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Date released
17 July 2025

In both Fiji and Tonga, female artisans are using mabé pearls and the mother-of-pearl of oyster shells to create quality jewellery and handicrafts, driving the development of a mabé pearl farming sector.  

With support and training provided to communities through a series of ACIAR-supported projects, women are also farming for pearls and developing new livelihood opportunities. 

Hand holding pearls
Mabé pearls, also known as half pearls or blister pearls, are a developing sector in Fiji, Tonga and Vietnam, creating new livelihood opportunities for farmers and artisans.

Mabé pearl potential 

Professor Paul Southgate, at the University of the Sunshine Coast, leads mabé pearl projects for ACIAR, using the winged pearl oyster (Pteria penguin).  

Professor Southgate said the production process for mabé pearls – also known as blister or half pearls – was simpler than for round pearls and could be learned by local people with training.  

‘You can also create multiple pearls per oyster – usually 3 to 5 – and the mabé form in 10 to 12 months, which is around half the time required for a round pearl,’ he said.  

Mabé pearls are also lightweight, non-perishable and high-value, and there is no minimum quantity needed to create value. 

Assisted by ACIAR-supported research, 8 villages have established Fiji’s first community pearl farms, sustainably collecting pearl oyster juveniles, known as spat, and raising them to produce mabé pearls.

Two women holding oyster shells
Two members of the Navatudua Women's Group showcase oyster shells recently harvested from their community farm.
Women at desks working on handicrafts
Members of the Navatudua Women’s Group make jewellery with mabé pearls and mother-of-pearl handicrafts in Raviravi village, Fiji. Photo: University of the Sunshine Coast
Mabe pearl necklace in an oyster shell
Pearl handicrafts produced in Fiji, a commodity that supports livelihoods, particularly for women.
Group of people standing in the water holding oysters
Oyster farmers in Tonga grow winged pearl oysters to produce mabé pearls.

Multiple income streams 

Mabé pearl production provides diverse income opportunities. While most pearl farming groups are run by women, different groups within villages manage different parts of the production chain.  

‘In Raviravi on Vanua Levu, the women work together to create handicrafts with the mabé pearls and pearl oyster shells,’ explained Professor Southgate. ‘The money they make allows them to employ others in the village, particularly the young men, to do the more labour-intensive activities of pearl farming. That’s one example of the way the project has empowered women.’ 

In terms of income potential, farmers can earn money by selling wild oyster spat that they collect on ropes hung in the ocean. They can retain the spat and grow oysters to a larger size for sale to artisans for the mother-of-pearl within the shells. 

‘Or they can keep growing the oysters for mabé pearl production,’ said Professor Southgate. ‘Then they have the choice of selling the pearls and shells to handicraft makers or keeping them to produce their own handicrafts and jewellery. Some villages are effectively vertically integrated; they do all of those things.’ 


Technical support and training 

The project has provided technical advice on spat collection, oyster husbandry and mabé pearl production. It has held workshops for artisans, including regular design and handicraft skills training from a New Zealand jewellery designer.   

Workshops held at centralised hubs in Fiji – one at Nasomo Ra Marama Women’s Cooperative of Somosomo on Taveuni island and another at the Ministry of Fisheries compound in Savusavu on Vanua Levu island – have demonstrated the use of power tools. Training using hand tools is conducted in village communities where power supply is less reliable. 

Mrs Josephine McComber Vuevuelase is a member of the women’s handicraft cooperative on Taveuni, which has used mabé pearls and pearl shells supplied through the ACIAR-supported project since 2019. In addition to jewellery design and production, she said members have also received training in enterprise development, including the roles and responsibilities of cooperative members. 

Becoming a cooperative in 2024 allowed the women to successfully apply to the Ministry of Fisheries for a boat to support their enterprise.  

‘We can use the boat to visit resorts and show our products to increase our income,’ explained Mrs McComber Vuevuelase.  

Our main source of income is from tourists at resorts. We can also hire out the boat for fishing. The income we get has provided for our families, improved our standard of living and has greatly helped in our children’s education. 

