Bangkok pearl factory

Head of Amsterdam Pearls Cees Van Oije invited me to visit Bangkok and to go around a sea pearls processing factory in the city.

This was a much bigger operation than the one I visited last year in China. It processed Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian pearls. Nevertheless the processes were just about identical. Pearls came in, were cleaned, sorted, drilled or not drilled, strung, graded and readied for the wholesale market.

akoya pearls

Minutely tiny natural colours akoyas. It’s hard to see but some of these tiny tiny pearls were vivid blue

tiny akoya

Imagine having to sort and assemble these tiny pearls into strands. Phew!

pwearls

More tiny pearls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

north window

Sorting pearls using natural light from a north facing window

pearl drill

State of the art pearl drill. The cups are controlled by foot pedal and adjust to the correct pressure, both sides drill at once and when the cups release the pearl drops down a chute into a bowl

rows of graders

Pearls are made into strands using grooved boards and bamboo tweezers in front of a north facing window. The workday at the factory starts early to make the most of the north light

 

tahitian pearls

Tahitian pearls waiting to be sorted and graded

White South Sea pearls

White South Sea pearls