paspaley
nicholas paspaley, mbe aboard paspaley lugger, circa 1937 lugger - image by florenz a. k. bleeser courtesy of the national library of australia original compass from paspaley lugger circa 1935
beauty business … nick jnr (at left) and james paspaley at paspaley' s collins street store in melbourne in 2008 .
nick paspaley was the founder of the paspaley pearling company. nick' s grandchildren have continued his legacy and tell us their story .
this story marilynne paspaley of paspaley pearls dynasty loses bid to avoid land tax on darling point home first appeared on the sydney morning herald .
pearl aviation provides services to the resources sector and is a member of the paspaley pearls group, which is owned by the prominent paspaley family .
photo: mr hampton died on his second day at work for paspaley pearls .
jarrod hampton, of melbourne, died in april 2012 while diving for paspaley pearls .
paspaley pearling company was fined for failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment .
luxury jewelry brand paspaley is facing the wrath of social media users the day after abc investigative journalism show four corners looked into the death of paspaley pearl diver jarrod hampton .
in a statement, paspaley' s executive chairman nick paspaley said the company was
acutely aware of the traumatic effect jarrod' s death has had on his family, as well as on many of paspaley' s staff who were involved and knew jarrod .
“the tragedy this year was the first work related fatality of a paspaley employee since records commenced in the 1960’s and paspaley is not aware of any other fatalities before then. ”
jarrod hampton drowned in april 2012, on his second day of work for paspaley pearls .
james paspaley, whose grandfather founded the business, told the court the delay was unacceptable .
senior constable bradley bell at the inquest into paspaley pearl diver jarrod hampton' s death .
the paspaley head office is in darwin, with operations across australia and internationally in hong kong and japan. paspaley group currently employs over 1200 people, with over 600 in pearling alone .
photo: jarrod hampton died while diving for paspaley pearls off the coast of broome in 2012 .
paspaley pearling company issued a statement acknowledging the worksafe investigation was prompted by the death of jarrod hampton .
jarrod hampton, a pearl diver in broome who died on the job while working for paspaley pearls .
the board of directors is comprised wholly of family members including the children and grandchildren of nicholas paspaley sr, founder of paspaley. the executive chairman, nicholas paspaley jr has been largely responsible for pioneering and revolutionising the australian south sea pearl industry and enabling pearls of the quality we see today to be produced .
melbourne man jarrod hampton, 22, died in april while working as a drift diver for paspaley pearls .
asked if that procedure should have been practised by dive crews, mr paspaley replied ,
absolutely
.
mr hampton drowned while drift diving from a paspaley pearling boat on his second day at work for the company .
paspaley has since issued a statement to defend its safety record and reject claims made on the four corners program .
welcome to the world of paspaley where our dedicated personal shopper is on hand to assist you. the personalized paspaley service that our treasured customers have grown accustomed to now extends beyond the doors of our boutiques to our online customers .
paspaley' s creative director and third generation paspaley family member, christine collaborates with some of the world' s most accomplished designers, as well our own artisan jewellers to create contemporary pieces that will be worn and treasured for generations .
the paspaley company was founded in 1935 with the collection of mother - of - pearl shells for the button trade .
we' ve done it! !! hdml 1321' s future is looking brighter thanks to paspaley pearling company .
great article. i watched this on 4 corners too. heart breaking. paspaley are stupid for deleting all the comments. i posted this article on the paspaley facebook page! ha ha (i keep checking if it’s been deleted )
sen. const. bell highlighted six primary and 22 secondary recommendations to the paspaley pearling company and the pearl producers association .
jarrod was working for australia' s leading pearling company, paspaley, owned by one of the country' s richest families .
but his daughter mary and sons michael and nicholas, who anglicised his surname to paspaley, continued to build the pearling industry .
mr. nicholas paspaley sr. of australia, mr. alan gerdau of america, and mr. saku kuribayashi of japan, meet and discuss the commencement of two australian culture projects; gerdau and kuribayashi in western australia and paspaley in the northern territory .
after concluding the original arafura joint venture in 1970, paspaley reopens the knocker bay farm in 1972 with junichi hamaguchi, an independent pearl technician. the partnership operates outside the diamond policy agreement, allowing paspaley to market its own pearls for the first time .