There are currently 11 women in the cooperative, generating incomes of FJ$200 (A$136) a week, while the average income in Fiji is FJ$140 (A$95) a week. Mrs McComber Vuevuelase said they plan to train other women in the village, expanding the cooperative and income opportunities. 

The Ministry of Fisheries is a key partner in the ACIAR-supported project and the training has helped its staff build their expertise in spat collection, pearl production, handicrafts and equipment maintenance. This will enable them to provide ongoing support for further communities and women’s groups joining the pearl sector. 

Women at a market table with artisan jewellery
Tonga oyster farmer and artisan Ms Naua Lakai at a market stall showcasing jewellery produced using mabé pearls and mother-of-pearl.

Changing lives in Tonga 

A similar workshop approach has been taken in Tonga, where local handicraft groups have also helped to drive interest in mabé pearl production. However, the business model in Tonga differs.  

Pearl farming in Tonga relies on spat produced in a government-owned hatchery, as winged pearl oyster populations in the wild are relatively small. Individual farmers generally harvest pearls from about 100 oysters a year.  

As a long-time artisan, and a pearl farmer since 2019, Ms Naua Lakai said her involvement with ACIAR had transformed her life. She first became interested in pearl farming after attending a jewellery design workshop. When she decided to become a farmer, Ms Lakai received training in mabé pearl production and business development. She also received equipment to help establish her farm. 

Ms Lakai said she was employed through the project as a supervisor at the Vava’u Pearl Centre for 3 years, helping coordinate the centre’s sales and tourist visits, as well as the visits of project volunteers and the Australian research team. 

Now a dedicated farmer and artisan, Ms Lakai has been president of the Tonga National Pearl Farmers Association for the past 2 years. The association has a growing membership as the number of pearl farms and artisans increase. The Vava’u Pearl Centre, which the association runs, is also expanding, with a dedicated workshop space for artisans and a separate sales and visitor centre being built.  

‘Our members are all ages, as well, from youths to older people. There’s work for everyone,’ said Ms Lakai. 

‘My own income is better now, more stable. I feel more secure knowing that I have something I can rely on to provide for and educate my children. And I know that my children are proud of me. Our members all have similar stories to me. The project has really changed our lives.’  

Pile of oysters
Trials with farmers in Vietnam have identified potential for farmers to transition from edible oysters to mabé pearl production.
Women holding oysters at an oyster farm
A woman farmer on a half-pearl oyster farm in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Pearl handicrafts in a red bowl
Pearl handicrafts made by a farmer participating in the ‘Half-pearl industry development in Tonga and Vietnam’ project.

Pearls in Vietnam 

Between 2017 and 2024, ACIAR helped expand the Tongan research to Vietnam, where there is a well-established edible oyster farming industry but little pearl production. 

Senior researcher at the Research Institute for Aquaculture Dr Bay Phung led the ACIAR-supported research in Vietnam, working with 6 smallholder oyster farmers to explore the transition from edible oyster farming to mabé pearl farming using the winged pearl oyster. 

‘The research found we have lots of potential to expand. The next step will be to expand production to more farmers in more areas, and to improve oyster and pearl culturing processes and farming processes,’ said Dr Phung. He noted that it was important to have quality pearls and strong protocols for production to scale up the industry and provide livelihoods for farmers.  

This work is now underway. In 2025, ACIAR is supporting a small research activity in Khanh Hoa Province, led by the University of the Sunshine Coast, to fine-tune the technical aspects of pearl production, foster craftsmanship and develop the business skills of the women involved. ACIAR hopes this research will contribute to a 5-year government initiative to develop infrastructure for the ongoing pearl industry.

ACIAR Projects: ‘Developing pearl industry-based livelihoods in the western Pacific’ (FIS/​2014/​060); ‘Half-pearl industry development in Tonga and Vietnam’ (FIS/2016/126); ‘Towards a more profitable and sustainable mabé pearl and shell-based livelihoods in the western Pacific (FIS/2019/122); ‘Maintaining momentum within the pearl livelihoods sector in the western Pacific' (FIS/2022/168); 'Continued momentum toward cultured mabé pearl and pearl-based livelihood sector in Vietnam’ (FIS/2024/131) 

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