Paspaley

Last updated

Paspaley Pearling Company
Paspaley
Type Private company
Industry Aquaculture; Manufacturing; Wholesale and Retailing
Genre Pearling
Founded1932;91 years ago (1932)
FounderNicholas Paspalis
Headquarters,
Number of locations
7 (2019)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Nick Paspaley AC
  • Paspaley family
Products Jewellery
BrandsPaspaley Pearls
Total assets A$1  billion [1]  (2012)
Website paspaleypearls.com

Paspaley, officially the Paspaley Pearling Company, a private company, is Australia's largest [1] and oldest pearling company;[ citation needed ] that cultivates, farms, harvests, wholesales and retails South Sea pearls for the purposes of luxury jewellery supply and manufacture. Paspaley claims that it is a strong advocate of environmental responsibility within the pearling industry.[ better source needed ]

Contents

The Paspaley Group has a diversified portfolio of investments including a naval fleet, aircraft, a shopping mall, an office block, agriculture properties, resorts, and a vineyard. Members of the Paspaley family had an interest in Australia's largest immigration detention centre, located 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Darwin, Northern Territory. [1]

Paspaley Pearls

According to Paspaley, its pearls are particularly known for their 'orient', which is the combination of transparent lustre and unique play of colours which is exhibited by pearls with fine quality

Paspaley operates 20 pearl farms dotted along the coastline of north-Western Australia. Paspaley claims that it maintains a ‘leave no trace’ environmental policy. [2] In 2012, the area in which Paspaley operates was designated as a marine wilderness sanctuary. Paspaley stated[ when? ] that this area was still in pristine condition and is a breeding ground for humpback whales.[ citation needed ]

Paspaley Pearls appear in the collections of Tiffany & Co, Cartier, Harry Winston, Chow Tai Fook, Falconer, and more. In 1992 a single Paspaley strand of 23 pearls set a world record for cultured pearls when it was auctioned for US$2.3 million at Sotheby's, New York. [3]

Retail and wholesale

Paspaley operate nine retail stores globally, with a strong presence in Australia – most recently in Crown – Melbourne, Australia; as well as the UAE. In addition to the retail stores, Paspaley also operates the Paspaley e-boutique.

Paspaley Pearling Company is the pearling wholesale department of the Paspaley Group of Companies. This department sells Paspaley Australian South Sea pearls to a variety of jewellery brands as well as independent retailers.

History

Early history

Paspaley was established by the Paspalis family, who migrated from Kastellorizo, Greece to Australia in 1942.

The family settled in Cossack, Western Australia. At that time, the Australian north coast was the world's most important pearling area, with the towns of Broome, Western Australia, Cossack, and Darwin being the world's leading pearling ports.[ citation needed ] The Paspalis family were among the few Europeans living in the area with Aboriginal inhabitants and Asian pearl fishermen. Pearling was one of the few viable industries in the area, and Theodosis Paspalis with the help of his family, built a pearling fleet that became the basis of the family company.[ citation needed ]

Nicholas Paspaley joined the pearling trade at 14 years of age. By 1932, at the age of 19, he ran his own pearling lugger, diving for natural pearls, and for mother-of-pearl shell. When Port Hedland began to become less profitable due to exhaustion of the pearl fields, Paspaley made the decision to move to the uncharted waters of Darwin. In Darwin, Paspaley increased his pearling fleet to 5 pearling ships. It was in Darwin that Nicholas Paspalis changed the family name to Paspaley, and established the Paspaley Pearling Company.

At the outbreak of World War II, the Australian government impounded and then destroyed all pearling luggers in North Australia to keep them away from Japanese invaders. [4]

Post World War II

After WWII the Japanese Akoya pearl industry was rebuilt in Japan, and exports of Japanese Akoya Cultured pearls boomed to international markets. Similarly, post World War II, the Australian mother-of-pearl shell industry also boomed as renewed demand ensured record prices for mother-of-pearl buttons right through to the mid-1950s.

Nicholas Paspaley had purchased four luggers which had been abandoned during the war by the Royal Australian Navy on Darwin's beaches. Once again, after rebuilding the luggers, Nicholas resumed pearling out of Darwin. However, the invention of the plastic button in the mid 1950s reduced demand for mother-of-pearl shell, virtually devastating the industry overnight, with the fleets of pearling luggers abandoned once more on the beaches.

Not to be defeated by this sudden collapse of the industry, Nicholas drew inspiration from the success of the booming Japanese Akoya cultured pearl industry, and sought to resurrect the South Sea pearl project commenced by Baron Iwasaki in 1916 – this time taking advantage of North Australia's abundant and superior beds of South Sea pearl oysters – with the dream to cultivate the world's largest and most valuable cultured pearl – the cultured South Sea pearl.

