INSIGHT 睿智角度 36 | JNA September/October 2024 A leader in modern pearl cultivation, Autore is increasingly making its mark in research and development, pearl jewellery design and sustainability – further raising its profile in the global trade. 现代珍珠养殖业的领军企业 Autore，在研发、首饰设计和可持续发展方面崭露锋芒，其国际形象正不断提升。 AUTORE sustains edge in pearl business Autore在珍珠行业保持优势 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, specifically lustrous white South Sea pearls, enjoyed solid demand in 2023 and the first half of 2024, revealed founder Rosario Autore. “Appetite for white South Sea pearls is strong and prices are steadily increasing as proven by results of our 2023 and 2024 auctions,” he remarked. About 90 per cent to 95 per cent of pearl lots offered at Autore’s auctions sell amid business uncertainties. This is due to buyers’ unwavering fascination for topquality South Sea pearls. Demand for novelty and individuality, meanwhile, is driving interest in unconventional shapes like 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." He said pearl production was slightly down in the latter part of 2023 and the first semester of 2024. Specifically, Autore’s pearl farms in Australia suffered from reduced seeding in 2021 to 2022 due to Covid-19 restrictions and 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. Strong and sustainable 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. As such, it is dedicated 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. 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
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