Australian Black Pearls
The most remote and most pristine location in the world, that where we grow our pearls, the Abrolhos Islands 70km off the coast of Geraldton, Western Australia. Our Australia Black Pearls are rare and exquisite with a lustre like no other in the world. Pure and untouched they have a thick nacre that enables you to see your reflection. They are sought after for their natural radiant beauty and unique colour.
Pia Boschetti:
Pearl Farmer + Founder
The Abrolhos Islands are home to our pearl farm and Pia Boschetti, Pearl Farmer and Founder of Latitude Jewellers. Born into a lobster-fishing family, Pia’s affinity with these Islands is life-long, spending much of her childhood growing up there. With five months of the year and 16 years working in the pearling industry, Pia is consider a pioneer of the pearling industry at the Abrolhos Islands. While she appears to move through life effortlessly, there is a proud determination behind every decision she makes. Pia believes in finding power in the challenge and beauty in the unknown. Playful and free-spirited, she masks an inner strength that drives her and a confidence in the freedom to create. Pia discovered she had a passion for creating unique jewellery designs for her pearls.
“Pearls touch my heart, they have a unique glow and beauty, offering virtue and love.” Pia Boschetti
Cultivation
Born from the rare Australian Pinctada Margaritifera oyster, each pearl takes five years to grown. Three to grow the oyster then the pearl is harvested two years after seeding, only producing one pearl during this time. Once the pearl is harvested the oyster can only be reseeded up to three times. So rare, our pearls makes up only 0.01% of global pearl production. There is no doubt, a Latitude Australian Black Pearl is one of the rarest gems in the world.
Untouched, the beauty of each fine quality pearl is revealed the moment it is removed from the oyster. Naturally radiant, each pearl is unique and has it’s own story to tell. Pia personally hand-selects only the best pearls. Currently, all our oyster stock shell are bred in a hatchery to ensure pearling a the Abrolhos Islands continues to be a sustainable industry for our future. Dedicated to insuring the pristine future of these Islands, we enforce strict sustainable processes and are committed to the environmental clean up. See Flotsam + Jetsam.
Heritage
Latitude Jewellers are renowned as experts in Australian Abrolhos Island pearl jewellery. The history of the Australian Abrolhos Island pearl is inextricably twined with the Latitude name for their proudly family owned and operated business and Pearl Farm. With each of our pearls you are investing in generations of seafaring history and family pearl farming at the Abrolhos Islands.
five Virtues
Every Pearl is personally hand-selected and graded by Pia, based on five principles of virtue so to offer the highest value and beauty.
Lustre: The radiant quality of the surface as light reflects through layers of nacre. Our pearls have the most naturally illuminating lustre with the ability to see your reflection in them.
Shape: Perfectly round pearls are exceptionally rare. Our pearls have a variety of shapes from baroque and circle to keshi, oval and button.
Size: Naturally thick nacre enables our pearls to come in sizes from 11-16mm. And more rare and highly sought after occasionally we produced a 20mm pearl.
Colour: The unique black colour of our pearls comes from the oyster shell itself. Producing a rainbow of pastels greys with pink, blue and green hues. They mirror the unique colour of the shell they were born from. With the pink hue the rarest of them all.
Surface: Our pearl surface is so unique in it’s reflection qualities. Though flawless pearls are exceptionally rare, our pearls are selected on their visual quality for perfection and uniqueness.
