Deqing, Zhejiang Province on the Chinese mainland, is the pioneer hub for freshwater pearl farming. Its pearls are like the BTS of the jewelry world—clear, round, and silky smooth. This year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) added the Deqing Freshwater Pearl Integrated Farming System to its 2025 list of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems 🏆.
Curious how a tiny irritant inside a shell turns into that gorgeous necklace? Here’s the 5-step glow-up ✨:
- Step 1: Shell sourcing – Fisherfolk collect healthy mussels from clean freshwater beds 🌊.
- Step 2: Grafting magic – Expert hands insert a tiny nucleus to kickstart pearl formation 🪄.
- Step 3: Cultivation – Mussels rest in floating baskets for months, layering on that nacre glow 💪.
- Step 4: Harvesting – Pearls emerge! Farmers carefully extract the jewel from the shell 🗝️.
- Step 5: Polishing & grading – Final shine, quality check, and sorting by size and luster ✨.
Over at the OSM Pearl Museum in Deqing, CGTN reporter He Jingyi went behind the scenes to see this magic in person. From freshwater farms to chic jewelry boxes, it’s a journey of heritage, tech, and art colliding 👩🔬💍.
For tech-savvy and culture-loving crews in South & Southeast Asia, it shows how tradition and innovation can shine together—just like these pearls. Ready to level up your bling game? 💫
Reference(s):
From tough shell to shimmering pearl — How many steps does it take?
cgtn.com
