Sustainability Corner with Douglas McLaurin-Moreno — pearl jewelry

Pearls in the Web of Life – Part 1 Pearls are not only a product of a living being—a mollusk—but their mother mollusk is also a host for dozens of other life forms! When we think about other animals that we use in our lives (as a food source or as a luxury good, such as furs), we can rarely imagine these creatures being a part of something larger or coexisting with other animals from different species. 

From the April 2021 issue of #thisispearl digital magazine One of the most important aspects of pearl farming is the ability to protect and create more life than what was available previously. What do I mean by this? When you start a pearl farm, you begin with a resource that has already been “pillaged and plundered” for probably hundreds, if not thousands, of years. As an example, we have the pearl fisheries of the Persian Gulf, whose pearls adorned the ancient rulers of Egypt, Persia, and Rome. Or the more recent Gulf of California pearl fisheries that began an intense fishery...

From the February 2021 issue of #thisispearl digital magazine Back in 1990 I began dreaming of a humane method for growing pearls. I had just begun my master’s degree in conservation management and sustainable development, and my goal was to grow pearl oysters without damaging the environment or disrupting local communities while offering a beautiful, feel-good product.  This was my focus because back in the 1980s and 1990s, the most successful aquaculture ventures were those revolving around shrimp farming. I had visited several and to my dismay, I saw how they were usually established in mangrove forest lagoons, destroying important ecosystems to build the...