Seeding

The process of seeding an oyster is very technical and is a surgical procedure. Donor oysters are selected based on visible quality and colour of their nacre and from which a strip of mantle tissue called saibo is acquired. Each strip of saibo will be used in the seeding process of 20 - 30 host oysters for pearl creation.

Mature (around 2 years old) host pearl oysters are temporarily lifted from the sea and in the lab will open naturally. Special tools are used to keep the oyster open whilst the surgery takes place. The technician will make an incision within the gonad of the oyster and it is here that both a piece of saibo and a nucleus (normally a bead made of Mississippi muscle shell) will be implanted. The pearl oysters are returned to the farm and undergo a post operation recovery period requiring careful handling and observation.

Successive layers of material will start to form on the nucleus and at around 40 days post-op, the nacreous layers begin to create a coating. Eventually, after approximately 2 years, the mystery of nature's creation is revealed when harvesting takes place.