The person who discovered the secret of raising black pearls

Black pearls and white pearls cultured by Mr. Tran Doan Thien - Photo: TTD

In the market in recent years, pearls with bright colors, dark and light pink, silvery white, xanh, copper skin, milk cream, blue . are popular items. Among them is still more valuable than black. However, usually only saltwater mussels are capable of creating black pearls. But in Ho Chi Minh City, a retired colonel has found the technology to create black pearls from freshwater mussels .

He is Tran Doan Thien, currently residing in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City. He has worked at the border guards in Ha Tinh province since 1949-1957, so he had contact with many fishermen. In a time with his brothers to dive, find a son to cook porridge, he accidentally picked up a beautiful white pearl.

Since then, the dream of raising pearls always haunts him. But it was not until 1985 when he retired, he devoted all his time to studying pearl culture.

He and his young friends dug up boys' ponds and practiced pearl transplantation. "Back then, although it was very difficult and almost nothing was sure, just studying, raising boys, practicing pearl implants . we had to eat shrimp noodles to live. Sometimes it was so difficult that I had to sell the notes. The only motorbike in the house to cover the costs: Everyone gave us a 'warm' . but then I was still very optimistic and believed that I would raise a pearl . "- he Nguyen Quoc Thinh, currently director of Lam Anh Company, specializes in trading and producing pearls, said.

After much trouble with the making of jewels, Mr. Thien's group also successfully implanted. White pearls made by his team have become stable, sharp and marketed.

Mr. Thien recalled: " Once I went to France to learn about pearls, I found very beautiful black pearls, this type of pearl has a price 4-5 times higher than that of white pearl of the same size" . Find out why there is such a difference in price, he just broke the expensive black pearl because . rare. Back in the country, he again went to research to find technology to create and produce black pearls.

He and his research team traveled to different waters: from Phan Thiet to Kien Giang to find Pinctada maxima, P.fucata, Pteria penguin pearls and other types of black lips. But when cultivating pearls for boys, creating black colors for pearls is still not possible.

The big, 15mm long beaded black pearl, cultivated by Mr. Thien, usually costs from 2,000 USD upwards - Thu Thao Once, lamenting to his wife, he suddenly found his wife very charming with black teeth. sparkling. He suddenly realized: teeth are also made of calcium, pearl beads also have the same composition, so you can think of how to change the color of pearl beads from the beginning of culture . Whether or not the pearl is beautiful will depend on the pearls that make the pearls, which will create the pure crystals.

Creating colors for boys is closely related to genes and habitats. Once again, after 10 years of diving, hard work, he created pearl pearl beads (black pearls) from the type of clams ( Sinanodonta jourdyi ) from Lam Dong.

The food for raising boys was also elaborately studied, made from a leaf of oak tree (the type of ancient leaves used to dye cloth, black silk) and then he used the fish scales sparkling like the fish of the deaf and fish Copy . dried, mashed into powder mixed with food so that the pearl is formed into a glossy, beautiful. The time from implant until the pearl is two years, a 13-14 mm black gem costs $ 1,000-2,000.

Listening to the news that Vietnam raised a black pearl, many experts from Japan, France, Taiwan, mainland China . dragged to his house to visit. Everyone who admires and admires with the black pearl, he also receives many offers of business cooperation with the amount of millions of dollars . But also the experts once again surprised to see that he refused and said he could not cooperate because it was "a national secret".

Yet, with the people in the country, he said very sincerely: ' Will guide any person who has the heart and aspiration to raise colored mussels for pearls without taking a single coin '. Indeed, for several years he has directed many owners of pearl farms in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Dak Lak and Ben Tre.

Particularly for the technological know-how of pearl 'pearl pearl', he said: will also transfer the skills to the enthusiastic people he feels confident about. However, the chosen ones must be those who use technology to enrich themselves, absolutely not to sell technology abroad.

WORKSHOP