• Image Widget
  • Home
  • ABOUT ME
  • Contact
  • flowers
  • Fêtes
  • food
  • finds
  • faraway places
  • THE BACKROOM
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

SPLENDID MARKET ®

NOTIONS TO INSPIRE ®

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • Contact
  • flowers
  • Fêtes
  • food
  • finds
  • faraway places
  • THE BACKROOM
  • Social Icons by WPZOOM
  • Search: Search
faraway places, finds, Uncategorized

Dripping in pearls, Halong, Viet Nam…

November 25, 2014 By splendid 4 Comments

Before boarding our Paradise Junk we stopped at this pearl farm ~ factory to admire these legendary beauties and learn about how they come to be.
These are all cultured pearls, 
which means that each of the mollusks were seeded with shell beads, like the ones below, to ensure the shape and size of the final pearl.
After they are seeded the oysters are put back into the bay where they covered the beads with a natural pearl substance over a period of time.
After that the oysters are harvested,
and the lustrous orbs are removed. 
Have you ever wondered how the perfect little holes in pearls are made? 
Each pearl is carefully positioned between the clamps on a machine like this and held steady so the hole can be bored with a fine drill bit. 
The pearls are hand sorted by size, color and quality.
Elegant by~products of the pearl making process are Mother~of~Pearl buttons. 
Circles are cut from these luminous shells, 
and then polished and drilled to perfection.

Other shells are even more finely polished to create these naturally stylish dishes.

After touring the factory and learning about the process there was a giant showroom filled with perfect pieces of jewelry to buy.
I’m so glad we waited so we could shop from our sweet friends who came to the side of the boat with their offerings.

It was a little more work, but it was a lot more fun to try to negotiate with the locals, and we loved the more irregular beauty of the necklaces and bracelets they passed up to us in their bamboo handled nets. 

Looking back now, I wish I had bought just a few more!

Filed Under: faraway places, finds, Uncategorized Tagged With: pearls, roam, splendid objects, Vietnam

Previous Post: « Cinnamon sails, Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam….
Next Post: Sunsets and Crispy Spring Rolls, Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam… »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karena Albert says

    November 25, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Pearls are so classic, so lustrous! Emily thank you for sharing more about the process!

    Happy Thanksgiving!
    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

    Reply
  2. Francine Gardner says

    November 25, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    Love this post. I still regret not having bought any pearls while in Vietnam. I have very fond memories of sailing with my family along the Halong Bay. We had a beautiful Junk to ourselves, dove and swam in the bay…

    Reply
  3. Splendid Market says

    November 25, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Oh, Francine, your trips sounds amazing. I'd love to go back with a larger group of friends to charter a boat together, if I do, I'll bring back more pearls for both of us!!

    Karena, thanks for your appreciation, it was so wonderful to gain a complete understanding of these uniquely beautiful treasures.

    Reply
  4. I Dream Of says

    November 26, 2014 at 2:15 am

    The world is your oyster, Emily. I'm wearing my favorite pearl earrings right now, simple studs given to me by one of my best girlfriends years ago when I was maid of honor in her wedding. I love that you gave us this education in where they come from and how they are harvested. I'm sure your strands are just gorgeous and what a wonderful way to remember your adventures! XOXO

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe

Sign up below to receive each new inspiring notion in your mailbox
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

On Instagram

[instagram-feed num=10 cols=2 showfollow=false]

Print

would you like to edit and print a notion? Then please, click here...

Print

PRINTABLE VERSIONS OF MANY OF THE SPLENDID RECIPES CAN BE FOUND ON FOODISTA...

Emily Heston on FoodistaEmily Heston

Shop

YOU'RE WELCOME TO USE MY IMAGES, BUT PLEASE GIVE CREDIT AND LINK BACK TO SPLENDID MARKET.

Archive

Departments

ALL POSTS >

Copyright © 2025 · Splendid Market· Blog Design by Little Blue Deer