Gypsies of the Sea
| No one understands the ancient nature of pearls quite like the Badjao, sea gypsies who sail the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas across three nations and who make their living from its aquatic bounty.
The gentle Badjaos brave staggering depths using the simplest tools to retrieve wild oysters and natural pearls nestled within. This is the origin of the parent oysters in Jewelmer’s own hatchery. Historically, Palawan is also part of an ancient trade route called the Pearl Road where Chinese merchants traded with the Badjao, sea-faring nomads for pearls. This tradition continues today, in Jewelmer’s pearl farms, where biologists coax these living gems from the Pinctada maxima oyster. |
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