市场情报 PEARL REPORT | 47 | 2022-2023 Beauty, rarity and sustainability Consumers’ love for pearls dates back to ancient times. In fact, seashells and pearls have been traded long before any other gemstones or metals. Fossil records suggest that the Pinctada shell group appeared about 13 million years ago. A natural pearl discovered in Abu Dhabi in 2012, found to be 7,500 years old, challenges what the industry recognises as the earliest diamonds unearthed in India in the fourth century BC for the title of oldest known gem. The rarity of natural pearls further elevated their status as the most prized of all gemstones. Back then, they were owned exclusively by royals. Over the past century, traders have perfected pearl cultivation methods, making pearls more accessible to a wider range of audiences. On the flip side, this development revealed the intense pressure that growth and climate change is inflicting on wild mollusc populations. Responsible pearlers realised early on the importance of preserving natural resources to build a robust and resilient industry. Hatchery technology and proper management of wild mollusc populations transformed pearling into a non-extractive process, effectively paving the way towards sustainability. Traceability Initially developed to resolve and prevent public health and safety issues, traceability has rapidly emerged as an influential movement, going beyond the domain of food and pharmaceutical industries. The diamond sector pioneered the use of tracking (from origin to consumer) and tracing (from consumer to origin) solutions to address the issue of conflict diamonds and help restore and foster consumer confidence. Several pearl-dedicated traceability initiatives soon emerged, including Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory’s Metakaku RFID tracker, SSEF’s DNA fingerprinting services of pearls and Gübelin Gem Lab’s Physical Tracers. The most recent addition to this should be credited to Australian pearling industry pioneer, Pearls of Australia and blockchain leader, Everledger. Provenance proof Pearls of Australia is renowned for its coveted saltwater pearls, sourced from pristine Australian locations and the unique way that the company produces and brings them to market.
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