Myanmar’ aquatic valuable bubbles in royal color
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Thiri Khit Oo (NP News) - Mar 27
The small bubbles with royal color such as silver, gold and dark velvet green which are valuable as jewelry. The nature blesses Myanmar to have that kind of balls in Myanmar’s marine. Of course, they are pearls. The legends and myths describe them as the tears of mermaids.
The pearls with shimmering colors are nowadays decorated as jewelries at the women’s necks, ears and hands. In relationships, men show their feelings to the women who they are fall in love with by gifting silver color pearl rings. Proposing with silver color pearl rings means for the love with pureness as well as the loyalty toward a person, sageness and understanding which is the start to create lasting memories for lifelong.
In Myanmar dynasty era, pearls are the only for the royal livings. Myanmar’s royal ladies sometimes wear the pearl decorated by gold to show their glory and grace. For centuries, Salons ethnics from Myeik Archipelagoes who are the traditional pearl divers and presented the pearls to the royal livings. Pearls derives from the “Mergui shell” were of the finest in the world.
The Myanmar Pearl Fishing and Culture Syndicate company developed pearl farming in 1954. After decades, the pearl farm has been operating by Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MPE) since 1989 as sperate enterprise.
Nowadays, pearls are displayed at the auctions held at the Myanmar Gems Emporium in Naypyidaw. In October 2023, a total of 300 pearl lots were displayed for sale and all pearl lots were sold out. The Gems Emporium’s auctions always attract the jewelers both from domestic and foreign. There have been high demands of Myanmar pearls for both natural pearls and cultured pearls internationally.
Explaining about pearls categories – silver-lipped oysters generally produce the pearls in colors of white and silver. The gold-lipped oysters variety produce the cream, champagne and deeper golden colors. South Sea pearls in natural colors are so rich and beautiful which are naturally glow.
Their sizes are in the range of 8 to 20 mm, the average is defined as 12 mm in round shape. Some pearls have been extremely rare to be found larger than 20 mm in round or semi round or near-round shape.
The mentioned colors of pearl are ranging at the highest prices of cultured pearls. Some enthusiastic jewelers easily pay high prices for creative pieces of fine jewelry.
Pearl-bearing oysters produce both cultured and natural pearl either in fresh of salt water. When an external irritant, such as a grain of sand or a parasite enters into an oyster, the animal protects itself by releasing a soothing substance called nacre coating the intruder. A natural pearl is eventually created by this kind of defense mechanism of the oyster. While many oysters have the ability to produce pearls inside them, it is very rare to find one that is large, lustrous, and properly shaped. The much more difficult part is to find those gems that are perfectly matched in terms of color, luster, shape, size, and surface quality.
On the other hand, cultured pearls are formed with human assistance. Farmers insert a bead or a small tissue piece as the irritant to encourage the growth of a pearl in simple way.
There are four categories of cultured pearls -
- Fresh Water Cultured Pearl
- Akoya Cultured Pearl
- Tahitian Cultured Pearl
- South Sea Cultured Pearl
The prices and qualities are set and defined in accordance with Luster, Surface Quality, Nacre Quality, Size, Shape, Color and Matching.
Data reference from – Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MPE)
Global New Light of Myanmar