WA:First Abrolhos Island black pearl harvest begins next week

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2001
WA:First Abrolhos Island black pearl harvest begins next week

The black pearl industry of the Abrolhos Islands, off the Western Australian coast
near Geraldton, is gearing up for its first commercial harvest with a crop of about 1,000
black lip pearl oysters expected to begin next week.

WA Fisheries Minister KIM CHANCE says the industry is expecting a lot of interest in
the harvest of their unique high-quality pearls.

Mr CHANCE says Western Australian blacklip pearl oysters can produce a high grade
of pearl that is very different in colour to East Coast and Pacific Island black pearls.

He says instead of grey, black or peacock-green, the colour of WA black pearls ranges
from deep green to pink, having undertones of pink or purple.

AAP RTV lk/klw/wz

KEYWORD: PEARL (PERTH)

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