may 2016 saw paspaley open the doors to our newest boutique located in the charles darwin centre, located at 19 the mall, darwin. this stunning boutique provides an ideal canvas for the beauty of australian south sea pearls and paspaley' s exquisite artisan designs .
the paspaley family business has lost much of its precious lustre, with cheap imports pushing pearl prices through the (ocean) floor .
an australian south sea pearl necklace produced by paspaley sells for usd $ 2. 3 million at sotheby' s in new york .
in the years that followed, cultivation of australian south sea pearls became the company’s primary focus. every great company can point to a source of inspiration that set it on course for success. for paspaley that inspiration was the late nicholas paspaley, mbe (1913–1984) .
the death is the only recorded drowning of a paspaley diver and the inquest heard the company had done more than 500, 000 dives .
admire the most beautiful pearls in the world at paspaley. these australian south sea pearls are justifiably renowned as the finest in the world .
nicholas paspaley sr is made a member of the british empire by the commonwealth of australia for a lifetime of service to the pearling industry .
in preliminary hearings in the coroner' s court, paspaley pearls said it has complied with improvement notices issued after mr hampton' s death .
mr paspaley also told the court preventing divers from drowning was the number one issue the pearling industry had worked on over the past 100 years .
paspaley pearling company pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safe workplace after an investigation into the death of melbourne man jarrod hampton in april 2012 .
today paspaley has diversified into many other areas, to the extent that pearling accounts for less than forty per cent of the group’s turnover, with aviation, retail, pastoral holdings and commercial properties accounting for the rest. despite this diversification, pearling remains the prime focus and heart of paspaley .
paspaley has been unfairly accused of being a company that pays no regard to safety … that' s not the case ,
she said .
the paspaley group’s success is a result of decades of dedication, investment and innovation – and superior quality is the hallmark of paspaley in every area of the business. our reputation is built on an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence, and this philosophy is reflected in every aspect of our operations .
mr hampton did not have buoyancy compensation device to help him stay afloat when he died, but paspaley has now made them mandatory for all its divers .
mv paspaley iv, the world’s most advanced pearling vessel, is launched. it has unprecedented shell - carrying capacity and cutting - edge pearl shell operating conditions. mv paspaley iv is 51 metres in length with a crew of 55 men and women living and working in an unequalled level of comfort and safety .
mr hampton was one of eight divers collecting pearl shells from the sea floor while they were being towed behind slow - moving vessel, the paspaley ii .
we take a look inside the paspaley pearl collection from the first cultured pearl harvest in australia, kuri bay in 1956. what' s a keshie pearl ?
james paspaley, executive director of paspaley – the largest pearling company in australia – told the territory quarterly he believes it has been the single most difficult period of time the pearling industry has endured in the modern era, with many retailers reportedly down 30 to 40 per cent during the time of the global financial crisis .
i' m a darwinite
: marilynne paspaley had claimed her darling point home as principal place of residence between 2008 and 2012. photo: nic walker
the show brought into question paspaley’s safety precautions leading up to the death of 22 - year old hampton in waters off the south of broome earlier this year .
paspaley forms a joint venture arrangement with another japanese partner, kyokko industry co. , at that time a related company of the pentax corporation. during the next three years, paspaley establishes pearl farms either independently or in joint venture with kyokko industry co. and shima shokai pearling company in raffles bay, port bremer and darwin harbour .
rescue drills have since been enforced across paspaley' s pearling fleet and the company told the court it now takes about 90 seconds to bring an incapacitated diver on deck .
under cross examination by paspaley lawyer gail archer sc, mr theodore said during training he and the other divers had been put through safety drills by head diver sam morton .
founded in 1952, paspaley is a diverse group of companies. whilst its core business is pearling, including pearl production, wholesale and retail, it also ...
another boat delivered a body bag and mr hampton remained on the deck as the paspaley ii sailed through the night back to shore, where it was met by police .
an investigation by the chief commissioner of state revenue found that ms paspaley should pay land tax on the sydney house for the years 2008 to 2012 because she spent the majority of her time living at two different properties in the northern territory, where she worked developing hotels. ms paspaley objected and took the matter to the civil and administrative tribunal .
