Black Pearls

Speeding around the islands, we decided to stop at a pearl and vanilla farm. It takes a long time to nurture both of these crops, but with a little luck, they can produce some extra cash for the family.



There is a real "skill" involved in producing both of these items and the warm waters and fertile land in this part of the world is ideal for both pearls and vanilla to reproduce and prosper.

Black Pearls are created by introducing a foreign object into the shell and allowing a natural process to develop the pearl. These tools look like a torture device but allow the artisan to introduce a grain of sand into the shell.

After several months.....sometimes even years, they turn out like like these.

Here is a better view of the end results.