Golden Pearl

On the island of Palawan in southwestern Philippines, lives only person in the world, who revealed the secret of making a rare type of jewelry and gold pearls . By the fragile natural pearls are treated like a royal decoration. Each oyster is required 5 years to produce one such gem , with the slightest jolt could kill her .

A small motor boat maneuvered between rows of ropes stretched over a vast territory that is used for the production of gold pearls. Five divers wear a mask and diving and dive in the turquoise water. Coming season collection of pearls . In this place , surrounded on all sides by the 20 th islands , oyster -producing pearls , are protected from strong currents . First oysters spend 2 years in the incubator , and then grow in 3 years at a depth of 15 meters in the tranquil warm waters of the South China Sea.

This farm grows pearl is 500 km . from Manila and is very well protected from the emissions of a large city . Absolutely no effort thrown out to protect the oysters from external influence and negative influence on their growth .

Jacques Branell , since 1979 director and co-founder of the farm , very worried about their possessions . He began to closely examine them even from heaven , bounding on his helicopter. No detail overlooked. On the ground , he wears a pink shirt , hat and jogging runs to inspect the farm. In English , he gave orders to his Filipino assistant , who is trying everywhere to follow the chief .

In fact , Jacques is more concerned with what lies beneath the waves . Fishing with dynamite and cyanide are still prevalent among the fishermen islands of Palawan . Because of this, the death of many corals , but now the same thing could threaten oysters . The owners of pearl farms even provide local authorities with new motor boats so that they can closely monitor the fishermen and to protect the natural resources that are around .

" Cultivation of pearls is very time-consuming process , "explains Jacques . "Any change in temperature and water status can affect oysters. Everything feels and experiences oyster , affects gem and can spoil its quality. " For 38 years I am engaged in the cultivation of pearls , but is still learning , always learning something new . Extraction of gold pearls very challenging task . To achieve perfection in this matter is necessary to overcome a long way. "

Before you put oysters in the sea after a 2- year incubation , each placed a small nucleus around which will grow a pearl . Then within 3 years divers will periodically get the cells to oysters, and turn them to pearls were perfectly round, as well as their X-ray radiograph to make sure that the pearl everything is in order .

But the most difficult in the process of growing pearl oysters became excretion «Pinctada Maxima». 15 years, biologists struggled with breeding rare species of oysters. The company now Jacques is unique in the world , which has a production secrets of the golden pearls.

The divers returned to shore with the first part of the crop. They brought baskets full of oysters , in which , and the gem , but , despite all the care for a few years no one can guarantee excellent quality . A few hours later , already in the studio, Jacques Brannel evaluates the first gems of the new crop. "Not all the pearls may have a golden color , some will be white or the color of champagne . Of the 700,000 pearls, which are produced on farms , Jacques , over 75% are considered to be pearls of superior quality .

One of the workers brought the pearl , looking at that to Jacques eyes light up . " This - the pearl of the highest quality - Hanadama », he exclaims with pride.
In the company of Jacques Brannel employs over 1000 people in the Philippines, opened 12 stores, which is sold all produced from the farm pearls .

Jacques Brannel , a former captain , came to the Philippines for more than 30 years ago after selling his farm for the debts to grow black pearls in Polynesia . But now he believes that he has received good value for their past failures . Jacques argues that does not pursue wealth , as has already achieved everything he wanted . His house is located in the prestigious district of Manila, and recently he bought a small "Flower Island ", where he rebuilt the former resort and made it their second home . Jacques loves the Philippines , he married a local woman and wants to be the gold pearls have become a symbol of the archipelago, the same as it was black pearls in Tahiti .