Just after the super typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong, Belpearl Auctions (Hong Kong) Ltd held its South Sea pearl auction as scheduled during 17-20 September 2018. The result was not affected much by the extreme weather and the resulting damages to the city. With 470 lots of South Sea pearls from producers in Myanmar, Indonesia and French Polynesia, an aggregated sale of approximately US$3,228,700 was fetched, said the company.
“The September auction began with the sale of South Sea pearls from Indonesian and Burmese producers, and followed by two days of sales of black South Sea pearls from French Polynesia,” said Michael Hajjar, director of business development for Belpearl Auctions. “Demand continues to support South Sea pearls of intense colours, whether it be gold, white or black, with strong prices for clean-surfaced, well-sorted lots.”
The pressing environmental issue makes almost everyone in the industry worried about the future of pearl farming. Hajjar admitted that the greatest challenge for pearl producers currently is managing the environment on which they totally depend to produce sustainable pearls. “Some aspects of the environment are controllable and can be countered with efforts, while others such as climate change, pollution and extreme weather are not,” he stressed.
Most partner farmers of Belpearl Auctions live in the furthest reaches of the Pacific Ocean. Acting as a bridge to connect the world’s pearl market with those farmers, the company analyses and interprets consumer preferences so that the farmers can produce the right kinds of harvest to get a positive, sustainable return for their work. The pearl auctioneer’s approach is different – representing farmers directly with no broker and bringing them to the forefront to see their pearls sell through its auction platform.
Hajjar told Hong Kong Jewellery that it is a transformative experience not only because many of these farmers have never been outside of their islands before, but also because they now can finally see a fair result for their hard work. “Belpearl Auctions’ end goal is not simply to engage in trade, but to act as a responsible and sustainable seller of South Sea pearls. The true essence of sustainability is to provide stability, whether it is environmental, sociological or economic,” he added.
The next pearl auction organised by Belpearl Auctions is tentatively set during 8-12 November 2018, prior to the Hong Kong International Jewelry Manufacturers’ Show. The harvests of auction partners including Timor Otsuki Mutiara, Bima Sakti Mutiara, Myanmar Atlantic Pearl, Sumapi Pearl Co and others will be under hammer for global buyers. (Photo courtesy: Belpearl Auctions)
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