Pearl diver in Japan

Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a now largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from oysters and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing creatures, such as abalone. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1250x856, 345 KB) Ama (pearl diver) in Japan. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1250x856, 345 KB) Ama (pearl diver) in Japan. ... For other uses, see Pearl (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Oyster (disambiguation). ... “Mother of Pearl” redirects here. ... Species Many, see species section. ...

History

Before the beginning of the 20th century, the only means of obtaining pearls was by searching through oysters manually gathered and opened at random on the ocean floor or on lake or river bottoms. Free-divers were often forced to descend to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath, exposing them to the dangers of hostile creatures, waves, and drowning, often as a result of deep water blackout on resurfacing. Often, because of these dangers, divers were slaves or of low social status (which is also true of many fisherfolk around the world). Because of the difficulty of diving and the unpredictable nature of natural pearl growth in oysters, pearls of the time were extremely rare and of varying quality. Latent hypoxia hits on ascent A deep water blackout is a loss of consciousness caused by cerebral hypoxia on ascending from a deep freedive or breath-hold dive, typically of ten metres or more when the swimmer does not necessarily experience an urgent need to breathe and has no other...

Whilst many pearls in Asia could be found on shoals at a depth of 5-7 feet (1.5-2 meters) from the surface, more often than not divers had to go 40 feet (12 meters) or even up to 125 feet (40 meters) deep to find the oysters, which was extremely hazardous for the divers. In the 19th century, divers in Asia had only very basic forms of technology to aid their survival at such depths. For example, in some areas, they greased their bodies to conserve heat, put greased cotton in their ears, wore a tortoise-shell clip to close their nostrils, and had a wide mouthed basket or net to hold the oysters. ^[1]

However, the late Ming Dynasty Chinese book Tiangong Kaiwu, published in the year 1637, showed a new method for pearl divers. Its author Song Yingxing wrote of the methods of pearl diving in Guangdong.^[2] Song wrote that these divers were able to stay underwater for prolonged periods of time since a secure rope was tied around their waists connected to the ship as they breathed through a long curving pipe that led up above the surface of the water.^[2] This long breathing tube was strengthened by rings of tin and fastened to a watertight leather face mask.^[2] A drawn illustration of this was provided in his book.^[3] For other uses, see Ming. ... Song Yingxing (Traditional Chinese:宋應星; Simplified Chinese:宋应星; Wade Giles: Sung Ying-Hsing; 1587-1666 AD) was a Chinese scientist and encyclopedist who lived during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). ... Not to be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... For other uses, see Underwater (disambiguation). ... This article is about the metallic chemical element. ... Nemrod twin-hose diving regulator made in the 1980s. ... A half face particulate mask is generally worn to protect the wearer from dust and paint fumes. ...

For thousands of years, most seawater pearls were retrieved by divers working in the Indian Ocean, in areas like the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and in the Gulf of Mannar (between Sri Lanka and India). Pearl divers near the Philippines were also successful at harvesting large pearls, especially in the Sulu Archipelago. In fact, pearls from the Sulu Archipelago were considered the "finest of the world" which were found in "high bred" shells in deep, clear, and rapid tidal waters. At times, the largest pearls belonged by law to the sultan, and selling them could result in the death penalty for the seller. However many made it out of the archipelago in stealth ending up in the possession of the wealthiest families in Europe. ^[4] Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... The Gulf of Mannar is an arm of the Indian Ocean, lying between the southern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka at a width of between 160 and 200 km (100 to 125 mi). ... Sulu Archipelago is an island chain in the southwest Philippines. ...

In a similar manner as in Asia, Native Americans harvested pearls from lakes and rivers like the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi, while others successfully retrieved marine pearls from the Caribbean and waters along the coasts of Central and South America. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... View of Pittsburgh, the largest metropolitan area on the Ohio River, where the Allegheny River (left) and the Monongahela River (right) join at Point State Park to form the Ohio River Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... West Indies redirects here. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

In the time of colonial slavery in northern South America (off the northern coasts of modern Colombia and Venezuela), a unique occupation amongst slaves was that of a pearl diver. A diver's career was often short-lived because the waters being harvested were known to be shark-infested, resulting in many attacks on divers. However, a slave who discovered an extra-large pearl could sometimes purchase his freedom. Common knowledge at the time was that sexual activity increased buoyancy, so slave divers were prohibited from any contact with women. Slave owners kept slave quarters male-only, and because of this homosexuality was relatively high amongst slave pearl divers. ^[5]

The present

Today, pearl diving has largely been supplanted by cultured pearl farms, which use a process developed by Japanese entrepreneur Kokichi Mikimoto. Particles implanted in the oyster encourage the formation of pearls, and allow for more predictable production. Today's cultured pearl industry produces millions of high quality pearls every year. Kokichi Mikimoto (御木本 幸吉 Mikimoto Kōkichi, March 10, 1858 – September 21, 1954) is the Japanese inventor of the cultured pearl. ... A cultured pearl is a pearl created by a pearl farmer under controlled conditions. ...

Pearl diving in the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers still exists today. These pearls are called natural pearls, because they are created by mother nature alone, and are not cultivated by humans. Their shapes are uniquely baroque. Less than 1% are found in the classic round shape. They are very rare and considered collectors items. A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. ... Collector - in electronics, the amplified terminal on a Bipolar junction transistor (PNP) or (NPN) list of collectors- People with note-worthy collections. ...

Footnotes

References

• Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.

See also

• Fijiri - vocal music of the Arabian pearl diver.

Fidjeri (sometimes spelled fijri or fidjeri) is the specific repertoire of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of the Arabian states of the Persian Gulf (especially Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar). ...

References

• The Pearl Guide
• American Museum of Natural History

See also

• Ganter, Regina. (1994). The Pearl-Shellers of Torres Strait: Resource Use, Development and Decline, 1860s-1960s. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84547-9.
• George Frederick Kunz: Book of the Pearl (G.F. Kunz was America's leading gemologist and worked for Tiffany's in the beginning of the 20th century)