| Pearl Harvest |
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The pearl oysters will stay comfortably protected inside special culture cages known as "Pocket Nets". for a period of at least 18 months or as many as 27 months. These are just like Condominiums to the pearl oysters: they have plenty of room for themselves, a nice view of the bay and all the food and nutrients they need.
During this long stay, the oysters must be kept clean and healthy. The only way to do this is to hand clean them every 2 months. This is a very tedious procedure and one that takes place almost every single day here at our farm. If you visit, you will notice that our "music" will be a constant racketeer, but in this way we are assured that our oysters will grow fast and healthy. This is very important, since only healthy oysters living in a healthy environment will be able to produce beautiful pearls. The harvest is performed during summer. The oysters are brought to the dock, cleaned and harvested. From each pearl oyster we obtain several products: cultured pearls, mabe pearls, natural pearls, mother-of-pearl shell (to make buttons or sell as souvenirs) and also a tasty meat product known locally as "callo" (a variety of "scallop meat"). As you can see, nothing ever goes to waste.
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