OUR HERITAGE |
FROM PEARL DIVER TO YOUR FINEST MOMENTS
PEARL COAST DIVERS |
In 1985, our father and founder of Sharp Pearls embarked on a journey to Broome, entering the pearling industry as a pearl diver. He spent 17 years drift diving along the 80 Mile Beach and established his own company, Pearl Coast Divers, to harvest pearl shell for various other pearling companies in zones 1, 2, and 3. During this time, he conducted government surveys, discovered new grounds in zone 1 and the Kimberley region, and amassed extensive knowledge of the pearling coastline of Western Australia.
At the conclusion of the 80 mile beach season, select divers would travel to Darwin to participate in the annual “commi bash,” where they collected old shell for Mother of Pearl (MOP) and pearl meat. These operations took place in deep waters, sometimes reaching depths of up to 50 meters, which once led to a visit to the decompression chamber at Darwin Hospital. During the process of harvesting shell from the pearl beds many natural pearls would be found and are still in the families treasury today.
In addition to contributing to pearl farm developments in Broome, New Guinea, and Vietnam, he honed skills passed down from Master Pearlers throughout the industry and across the South Pacific. However, during the mid-2000s, a decline in pearl prices resulted in the closure of many farms. In 2006, a devastating disease known as the Odema virus impacted the WA pearl beds, targeting the Pinctada Maxima pearl shell.
This prompted Sharp Pearls to explore new sources in the South Pacific, and today we source our pearls from regions including Australia and the Indonesian archipelago. Now, 40 years later, Sharp Pearls creates some of the most unique pearl jewellery pieces in the world. It truly has been a remarkable journey from pearl diver to your finest moments.