In the early 1950s Nicholas negotiated a joint venture project with the Kuribayashi family of Japan – employing the Iwasaki/Mitsubishi experts who had pioneered the project before the war. Although the Kuribayashi's had no pearl farming experience, the Kuribayashi family were the owners of the Japanese pearling fleet that travelled from Japan each year, diving for mother-of-pearl shell and pearls off the North Australian coast. Their experience in the pearling industry made them a suitable partner for the project.

The Australian Government subsequently removed the ban on pearl culture activities in Australia, and authorised the establishment of the first two pearl farms in Australia. One at Kuri Bay (named after Kuribayashi), and one at Port Essington. Initially, the Kuri Bay project was controlled by the Kuribayashi family, and the Port Essington project was controlled by Paspaley Pearling Company. Ultimately – In 1989, under the stewardship of Nick Paspaley Jnr., the two projects were merged under the Paspaley Pearling Company banner.

During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the Australia pearl farms operated with virtually the same pre-WWII Iwasaki/Mitsubishi technology. Pearl production flourished and increased steadily annually. Cultured South Sea pearls became known simply as "South Sea pearls". They dominated pearl jewellery markets worldwide, and established a distinct "premier" category of cultured pearls – the "South Sea Pearl". These pearls had the effect of resurrected the existence once more of important pearl jewellery in leading jewellery houses around the world. South Sea pearl prices were hundreds of times higher than the Japanese Akoya cultured pearl prices.

Nicholas Paspaley had lived to realise his dream of creating cultured pearls of the same quality as his natural South Sea pearls – the most beautiful and most valuable of the "old world" pearls.

In 1982 Nicholas Paspaley was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the pearling industry, to business and to community service. He was also awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship for his services to the community through Rotary International. Nicholas Paspaley lived the romantic life of a true adventurer and pioneer. He dedicated his whole life to the pearling industry in the remoteness of North Australia. He died in 1984. Nicholas's wife Vivienne Lavinia Paspaley (1913–2003) worked with her husband to build the Paspaley Pearling Company and was also a significant figure in the social development of Darwin.

Nick Paspaley Jnr joined the Paspaley Pearling Company in 1969 after graduating from Sydney University as a Bachelor of Economics. Nick worked with his father eventually pioneering modern pearl cultivating techniques that enabled the realisation of his father's vision. [5]

In 1999 Nick Paspaley Jnr was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for his services to Australia's export industry. [5]

Nick Paspaley Jnr was instrumental in the establishment of the South Sea Pearl Consortium – the non-profit organisation committed to promoting and protecting the reputation of the South Sea pearl. Nick is a board member of CIBJO – The World Jewelry Federation [6] whose charter is the promotion of ethics and responsibility in the jewellery industry for the protection of consumers, and to foster confidence in the jewellery industry.

Management and structure

Paspaley Pearls is a family-run and -owned business, with offices in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and the UAE. Paspaley operates a joint venture with its original[ clarification needed ] Japanese joint venture partners. The company operates pearl retailing and wholesaling businesses. Pearl production is one business unit of the diversified Paspaley Group of Companies.[ citation needed ]

Nick Paspaley is the Chairman of the Paspaley Group of Companies. His son, James, is the chief executive officer of the family-controlled group. Nick Paspaley's nephews, Peter and Michael Bracher, oversee the worldwide distribution of the company's pearls.

The following businesses operate under Paspaley Group of Companies:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin, Northern Territory</span> Capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia

Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With a population of 139,902 at the 2021 census, the city contains most of the sparsely populated Northern Territory's residents. It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australian capital cities and serves as the Top End's regional centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl</span> Hard object produced within a living shelled mollusc

A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes, known as baroque pearls, can occur. The finest quality of natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries. Because of this, pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.

<i>Pinctada</i> Genus of bivalves

Pinctada is a genus of saltwater oysters, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Pteriidae. These pearl oysters have a strong inner shell layer composed of nacre, also known as "mother of pearl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thursday Island</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately 39 kilometres north of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. Thursday Island is also the name of the town in the south and west of the island and also the name of the locality which contains the island within the Shire of Torres. The town of Rose Hill is located on the north-eastern tip of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultured pearl</span> Pearl created under human-controlled conditions

Cultured pearls are formed within a cultured pearl sac with human intervention in the interior of productive living molluscs in a variety of conditions depending upon the mollusc and the goals. Having the same material as natural pearls, cultured pearls can be cultivated in seawater or freshwater bodies. Nowadays, over 95% of the pearls available on the market would be cultured pearls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombing of Darwin</span> 1942 Japanese attack on Australia in WWII

The Bombing of Darwin, also known as the Battle of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. On that day, 242 Japanese aircraft, in two separate raids, attacked the town, ships in Darwin Harbour and the town's two airfields in an attempt to prevent the Allies from using them as bases to contest the invasion of Timor and Java during World War II.

