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  • David Wong is testing the Fukui ID nuclei by a pearl reader.
  • Staff is inserting Fukui ID nuclei to Pinctada Fucata.

Hong Kong to cultivate RFID akoya pearls

Hong Kong has been renowned as an international hub for pearl trading. However, we seldom see locally-cultivated pearls in Hong Kong. In 2014, Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory and its retail subsidiary, The Pearl Farm, held an akoya-pearl cultivation event at the sea located near Sai Kung West Country Park, Hong Kong, on 28 April. David Wong, project director of the company, said: “The event is successfully held. It is the fourth attempt to cultivate pearls in Hong Kong. This time, the remarkable highlight is that we begin the project with our Fukui ID nuclei.”

Developed by Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory, the Fukui ID nuclei are microchip-embedded pearl nuclei carrying a unique identification number. By using radio frequency identification technology (RFID), the life cycle of the pearls can be easily tracked in a non-destructive way. During the event, the Fukui ID nuclei were first inserted to Pinctada fucata. They were then placed into the sea. According to Wong, it will take around one year to cultivate akoya cultured pearls successfully.

Wong expressed: “The water quality of Hong Kong has been improved over the past decades and we think it is now suitable for pearl cultivation. Hong Kong is our home and an international hub for pearl trading. However, it would be too boring if it is merely known for trading pearls without growing them locally. Therefore, we chose Hong Kong as the cultivation site.”

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