Sustainability

Our Pearls Are Intrinsically Sustainable

Pearls are the only rare and precious gem on the planet today born within a living organism – the oyster.

One of our highest mandates is the education of our audiences towards the many miraculous benefits that this incredible creation can have on both people and planet, when grown with the highest possible standards of ethical care.

A photo of our Australian South Sea pearl being harvested at our Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm from a Pinctada maxima. A turtle gracefully swims amongst beautiful coral reef, surrounded by a variety of colourful fish.

Guardians of the ocean

In 2009, we made an industry-changing decision to open our first farm, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, to the public – revealing what was previously a secretive industry. Our aim was to create transparency around the cultivation of the finest, most sustainable pearls and connect people to the incredible places in which they grow.

Today, we welcome over 10,000 visitors a year who immerse themselves in the Australian pearling story, from its ancient beginnings to modern techniques. After witnessing the near disappearance of this industry, it has been our privilege to help create new opportunities for Australian pearl farmers by engaging a new generation of pearl enthusiasts.

The Impact of One Hectare of Oyster Reef (Per Year)

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    2.7 billion

    Litres of seawater filtered

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    225 kg

    Nitrogen and phosphate removed.

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    375 kg

    New fish produced for catch and consumption

  • 100+

    Marine species given new homes

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    10,000 kg

    Carbon removed (equivalent to the emissions of 2 cars)
Studies provided by The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
A diver holds a Mother of Pearl shell after being harvested from Cygnet Bay waters.

The power of positive pearling

Pearling provides multiple services to surrounding ecosystems and communities. This includes employment, education and empowerment for people and extends to the protection of mangroves, seagrass and salt-marsh, the most efficient carbon sequestration substrates (‘blue carbon sinks’) on the planet.

The core and co-benefits of pearling makes it a natural partner to the ‘blue economy’, actively improving the lives of the communities and areas we work in, creating jobs and opportunities, working hard to harness renewable energies, actively cleaning up marine litter and pollution that flows through our farm areas, and helping to conserve marine life and our oceans. The wild pearl shell fishery in Australia is the only responsible and certified gem fishery in the world (certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, MSC).

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Positive Pearling

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SCIENCE OF BLUE CARBON

  • Graph showcasing the sequesters of carbon emissions.

Research & Development

To grow the world’s most exceptional pearls, we must ensure that the quality of the pristine waterways in which we grow our pearls, are maintained with the highest possible standards of care. Since 1990, the known surface area of our ocean has increased in temperature by one degree Celsius due to early onset climate change. Not surprisingly since that time, our fragile pearling industry has seen a dramatic decline in pearl production.

A pearl farm is a marine research centre by nature, and this is enhanced by our Kimberley Marine Research Station (KMRS), which facilitates independent research to help understand the environments in which our pearls grow. Cutting edge research such as our oyster breeding programs and partnerships with leading universities including James Cook, Macquarie and the University of WA, help us bridge the gap between the heartaches of the past and the pearl farm prosperities of the future.  

Our passion for pearl provenance and industry-wide transparency around the production of pearls has also compelled us to tread new and innovative ground by establishing the worlds first blockchain based provenance proof for pearls. This means that the pearl consumers of the future will have a certified way of knowing, without question, the quality and provenance of a pearl. In this way, our overarching goal of education and empowerment for pearl consumers around the world is becoming one important step closer to reality. 

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The sacred history of pearling

For over 40,000 years, The Bardi Jawi people of the Dampier Peninsula have harvested pearl shell. Not only was the shell an important and nutritious food source, but it was also incredibly culturally significant. These ancient artisans would carve the shell into a teardrop shape which is known as Guwan. They would then carve unique lines into the shell with kangaroo jawbone before staining it with red ochre. In this form it is known as Riji. The men would wear their Riji around the waist, on a belt of human hair, donated by aunties and sisters, during high ceremonies. Associated with power and great honour, these ancient artworks were traded over thousands of kilometres throughout central Australia. See images from past to present, with our modern day resident Riji artist Bruce Wiggan.

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When cultures unite

In 1960, we spearheaded Australia’s first trial harvest of cultured pearls, chartering a new course in pearling otherwise not known within Australia or rest of the world, outside of Japan. No cultured pearl farm in the world had ever successfully come to fruition without Japanese involvement. That all changed, thanks to the Brown family and their passionate dedication to a quest that was considered virtually impossible. From bark huts and handmade tools, the story of Australia’s cultured pearling pioneers begun. Lyndon Brown then trained and employed three local Bardi Jawi men – Tom Wiggan, Aubrey Tigan and Gordon Dixon – to also culture pearls, and so the very first all Australian pearl farm was established on this very raft at Cygnet Bay, The Kimberley.

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Philanthropy

A child waves at the camera

Save the Children

A passionate advocate for Indigenous rights, James Brown was named an Ambassador to Save the Children, in recognition of his time assisting young Aboriginal children throughout the Dampier Peninsula communities.

Cygnet Bay created a co-branded range of jewellery featuring the beautiful Save the Children motif. Twenty percent of sales goes directly to the program that provides early childhood education and parent support services to Dampier Peninsula communities, where facilities and services struggle to ‘close the gap’ in outcomes for Aboriginal children.

“After generations of pearling in the remote Kimberley, I have witnessed firsthand the turbulent journey of the Aboriginal people, my oldest friends. Partnering with Save The Children means our efforts will directly help our local kids realise opportunities that every Australian should have.” – James Brown

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A photo of the Lustre Exhibition, showcasing stunning Mother of Pearl shell and the important history around Mother of Pearl shell in Broome.

Lustre Exhibition

Lustre: Pearling & Australia is an extensive, highly acclaimed exhibition that explores the gritty human story of pearling. It weaves together the intersecting strands of Aboriginal, Asian, and European histories, revealing insights into one of Australia’s oldest industries.

Since its inception, Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm has proudly been the major industry sponsor of this acclaimed exhibition.

It is a rare and essential body of work, well-received across Australia. The success of the resulting book, Lustre: Pearling in Australia, highlights the exhibition's importance.

Awards & Recognition:

  • 2018 State Arts and Culture Partnership Honours: Aboriginal Arts Partnerships for Lustre (with the Western Australian Museum).
  • 2017 MAGNA Award: Travelling Exhibition – Lustre: Pearling and Australia National Tour.
A group of people taking three pieces of rubbish each from the coastline, part of the important initiative of Take 3 for the Sea.

Take 3 for the Sea

Plastic pollution is killing wildlife, devastating oceans, and threatening the health of our planet. It highlights a disconnection, as plastic is designed to last forever but is often used only once. Poorly managed disposal leaks into the sea, as the ocean is downhill from everywhere.

Through education that inspires action, Take 3 for the Sea is building a global movement of people connected to the planet. Watch their video about how plastic pollution impacts us all.

Broken Bay Pearl Farm regularly participates in Take 3 events, such as the CEO Clean Up, which helps raise funds for essential education programs in schools, surf clubs, and communities across Australia.

Take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway, or... anywhere, and you’ve made a difference.

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