1/27: Eric's pearl farm is on Motu Tarauru-Roa, south-east of the airport.
2/27: He calls his company simply 'Gambier Pearls'.
3/27: He provides houses for his eight permanent workers.
4/27: Eric takes us out to his buoy field.
5/27: The buoys keep the line with oyster baskets in a depth of 3 meters (shallower than at other farms).
6/27: The oysters need to be cleaned frequently. The shallow arrangement allows this job to be done without divers.
7/27: Eric's pearl harvesting crew.
8/27: After a year in the water, the oyster is checked.
9/27: The pearl is carefully extracted.
10/27: If the quality of the pearl was good, a new nucleus of the same size (or slightly larger) is inserted.
11/27: Nuclei from shells of Mississippi river oysters in different sizes.
12/27: A good oyster can be used up to 4 times.
13/27: Oysters with new nuclei are attached to a grid.
14/27: The non-productive ones are destroyed and eaten (typically only the muscle is eaten here).
15/27: Eric is showing the morning's harvest.
18/27: A giant of almost 16mm diameter.
20/27: Rikitea's school offers a dedicated course on engraving of pearls and mother of pearl. The training takes 2 to 5 years.
21/27: The teacher demonstrates the delicate handicraft of engraving a pearl.
23/27: The pupils choose their raw material...
24/27: ...polish the shell...
25/27: ...and engrave their self-designed pattern.
27/27: Sketch versus finished piece of art.
