Pearl cultivators, wholesalers and pearl jewelry retailers have long been affected by the lack of traceability in pearls and the inability to distinguish between variations of similar-looking pearls. Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory, a Hong Kong provider of equipment and services to the pearl industry, has successfully developed a solution consisting of a tiny radio frequency identification tag embedded in a pearl’s nucleus that could transmit an ID number to an RFID reader. The tag makes it possible for pearl farmers, wholesalers, retailers and customers to identify and track a pearl 9 millimeters (0.4 inch) or more in diameter, from its origins as a nucleus until a customer’s purchase of the harvested pearl. Learn how the technology is currently being used to prove the pearls’ authenticity, origins and history, as well as future plans to develop a database that would contain information about the tagged pearls and share it with participating supply chain members.
