Hong Kong-based Rio Pearl has introduced top-quality white South Sea pearls from the Mergui Archipelagos in Myanmar – a first for a country known for producing predominantly golden South Sea pearls.

The pearls, aptly named M White South Sea, were unveiled at Rio Pearl’s 40th auction in Hong Kong from January 13 to 14, 2024. Market response was positive, according to Rio Pearl Director Jonathan Cheng.

“We have been working over the last seven years to offer the market an entirely different product from our farms,” shared Cheng. “After testing the results over the last three years, we are now happy with the quality of pearls that are being harvested.”

Myanmar traditionally produces over 99 per cent golden South Sea pearls, so having successfully cultivated white South Sea pearls in Myanmar presents new growth possibilities for Rio Pearl and the pearl sector in general.

Cheng said the biggest challenge in making white pearls is achieving the top-quality white colour and lustre that white South Sea pearls are known for. Throughout the project’s duration, Rio Pearl would come across creamy white pearls before perfecting the cultivation process. 

“Myanmar had no white South Sea pearls when we started this initiative seven years ago. There were no white shells or white oysters to work with in Myanmar. We realised we had to create something that does not exist,” explained Cheng. 

Rio Pearl started producing whites in smaller quantities three years ago, but further work had to be done to raise the colour and quality to above average. This was achieved overtime, leading to larger harvests of better-quality whites. 

“We focused heavily on oyster breeding. We started using different breeding techniques to get the shells to turn out whiter,” noted Cheng. “A big part of the challenge was how to make stronger, healthier oysters, with good genetics and a healthy family line.”

At its latest auction, Rio Pearl displayed more than 23,000 white South Sea pearls from Myanmar for the first time. Moving forward, the company is looking to produce more whites to be on a par with its golden South Sea pearl production, revealed Cheng.

A similar quantity of white South Sea pearls will be offered at Rio Pearl’s next auction, which is also scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.