the executive director of paspaley pearls has taken responsibility for the company' s failure to regularly practise recovering an unconscious diver from the ocean, as its code of practice demanded .
mr paspaley acknowledged the company' s code of practice included the need to practise drills for the search, recovery and retrieval of an injured diver, but that never happened .
businesswoman and actress marilynne paspaley, of the famous pearling dynasty, once gave a public speech declaring :
i' m a territorian, and more precisely a darwinite .
mr hampton, from brighton in victoria, died on his second day working for paspaley pearls at eighty mile beach, about 160 kilometres south of broome, in april 2012 .
earlier, paspaley' s general manager of pearling production, anthony thiel, also conceded the company should have had a documented procedure for emergency recoveries, and practised it in drills .
it took them far too long to get jarrod onto the boat but this didn' t contribute to his death ,
paspaley' s lawyer gail archer told the court .
with a history spanning 80 years and three generations, paspaley are regarded as the pioneers of the australian south sea pearling industry. discover the story behind this authentic australian brand: urltoken
the boutique heralds the continuation of paspaley’s work with the award - winning french architecture firm carbondale, making this a landmark destination for pearl connoisseurs and a global benchmark in store design .
paspaley pearling company was fined after pleading guilty in broome magistrates court to failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment, and was also ordered to pay costs of $ 5000 .
a media statement released today by worksafe said paspaley pearling company pty ltd was charged under the occupational safety and health act 1984 after an investigation sparked by the drowning of mr hampton .
by 2006, paspaley had formed an alliance with the kailis company because, in the words of one witness ,
once - fat margins have been squeezed by rising costs and by a chronic downturn in the international market led by japan, the biggest pearl - buyer
. paspaley also had commercial arrangements with five other growers that gave them control of 87 per cent of the industry - the company had lobbied successfully to prevent the issuing of more licences and pearl quota restrictions through the pearl producers association, which advised the wa government and which paspaley dominated .
the coroner said it was unlikely he would find that paspaley contributed to jarrod' s death because there was no clear - cut evidence on what caused him to come to the surface .
ms paspaley had argued that she was exempt from paying land tax on the five - bedroom, four - bathroom home on new beach road because it was her principal place of residence .
jarrod hampton, 22, was working as a drift diver for the paspaley pearling company in april 2012 when he came into trouble off eighty mile beach, about 160km south of broome .
each paspaley pearl is not only a treasured gem, but an opportunity with infinite possibilities. from this realisation was born a desire to create jewellery inspired by the individuality of each pearl, and the paspaley pearling business soon evolved into a retail brand. we currently have a portfolio of nine boutiques globally. our flagship boutique is in sydney, with five additional boutiques in australia .
the paspaley group is an australian family - owned and run company with a heritage of over 80 years and three generations. recognised as pioneers of the australian south sea pearling industry, today the
it' s got to be my fault. we read it. we missed it. i missed it ,
mr paspaley said .
... we should have done it .
jarrod hampton, from brighton in victoria, who died in april 2012 while diving for pearls from a paspaley pearling company boat off eighty mile beach, about 160 kilometres south of broome. date unknown .
we are the last pearling company in the world still diving for wild pearl oysters. our innovative techniques have been widely acknowledged as world’s best practice, positioning paspaley at the forefront of the pearling industry .
after years of developing and trialling entirely new pearling systems and techniques, nick paspaley ac achieves success with experimental longlines enabling operations to begin on the pearling grounds rather than at the pearl farms. this lowers oyster mortality rates and is the single most important development to revolutionise the australian cultured pearl industry. the first operations on the grounds are achieved aboard the mv paspaley ii at cape bossut, south of broome .
james paspaley, who is also the chairman of western australia' s pearl producers association, was giving evidence at the coronial inquest into the death of 22 - year - old jarrod hampton in april 2012 .
the court was told paspaley now has two permanent staff stationed on the back deck of its boats, looking out for divers, including a standby rescue swimmer who could reach a distressed diver in 90 seconds .
after harvesting every paspaley pearl is graded according to five key criteria which are referred to as the five virtues of south sea pearls. these are: - luster, complexion, shape, size and color .
