I am on the plane to Manila musing about starting a pearl farm in The Philippines…
Get your bankroll ready if you want to start a pearl farm in the Philippines! Yes, farming cultured pearls is an expensive business! This is true for anyone thinking they want to start their own pearl farm! You need the money. Remember my friend who started a pearl farm in the U.S.? After losing $3 million he decided enough was enough and he left the cultured pearl farming business! Can’t blame him, right? As a side note, he didn’t leave the pearl business… just the cultured pearl business. I suspect I have learned that once it gets in your blood, it is hard to tame the passion.
Since I am on the plane heading off on a pearl buying trip in the Philippines, I am thinking about how to start a pearl farm in The Philippines! First, the government is going to need you to show you can sustain yourself for 10 years without any income from the farm before they hand you over that precious permit to start your farm. And you have to find your site. There are over 7000 island in the Philippines! So you have a lot to work with but you also have a lot to work with as in good luck finding your perfect site! To start your pearl farm you need rich, clean waters and protected waterways so the next typhoon doesn’t come through and kill your precious mollusks. And I do mean precious. These mollusks have been bred and grown in hatcheries for years so you definitely want them to stay alive. By the way, do you have a hatchery? Get on that because you need to breed, feed and grow your mollusks before you ever even implant them. And I hope you have a good way with your neighbors because people who live on the water in The Philippines do not take kindly to you saying you want to keep this section of water for your pearl mollusks. So, you might have some fights with the locals. Good luck with that!
All joking aside, starting a pearl farm is tough business and a little less glamorous than it might sound. So, good luck getting started! I will report more about The Philippines soon!
India
I am a modern day treasure hunter who travels the world for gorgeous pearls and amazing adventures. I own a pearl jewelry and jewelry repair business, ThePearlGirls.com, with a cute retail store in Athens, GA. I also have a Pearl Travel business and travel blog at TheWorldofPearl.com.
I am seeking advice on how to begin buying and selling pearls. My wife is filipina and when we went to the Phillippines i bought some pearls for a very low price. I was wondering if you could give me any tips or point me in the right direction. Should I contact a pearl farm directly or i. Person the next time I am there? And any advice for seeking buyers for the pearls? I understand there are many issues to deal with when it comes to exporting and importing pearls, but any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hi Brent!
I emailed this to you but I wanted to add it to the comments, in case other people read your comment and wanted an answer, too!
Thanks for reaching out! Not unusual at all, people reach out to me all the time! The best advice I can give you is to really study pearls and know what you are looking at. Many pearl farms in The Philippines are owned by overseas companies so they do not necessarily sell their pearls in The Philippines. So, if you are buying pearls in The Philippines, first make sure you are truly buying what you think you are buying. Beyond that, I say go for it! Sounds like a great idea to sell loose pearls and having access to a beautiful product is awesome! I wish you the best of luck!
Warmly,
India Rows
Founder, ThePearlGirls.com