Just like every year during June, we closed a 4-year process and the time for us to harvest our oysters arrives. “Pteria sterna” oysters create the most colorful pearls in the world; years of care and protection are needed so that they can complete their life cycle in cultivation, and also be able to contribute to the preservation of the local species and the ecosystem.
Fortunately, this 2021 we were pleasantly surprised, having the second best harvest with over 5,000 pearls of beautiful natural colors as well as different shapes and sizes.
Each pearl is evaluated individually to grade their attributes and determine their quality. This is very important for us, since our main focus is to keep only the best ones. Our pearls must reach a minimum mother-of-pearl thickness of 2-3 mm, and have a final size greater than 8.0 mm in diameter.
During the harvest, the founders and experts at the Sea of Cortez Pearl Farm select the pearls that will pass the quality standards that we have, this asures the pearl will last generation after generation -with proper care-.
When it comes to grading pearls, it is a combination of traits what determines the value of a pearl at the end.
- Color
- Luster
- Size
- Cleaness of Surface
- Shape
Learn more at Value of a Pearl (English)
The Rainbow Lip Oyster or “Concha Nácar” as locals know them, are the artist of this real treasure from the sea. This oyster produces pearls in a wide range of colors, many of them with more than one color on them. Without a doubt, a unique and beautiful attribute that only Mexican pearls have.
Every year we learn something new, and here is some very interesting data about we noticed from the pearls of this 2021 harvest.
- Good size pearls, although not as big as the pearls from 2020: 9.40 vs 9.62 mm
- Pearl Quality, 2020 harvest had better quality pearls than 2021 harvest (11%), but still maintaining a good percentage to position itself in the second best harvest.
- Several pearls larger than 10 mm were obtained, although in 2020, there were 2% more in that group, than in this year.
This is a comparison of the main groups, there were other minor subgroups. What is a fact is that we find as in every year, varied sizes and unique and natural colors, which you will not find in any other pearl in the world.
Despite not being able to have visitors during the harvest to share this important moment due to COVID-19, we created a short video for you with a compilation of some of the best moments experienced during the 2021 harvest:
Each member of the team plays an essential role in the production of our pearls, each one contributes in some of the stages of this wonderful process in order to obtain the treasures of the sea.
Since each pearl is unique, every year we create a special selection with only the most colorful, largest and the most interesting pearls. Of the thousands of pearls obtained, only a few were chosen to be included in the “TOP 10” section of the 2021 Harvest of the Sea of Cortez.
Each one with an authentic and unrepeatable personality.
Coming soon, available in our online store.
So, which one is your favorite?
Beauties that only nature can create for us.
Mexican Pearls for the whole world.
Photos and Videos by: Guillermo Soberón Tirado.