he was one of several divers who were manually collecting pearls from the sea floor for paspaley pearling company as they were towed by a slow - moving vessel, connected only by airline secured to their weight belt .
paspaley pearl’s lawyer gail archer told the inquest about various changes to the company’s safety procedures, which included always having two divers on the back of the vessel’s deck, with one on constant lookout for the divers .
the first pearl farms were started in 1956 at kuri bay by an american entrepreneur and a japanese grafting technician. paspaley opened their first pearl farm in 1962, and another in 1970 in knocker bay, which became a roaring success. not only did paspaley become famous as producers of the finest south sea cultured pearls in the world, but their efforts at sustaining and nurturing the native wild oyster population kept these animals from extinction .
nick paspaley ac, modifies the lugger ‘white star', installing hookah diving apparatus and radar as well as salt water tanks. this enables live oysters to be transported from the pearling grounds to its northern territory farm .
mv paspaley iii, a 45 metre vessel, is purpose - built as a stable operations platform with an enclosed operating area. it features significant shell - carrying capability for efficiently transporting operated shell to the pearl farm .
rather than pulling out of the industry with the decline of pearl shell, mary' s younger brother, nicholas paspaley, looked to the japanese expertise in culturing the pearl gems as a new way to keep pearling viable .
the
paspaley pearl
was one of a rare grouping of 12 pearls, each with its own history, beauty and science, that went on display at the
allure of pearls
exhibition held between march 12 and september 5, 2005, at the harry winston gallery, of the janet annenberg hooker hall of geology, gems and minerals, of the national museum of natural history of the smithsonian institution, and co - sponsored by the gemological institute of america, paspaley pearls pty. ltd. and iridesse pearls. the pearl was loaned for the exhibition by paspaley pearls pty. ltd. , the major producer of white south sea pearls in australia, with its headquarters based in darwin, australia .
victorian man jarrod hampton was an experienced scuba diver but was on only his second day of drift diving for paspaley pearling company on april 14, 2012 when he got into trouble off eighty mile beach and was pulled to the surface unconscious .
the children of nicholas paspaley continue the family legacy, begun by their grandfather theodosis paspalis and aunty mary dakas, to hold 60 per cent of australia' s cultured pearl industry and place greek pearlers at the forefront of australian pearling today .
having regard to the evidence before me i am not satisfied on the balance of probability that the sydney property was the principal place of residence of [ ms paspaley ] for any of the relevant tax years ,
mr isenberg said .
paspaley e - boutique can service australia with online shopping and free shipping. some jewellery may not be available to purchase directly online in which case the personal shopper can assist you. the personal shopper can also assist with international enquiries and orders .
fellow diver jayde theodore told the inquest into mr hampton' s death that on the seventh dive of the day, mr hampton lost hold of the work line connecting him to the pearling boat paspaley ii, which he was being towed behind .
jarrod hampton was a fit, healthy and experienced recreational diver but was only on his second day of drift diving for paspaley pearling company on april 14, 2012 when he got into trouble off eighty mile beach, between port hedland and broome .
whether you are looking for style advice, guidance on pearl selection or simply want help with your online purchase, please do not hesitate to contact the paspaley personal shopper. luxury is now at your fingertips from the comfort of your home or office .
mr paspaley, who had input in the pearl producers association' s code of practice and is the group' s chairman, said his company didn' t hold twice yearly drills for retrieving incapacitated divers, as recommended in the code, in 2012 .
very sad about the diver, no doubt, but this story was sooo biased! !! not a word about what happens in other companies, not safety or how much they offer the divers / shell. i have worked with paspaley and they do care about their workers and safety. its a huge operation, providing many jobs for many many families, so before everyone boycotts paspaley pearls, maybe better energy should be directed towards introducing better safety regulations on the dive boats rather then sink an australian icon .
with a history spanning 80 years and three generations, paspaley are regarded as the pioneers of the australian south sea pearling industry. a short from the national geographic documentary
secret life of pearls
. discover more about
secret life of pearls
at urltoken
but sadly for paspaley - represented by a contingent of third - and fourth - generation members of the family - there was no collective flourishing of cheque books or flashing of no - limit centurion credit cards from the gathered crowd that october night. six months later, those unique centrepieces of what was called the odyssey collection were still unsold, locked away in glass - and - walnut cabinets at the company' s prestigious address, no 2 martin place, the century - old australasia bank building that paspaley spent millions restoring .
