DIVING FOR PEARLS

I’M NOT SURE IF ITS VALID TO DO SO, BUT I AM ADDING SOMETHING TO MY BUCKET LIST, POST EVENT.

THIS WEEK, I SWAPPED MAKEUP & EMAILS FOR DAWN STARTS & OCEANIC ADVENTURES - I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SPEND THE WEEK IN DARWIN, NT WITH ICONIC AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY BRAND, PASPALEY. PASPALEY ARE THE WORLDS LEADER IN SOUTH SEA PEARLS.

I SPENT TIME OUT ON THE PEARLING FARMS, A 90 MINUTE SEA PLANE RIDE FROM DARWIN. STAYING ON THE MV ROSLYNNE, A $20MILLION SHIP THAT ACTS AS THE MOTHERSHIP TO SIMILAR ‘WORKING’ PEARLING BOATS IN REMOTE COVES THAT ARE HOME TO PASPALEY’S PEARL FARMS.

TO SAY I LOVED IT WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. UP AT 530AM WITH THE SHIPS CREW. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE JUST SOME OF THE MANY HANDLING A SOUTH SEA PEARL GOES THROUGH TO GET TO THE TIME OF HARVEST. I GOT COVERED IN MUD & GUTS WHILE CUTTING PEARL MEAT OUT OF THE SHELLS AFTER THE PEARLS HAD BEEN EXTRACTED. DE-PANNELLED SHELLS OUT OF THE NETS TO PREP THEM FOR THE TECHNICIANS TO WORK ON.

I WITNESSED THE JAPANESE PEARL TECHNICIANS AT WORK & MET SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING PEOPLE, WITH AMAZING STORIES. IT WAS SUCH A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE, HAVING WORKED WITH JEWELLERY FOR A LONG TIME, TO SEE HOW MUCH TIME, EFFORT, NATURE AMAZING WORK & HUMAN CARE & PASSION THAT GOES INTO HARVESTING THESE PEARLS WAS SURREAL. EXPERIENCING SUNRISES & SUNSETS IN THE REMOTE SILENCE OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA, WATCHING SHARKS CIRCLING OUR SHIP DAY & NIGHT, & TALKING TO THE CREW WHO JOURNEYS ON THE PEARL FARMS & BEYOND HAD TAKING THEM ON SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING ADVENTURES I HAD EVER HEARD.

BELOW ARE SOME PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP TO THE PEARL FARMS, NONE OF WHICH DO JUSTICE TO THE BEAUTY & SERENITY THAT GREETS YOU & ENCAPSULATES YOU IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

A HUGE HUGE THANK YOU TO PASPALEY FOR ALLOWING ME TO EXPERIENCE THIS. THANKYOU CHRISTINE, RICHARD, SKIPPER RICK, NUNNY, TONY & THE ENTIRE CREW....

AN EXPERIENCE I WILL NEVER FORGET & HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN ADDED TO THE TOP OF BUCKET LIST, WITH A BIG TICK NEXT TO IT. – SW

[ABOVE] HEADING OUT TO THE PEARL FARMS VIA PASPALEY MALLARD SEA PLANE

[ABOVE] DINGY FROM PLANE OUT TO MV ROSLYNNE

[ABOVE] ON BOARD WORKING SHIP MV MONTARO WITH A HANDFUL OF FRESHLY HARVESTED PEARLS


[ABOVE] GETTING DOWN & DIRTY CLEANING THE PEARL MEAT OUT OF SHELL ON BOARD THE MONTARO

[ABOVE] CLEANING THE PEARL MEAT!

[ABOVE] COMMUTING BETWEEN BOATS - NOT A BAD OFFICE!

[ABOVE] SKIPPERING THE MV ROSLYNNE!!

[ABOVE] ENJOYING AN EXQUISITE NT SUNSET

[ABOVE] ONBOARD MV ROSLYNNE

[ABOVE] A MAGIC SUNRISE ON THE MV ROSLYNNE LOOKING OUT TO SUPPORT VESSEL MV CHRISTINE

[ABOVE] SHARK!

[ABOVE] WITH SKIPPER & NEW FRIEND, RICK.

[ABOVE] COMMUTING BACK OUT TO THE SEA PLANE

[ABOVE] PASPALEY MALLARD SEA PLANE WITH MV ROSLYNNE IN THE BACKGROUND

[ABOVE] LEAVING THE FARMS - THE MV ROSLYNNE

[ABOVE] BACK IN THE PASPALEY DARWIN SHOWROOM WITH 'THE PASPALEY PEARL'

'THE PASPALEY PEARL' ; ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SOUTH SEA PEARLS IN THE WORLD. THE PASPALEY PEARL IS POSSIBLY THE FINEST PERFECTLY ROUND GEM-QUALITY PEARL EVER FOUND & HAS BEEN DISPLAYED ALONGSIDE THE HOPE DIAMOND AT THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON. THE PASPALEY PEARL WAS HARVESTED AT A PASPALEY PEARL FARM IN 2003 & IS A RARE 20.4MM WHITE ROUND SOUTH SEA PEARL WITH A MAGNIFICENT PINK ORIENT.