to communicate the significance of marine preservation for future generations while providing jobs, education and healthcare support to local communities,” explained Rosario.

Pearl jeweller to the stars

Autore Jewellery Design Division, established in 2001, is the specialist pearl jewellery design and manufacturing arm of Autore. Over the years, Autore has made major strides in this area, having launched several iconic collections, which have either won international awards or been in the Hollywood limelight.

Some of its pearl jewellery pieces were worn by celebrities in Sex and the City, The Black Dahlia, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and Industry. Autore pearls have also adorned the likes of Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi and Iris Apatow on the red carpet. Earlier in 2024, Autore launched the Enchantress Set from its Couture Ophidia Collection. The captivating necklace has received two awards – Best in High Jewellery at Inhorgenta Munich and Best in Pearls at Couture Las Vegas.

With these latest accolades, Autore now has a total of 11 international jewellery design awards, a feat that no other Australian company has ever accomplished, according to Rosario. Meanwhile, Autore’s Butterfly Collection was also well received in the market. Developed by Jane Autore, Rosario’s daughter and the group’s creative director, the Butterfly Collection has once again placed Autore at the forefront of pearl jewellery design.