“at the time of tragedy, the paspaley pearling company did not have a written emergency procedure for the rescue and retrieval of an incapacitated diver from the water, and the crew on board the vessel had not practised any emergency drills in preparation for such an event .
the paspaley group is an australian family - owned and run company with a heritage of over 80 years and three generations. recognised as pioneers of the australian south sea pearling industry, today the company has a diverse portfolio ranging from pearling to retail, aviation to agriculture .
“it is extremely disappointing that four corners has chosen to raise unsubstantiated safety allegations at this sensitive stage which could be prejudicial to the ongoing investigations. for the record, safety has always been a high priority for paspaley which does not make compromises on safety across any of its operations .
the paspaley pearl, which is perhaps the most perfect pearl ever created by human intervention, gets its name from the company, paspaley pearl pty ltd. who were responsible for culturing the pearl inside the pearl oyster pinctada maxima, in one of their pearl farms off the coast of northern australia in the year 2002. the exceptional south sea cultured pearl has a perfect spherical shape, the most valued shape for natural or cultured pearls, and has a silvery - white color with a soft pink overtone, with a satin - like luster characteristic of south sea pearls .
worksafe said at the time of the death, paspaley pearling company
did not have a written emergency procedure for the rescue and retrieval of an incapacitated diver from the water, and the crew on board the vessel had not practised any emergency drills in preparation for such an event
.
but it has not come without a cost. pearling in australia - still internationally acknowledged as the world leader for quality, if no longer for quantity - is an industry littered with broken dreams and bankrupt corporations. the paspaley group itself is struggling to keep its head above water: it lost about $ 4 million last year on top of a similar loss in 2011. and last year, one of paspaley' s workers joined the hundreds who have drowned or died of
the bends
or other causes since diving for pearls in australia began a century and a half ago .
company has a diverse portfolio ranging from pearling to retail, aviation to agriculture. the paspaley company was founded in 1935 with the collection of mother - of - pearl shells for the button trade. in the years that followed, cultivation of australian south sea pearls became the company’s primary focus .
as diving was one of the few viable industries in the area, it was natural that nicholas paspaley would learn this challenging trade. by 1932, at the age of 18, he was at the helm of his own pearling lugger, diving for shell that fulfilled most of the global demand for button making .
the world' s first purpose - built fibreglass pearl diving vessel, mv paspaley pearl is built at nishi shipyard japan. the vessel arrives in broome to fish the 1974 season, before returning to darwin and fortunately surviving cyclone tracy. at 29 metres, she is the largest fibreglass hulled vessel in australia at that time .
at all times between 1990 and 2012, new beach road was our treasured family home, where we entertained our friends, held our important celebrations and where we could accommodate family and friends who came to visit. this lifestyle and these events did not occur anywhere else in our lives ,
ms paspaley told the tribunal .
life out here is tough, particularly if you are one of the elite divers paspaley employs to catch their wild shell, towed along in teams of eight behind a mother ship, clinging to a lifeline of compressed air and stooping to scoop hundreds of oysters a day from the seabed. last year the company sailed into a blizzard of criticism in social media after an abc four corners investigation into the death of one of paspaley' s divers, a 22 - year - old melbourne man named jarrod hampton, on his second day on the job. the program raised questions about the company' s training, about whether there should have been a
rescue diver
on standby, and whether cost - cutting had played a part in his death. a number of experienced paspaley divers had resigned after the company cut the price it pays per shell from $ 4. 50 to $ 3. 50, an effective pay cut of $ 20, 000 a season for a good diver .
ms paspaley, also known for playing dr tessa korkidas on the abc show gp in the 1990s, gave evidence about where her valuable items were kept, where her family spent their christmases, where she celebrated her 60th birthday and where her bills were sent, in order to prove the sydney house was where she spent most of her time .
it said mr hampton was an experienced, competent and suitably qualified scuba diver but, prior to the departure of the vessel ‘paspaley ii’ from broome on 12 april 2012, did not have any experience as a drift diver. however, mr hampton had passed a medical examination and successfully completed a pearl diving induction course in darwin in february 2012 .
