Development of a Black Pearl Culture Industry in the RMI-Technical Assistance for Jewellery Training. Final Report

Transcription

1 Development of a Black Pearl Culture Industry in the RMI-Technical Assistance for Jewellery Training Final Report Prepared by Simon Ellis and Dr. Maria Haws On behalf of the Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority for presentation to the Aquaculture Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community January 2011

2 SECRETARIAT OF THE PACIFIC COMMUNITY BP D , Noumea Cedex New Caledonia Tel: ; Fax: ; Project Title: Goal: Objective(s): Participating country: Project partner(s): Development of a Black Pearl Culture Industry in the RMI-Technical Assistance for Jewellery Training To conduct a jewellery training workshop for pearl farmers as part of the initiative to assist in the development of the black pearl culture industry in the Republic of Marshall Islands. Specific objectives are to: 1) To ensure that Pearl farmers are adequately trained in the marketing of pearls; 2) To assist in the development of the Black pearl industry in RMI through provision of training and technical assistance. Republic of Marshall Islands. Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) Dates / duration: November Project description Justification Expected outcomes Funding provided: The project involves SPC providing an amount of USD5600 to co-fund a technical training workshop on jewellery for black pearl farmers. The training will be carried out by the staff from the University of Hawaii Hilo Pearl Research and Training Program, namely Maria Haws and Simon Ellis for MIMRA. Black pearl culture has been identified as a priority activity commodity in MIMRA and represents one of the few significant development opportunities for outer islands in the RMI. The project would enhance the technical expertise of the pearl farmers on value-adding and better marketing of their pearls to meet the market requirements. The project is in-line with the RMI-SPC Joint Country Strategy ( ) on training in marketing of pearls. 1. Participants, mainly pearl farmers having acquired sufficient trainings on pearl jewellery. 2. A detailed report on the activities carried out for the pearl jewellery workshop is produced and provided to both the SPC and the RMI. USD5,600

3 Introduction and Participation From November th 2010 a pearl jewellery and marketing training was held in the RMI. The primary sponsor of the workshop was the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority (MIMRA) with technical and financial assistance from the University of Hawaii Hilo (UHH) Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center (PACRC), the Marine and Environmental Research Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). Other partners in the work were the College of the Marshall Islands (CMI) and the communities of Rongelap and Namdrik atolls. Both these communities have been developing Black pearl farming at a community level and this was the first harvest of pearls for both communities. Training was conducted by Dr. Maria Haws and Simon Ellis who are both faculty member at the (UHH-PACRC). Simon Ellis is also director of MERIP, an NGO based in the FSM that promotes sustainable aquaculture in the region. Haws and Ellis have a combined experience of over 30 years in pearl farming development in the region. Orders for jewellery settings and tools were handled through MERIP. Co-funding for the workshop in the amount of $6500 was provided by the UHH-PACRC program and MIMRA provided in-kind support in the form of the use of their conference room for the training and on the ground assistance from MIMRA personnel Florence Edwards and Darren Nakata. Following the training, the communities organized a pearl auction and sale the following week on December 3 rd and 4 th, Combined sales from the events raised $31,000 to go toward further pearl farming development on Rongelap and Namdrik atolls. In total, 15 individuals participated in the training. Valuable exposure to the industry was also gained MIMRA technical staff. Activities and Accomplishments Pearl grading and Pricing A previous training had been provided to management level staff from both the communities of Rongelap and Namdrik earlier in During this workshop time was taken to evaluate the grading and pricing that had been done by these individuals. Extra advice and training was given where necessary on the various aspects of grading including: defining grades; consistency in grading; and pricing. Pearl Selection, Drilling and Setting Trainees were taken through the steps necessary to select pearls to go with the settings, how to drill the pearls and how to glue them onto the settings (Figures 2-8). The training was entirely hands-on so following demonstrations by the trainers in these techniques, the participants were guided through the process of making the jewellery. In total, each community made over 40 pieces ranging from pendants and earrings to necklaces and strands.

4 Figure 1. Workshop participants on day 1. Figure 2. Trainees work on selecting pearls for the settings Figure 3. Simon Ellis demonstrates use of the pearl drill

5 Figure 4. Pearl drill in action Figure 5. Namdrik trainees gluing and selecting pearls Figure 6. Finished pearl ring

6 Figure 7. Dr. Maria Haws prepares to demonstrate polishing and finishing the pieces Figure 8. Rongelap trainee Miriam Balico selects pearls for a necklace. Sales Techniques, Packaging and Presentation In preparation for the upcoming auction and sale the participants were given training on the various aspects of how to prepare and plan for the sale. Aspects of the training included: packaging and presentation and its importance in retailing jewellery; how to position sales staff and furniture to maximize contact with the customer; tracking inventory; labelling and pricing pearls and pieces; and auction logistics. Pictures of the sale and auction are shown in Figures 9-12.

7 Figure 9. Rongelap and Namdrik community members prepare for the auction. Figure 10. An earring pendant set presented during the auction Figure 11. The auction room at Marshall Islands Resort.

8 Figure 12. Sale day at the RRE Tide Table Restaurant. Conclusions All goals, objectives and expected outcomes of this technical assistance, as outlined on the cover page, were met. Community members from Namdrik and Rongelap received the necessary training and assistance to value and grade their pearls and to add value to them by setting them in jewellery. In addition, the necessary skills were passed on to the trainees for them to organize and conduct an auction and a sale without the presence of the trainers. In total some US$31,000 was raised during the two day event providing much needed capital for these communities to reinvest in their farming operations.