USS <i>Nicholas</i> (DD-449) US Navy Fletcher-class destroyer in service 1942-1970

USS Nicholas (DD/DDE-449) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, serving for a total of 27 years, including through most of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. She was the second Navy ship to be named for Major Samuel Nicholas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cossack, Western Australia</span> Town in Australia

Cossack, known as Bajinhurrba in Ngarluma language, and formerly known as Tien Tsin, is an historic ghost town located 1,480 km (920 mi) north of Perth and 15 km (9.3 mi) from Roebourne in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The nearest town to Cossack, which is located on Butcher Inlet at the mouth of the Harding River, is Wickham. The former Tien Tsin Harbour is now known as Port Walcott. Since 2021, the townsite is managed and operated by the Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL).

Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin is a pidgin that sprang up in Broome, Western Australia in the early 20th century to facilitate communication between the various groups working in the pearling industry there—Japanese, Malays, Torres Strait Islanders, Koepangers, Hakka Chinese, Filipinos, Sri Lankans of Sinhalese and Tamil descent, a small number of Koreans, and local Indigenous Australians, mainly of the Bardi people but also Nyulnyul, Jabirr Jabirr, Jukun, Yawuru and Karajarri people. The name derives from the boats used for pearling, known as pearling luggers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearling in Western Australia</span> Local aquaculture industry

Pearling in Western Australia includes the harvesting and farming of both pearls and pearl shells along the north-western coast of Western Australia.

Kuri Bay is a remote coastal bay in the far north of Western Australia in the Kimberley region, about 370 km (230 mi) north of Broome. It is a designated point on the Western Australian Forecast Areas, utilised by the Bureau of Meteorology as a boundary for the North Kimberley Coast area from the West Kimberley Coast.

Pearl Aviation is an Australian aviation company that operates charter and medical evacuation flights, as well as navigational aid flight inspection services, flight centres and ground handling. It is part of the Paspaley Group. Its main base and flight centre is Darwin International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nan'yō Kōhatsu</span> Japanese strategic development company

The Nan'yō Kōhatsu kabushiki gaisha, also known the South Seas Development Company, was a Japanese strategic development company which aimed to promote economic development and Japanese political interests in Micronesia and Southeast Asia.

Fred Joaillier, more commonly known as Fred, is a French jewellery and watch brand founded in 1936 by Fred Samuel in Paris and operated by the company "Fred Paris".

Marilynne Paspaley AM is an Australian film and television actress and businesswoman of Greek descent, who is best known for her role in the television series G. P. as Dr. Tessa Korkidas. She appeared in the movie Evil Angels and other television series such as Water Rats.

Yasukichi Murakami was a businessman, photographer and inventor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Carlson (architect)</span> American architect

Eric Carlson is an American architect whose practice, Carbondale, is located in Paris, France. He is most recognized for his design, both interior and exterior, of the Louis Vuitton store located on the Champs-Élysées, Paris's 7th most visited destination.

Pinctada fucata, the Akoya pearl oyster (阿古屋貝), is a species of marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pteriidae, the pearl oysters. Some authorities classify this oyster as Pinctada fucata martensii. It is native to shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region and is used in the culture of pearls.

Brian Andrew Hills, born 19 March 1934 in Cardiff, Wales, died 13 January 2006 in Brisbane, Queensland, was a physiologist who worked on decompression theory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1897 Darwin cyclone</span>

The 1897 cyclone was a tropical cyclone that destroyed the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is considered the worst cyclone to strike the Northern Territory of Australia prior to Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Prior to contemporary naming conventions, the storm became known as the "Great Hurricane".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hills, Ben (7 September 2013). "Pearl jam". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  2. George, C. Denis. "Debunking a widely held Japanese myth" (PDF). www.pearl-guide.com. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  3. Nunn, Kayte (Spring 2006). "Perfect Pearls". Luxury Travel Magazine (28). Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  4. "History of Broome". www.travelling-australia.info.
  5. 1 2 "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Mr Nicholas Theodore James PASPALEY". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 1999. Retrieved 1 October 2019. FOR SERVICE TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE, TO THE AUSTRALIAN PEARLING INDUSTRY, AND TO THE COMMUNITY.
  6. "Home".