to preserve wild shell stocks, the wa government initiates the pearl industry review quotas of pearl oyster fishing. the pearl producers association (ppa) is formed, and includes a pearl divers safety committee operating according to occupational health and safety (oh & s ;) guidelines. paspaley plays a leading role in this organisation from its inception until present day .
after migrating from greece and settling in cossack, western australia, nicholas paspaley sr. captains his own pearling lugger at the tender age of 18. in 1935, he finds an important natural pearl in the cossack area, the same year the western australian pearling fleet is destroyed by a major cyclone. the proceeds from this pearl form the start of a pearling dynasty .
the pearl also has gone down on record as one of the largest cultured pearls ever produced. thus a combination of desirable characteristics such as the perfect spherical shape, the color, luster and extraordinary size, has made the paspaley pearl one of the most famous cultured pearls in the world. the pearl is now part of the valuable collection of unique pearls maintained by the company .
kuri bay is established as a joint venture between the american and japanese partners, operating under the diamond policy that stipulates that there be a limited quota, that the pearl technique be kept secret, and that all pearls produced must be marketed in japan. in 1962, paspaley opens a farm at knocker bay in the northern territory’s cobourg peninsula under a similar arrangement with arafura pearling company .
nick revolutionised the industry ,
says david norman, a sydney pearl trader who has worked for both paspaley and rival company kailis .
in the' 80s when i was with kailis, we' d look at paspaley with envy. nick was a genius at creating pearls that no one else could. they were making amazing amounts of money - one necklace brought $ 2. 2 million at sotheby' s. he brought down the same technicians from japan every year, he knew how to site the farms, the husbandry. i went on one of their [ seeding ] vessels once and it was amazing - like going to the rolex factory - all these technicians sitting there in sealed, air - conditioned rooms with not a speck of dust to be seen .
james is quick to acknowledge the trouble the industry - and the company - is in, though he won' t confirm chatter that paspaley will only be taking up less than half of its allocated quota this year, perhaps seeding only 200, 000 oysters. some of his boats have been put up for sale, and one of paspaley' s huge motherships has been on the slips for two years .
you close down farm sites ,
he says .
you lay people off. you have redundancies... we' ve had to refit some of our vessels to change the way we operate. we' re not in a state where i' d want to go out encouraging people to come and invest in our industry. we' re line - ball .
so what does the future hold for paspaley and the pearl industry ?
we can continue now, as the industry is, indefinitely, but what you don' t have is any capacity to deal with shocks [ like ] cyclones or ood [ oyster oedema disease ]. if the price went from where it is today and halved again, yeah, we' d exit. we would have no choice .
but it wasn' t just his technical innovation that built the paspaley fortune. in the 1980s, when the wa government, as a
temporary
measure to protect stocks, licensed pearl farms and restricted both the number of wild - caught oysters that could be taken and - more controversially - the number of hatchery - bred oysters that could be seeded, it delivered a monopoly to the existing players. there were just 17 licences issued in wa (and a handful more in the nt) and new entrants in the industry were banned - unless they could buy or lease quota from an existing farmer. over the years, using its huge commercial clout, paspaley entered into co - venture deals with most of its rivals in which it provided either the oysters, the seeding or the marketing. in almost every case, it finished buying out the competitor .
pearls being creations of nature can have flaws such as blemishes on their surface or imperfections within the pearl' s nacre, referred to as
movement .
complexion is defined as the presence or absence of flaws on the surface of a pearl. pearls without any flaws are said to be of flawless complexion, such as the
paspaley pearl .
the subject of this webpage. pearls with a flawless complexion are the most valuable. complexion flaws may or may not interfere with a pearl' s beauty. this depends on the quantity, depth and visibility of these flaws. using this as a criterion, paspaley pearls are further divided into four grades: - statement, fine, fashion and foundation, each one of which refers to a certain quality of the complexion. it is the combination of luster and complexion that determines the quality of a pearl .
