MARKET INTELLIGENCE PEARL REPORT | 48 | 2022-2023 For Pearls of Australia, every pearl has a one-of-a-kind story to tell. As such, it has long recognised the challenges of making the pearl’s journeymore accessible to consumers to help build trust and confidence in the trade. Everledger, an Australian digital technology company with a deep commitment to transparency, worked with Pearls of Australia to use blockchain technology in raising consumer awareness through a newly launched digital platform. The aim of this collaboration is to make provenance resonate beyond the place of origin and capitalise on authenticity and sustainability, with the objective of changing how pearls are perceived and passed on to future generations. “We decided to embark on this provenance journey about a year ago after witnessing years of pearl value eroding in the eyes of consumers when the reality is that producing good-quality pearls is getting increasingly difficult,” said James Brown, managing director of Pearls of Australia. “We needed a way to make the value of pearls more visible and enduring beyond the dialogue we have with customers at a single point in time.” Customers are increasingly becoming more knowledgeable about the visible attributes of pearls such as size, shape, colour, lustre and surface. Modern buyers with more access to technology are proving to be more discerning as they place higher importance and value on the pearl’s “invisible” traits. These include transparency around the source of origin; pertinent details of the pearl’s journey from the oyster at the farm to the consumer market; proper disclosure of treatments or enhancements; sustainable and ethical production practices; and the opportunity to transfer ownership for generations to come. A pilot programme is now underway with a selection of premium and unique pearls, with the Provenance Proof digital platform capturing important details of the pearls’ visible and invisible attributes. The platform records information using blockchain technology, so that both jewellery retailers and endconsumers have a permanent and immutable digital record of the unique data and events surrounding the pearl, supported by a Statement of Provenance. This unique data, which can be accessed from a mobile phone or a computer, opens the door to new sources of value to those who purchase these exquisite gems. These digital records are proving valuable to customers in many new ways, more so in the jewellery sector. “Everledger successfully pioneered diamond and gemstone traceability a few years ago and waited for the right visionary partner to dive into the world of pearls,” said Everledger CEO Leanne Kemp. “Where diamonds needed to counter conflict and human rights issues, pearls needed a platform to share their unique journey of harmonious collaboration between man and living nature.” Kemp added, “There are exciting plans ahead, including how we can ensure that the positive impact of pearling is captured and shared. We are delighted to be working together with Pearls of Australia to bring these important stories of origin and authenticity to life.” Going forward The next phase involves integrating measured and demonstrated key components of sustainability as applied to pearling. Industry players and stakeholders are once again discussing ways to continue building on the Sustainable Pearls project of Dr. Laurent Cartier of SSEF and pearl specialist Justin Hunter’s Blue Pledge initiatives. The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) meanwhile put together a working group dedicated to providing an inclusive definition of sustainable pearls and integrating key ethical best practices to complement its recently updated CIBJO pearl guide. Discussions are also ongoing with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to provide guidance to pearlers on how to graduate from being sustainable to consistently delivering a positive impact. At the end of the day, these initiatives all converge to pursue the same objective: Reaching out to the next generation of consumers and ensuring that the pearl’s exceptional beauty endures.
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