Pearls From Indonesia

Those round or lopsided shiny things that most often than not make every woman's day – pearls may be cultured or fresh, but wherever they come from, pearls harmonize dreams and reality.

Indonesia might not be the pearl of the orient but in the world's largest archipelago lay several pearl farms that produce pearls of superb quality and are exported to other countries like the U.S. and Europe. If you check on other websites promoting pearls, you'll find that some of them are pearls from Indonesia.

Pearls from Indonesia come in varying shapes but the colors are generally off-white, cream, or golden but other finds include silver/white and silver. Variations in pearls produced are due to geography, climate, and the slight difference of oyster species, usually affecting the colors. Pearls from Indonesia belong the group called South Sea Pearls. Other Asian countries producing south sea pearls are Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.

The mollusks (phylum Mollusca), from which oysters are a part of, that produces the pearls in Indonesia come from the specie Pinctada Maxima or Silver Lip Oyster. This specie is the largest in the world and primarily used for pearl cultivation. It takes years after for an oyster to produce the largest pearls adding to their rarity. Perfectly round, high-luster pearls (98-99% round) are the most valuable and sought after.

Over the centuries, the clear waters surrounding the Indonesian archipelago have attracted pearl divers in search of pearls. Pearls from Indonesia were traditionally made as buttons on special occasions. As far back as 1600s, stories of Batavian life noted the Arab pearl traders as well as the popular wares they sell. Finding a pearl inside an oyster was like looking for a needle in a haystack so that by the 1800s, Japanese inventors popularized the cultivation of pearls.

The Japanese were and still are most interested in cultivating pearls from Indonesia. Pearl cultivation has become an industry in the country, especially in the provinces of Maluku, as well as in Southeast and Central Sulawesi, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and Lampung. Due to the unrest in these provinces, however, pearl cultivators have been looking for other areas where pearl cultivation is viable such as in the clear waters of Irian Jaya and other islands.

One pearl shop famous for expatriates and a full spectrum of international communities is the Fandiasta located in Kemanggisan Ilir just behind Slipi Jaya Plaza. Japanese collectors, Europeans, Americans, and Asians alike flock to the place to find high quality pearls at a good price. The stunning work of the oyster in stacking thousands of thin layers of calcium carbonate crystals into a gem is inarguably one of nature's intricate treasures. The quality of pearls from Indonesia is one of the gems the country should be proud of.