Education | Pearl of Hong Kong

Hong Kong pearls and Japanese saltwater pearls are closely related. They both use the same species of oyster (Pinctada Fucata). Generally, pearls are harvested after about 1.5 years of cultivation, but due to advancements in technology and biotechnology, and to reduce environmental instability, pearls can now be harvested in as little as 10 months.

1950s and 1960s

The Hong Kong government issued six licenses to various pearl farmers in the city. Among them, the Kadoorie family, Sir Fung Ping-fan, and Mr. Cheng Yu-tung (whose representative was Mr. Ho Pak-to, former deputy general manager of Chow Tai Fook) were already established. Unfortunately, due to environmental pollution caused by urban development, weather conditions, and a lack of processing technology, they were unable to continue operating.

mid 1990s

Although a secret attempt was made to try again, the plan was halted due to personnel changes within the government following the 1997 handover.

2000 to 2005

A Mr. Ye Dingmin invested in aquaculture, but unfortunately, it could not be sustained for various reasons.

April 28, 2014

Hong Kong has once again cultivated pearls. Utilizing the high-tech Metakaku© technology, pearl seeds are used as individually identified seed pearls. After 10 months of cultivation, the harvest was conducted on February 12, 2015, confirming that Hong Kong waters are capable of cultivating pearls up to 9.0 mm in size.

In Hong Kong, pearls are often perceived as something noble and traditional, distant from everyday life. However, many aspects of pearls are actually closely related to humanity and nature conservation. Sustainable development is one of the lesser-known facets of the pearl industry.