fleeing the greek island of castellorizo during world war i, the paspaley family arrived in australia in 1919 in search of a new life. they decided to try their chances at their ship' s first port of call, cossack on the indian ocean coast of western australia. in this remote part of the world, the paspaleys were among a handful of europeans living in the area with the traditional aboriginal inhabitants and asian pearl fishers .
we have splashed down near a remote and uninhabited speckle of land called the osborne islands, mid - way between perth and broome, on one of the company planes. not a flash executive jet but a 13 - seater grumman mallard seaplane decorated with the ubiquitous paspaley logo of a blue pearl - shell. with us has come a relief crew of working - holiday guys - some more filipinos, an estonian, an irishman and a couple of australians .
the effect of maintaining the status quo was, the witness testified, to
keep the small small and allow paspaley to pick them off and buy them
. as it turned out, the court threw out the charges and although a new trial was ordered on appeal, the wa director of public prosecutions announced in february that it would not proceed. the newly elected liberal government of colin barnett has been handed the hot potato of whether to deregulate the industry .
paspaley pearl pty. ltd. operates around 20 pearl farms which are scattered along 2, 500 km of mostly uninhabited coastline, stretching from the cobourg peninsula to the northeast of darwin, in the northern territory, to dampier in western australia. most of the farms are situated in isolated bays that provide some protection from the seasonal cyclones, and most importantly contain pollutant - free pristine waters, that can sustain the sensitive pinctada maxima oysters, and encourage the growth of microscopic plankton on which the oysters thrive .
from our humble beginnings in the 1930s, originally as a natural pearling company, we have built our success through australian south sea pearl cultivation. with numerous pearl farms dotted along more than 2500 kilometres of the remote, pristine coastline of north - west australia, paspaley’s harvests represent the majority of australian south sea pearl production. for more than 50 years, we have produced cultured south sea pearls of exceptional quality and beauty through a respectful partnership with nature. driven by the ‘leave no footprint’ philosophy, we have long appreciated the
for the next two weeks, the casual workers will labour from dawn till late for $ 220 a day, cleaning oysters on one of a flotilla of
tinnies
operating from a mother - ship, a white - painted 35 - metre steel - hulled vessel named the roslynne after one of james paspaley' s aunts. the hull is rusty, but the interior is spick and span and the cook will be rustling up pizzas for the crew when they return to eat, watch sport on satellite tv and drink their regulation four cans of mid - strength beer .
the diameter of the pearl is uniform right round, equal to 20. 40 mm. if there is any variation in the diameter it is undoubtedly less than 2% , and the roundness is greater than 98% . such pearls having a variation in diameter of less than 2% and a roundness between 98% and 100% are defined as perfectly round or spherical pearls. thus the paspaley pearl undoubtedly qualifies for the status of a perfectly spherical pearl. the perfect spherical shape of the pearl is attributed to the nacre being laid in exceptionally uniform layers around the nucleus of the cultured pearl .
some fascinating details emerged in a wa trial three years ago investigating the degree of control paspaley exercised over the industry - revealing, as well, the desperation of its competitors to get the rules changed. the case involved notorious former wa labor premier brian burke and one of his former ministers, julian grill. the wa supreme court was told that the pair, who were working as lobbyists, had been hired by a small pearl producer named kevin waldron - brown of nor' west pearls to try to influence the - then labor government to relax pearling quotas to allow smaller companies to grow and compete .
the paspaley family headed by theodosis michael paspalis first migrated to western australia from kastellorizo, in greece, in the year 1919, and settled in the port city of cossack, which was then an important pearling center in western australia, with a cosmopolitan population of europeans, asians and aborigines. pearling being the only viable industry in the area, theodosis made an investment in a pearl lugger, and took a keen interest in pearling activities. however, 5 years after his arrival in cossack, theodosis passed away, and his children michael, nicholas and mary continued to maintain an interest in pearling activities .
worksafe wa says it is still investigating the death but if it does come up with an unfavourable finding, it will not be the first time that paspaley has been accused of failing to keep its workers safe. in june last year, the company was fined $ 10, 000 in the darwin magistrates court after pleading guilty to breaching workplace health and safety laws when a cook, brooke wells, broke an arm and suffered internal injuries falling off an unguarded gangplank. the company also has a long - running case before the courts involving a former employee who claims he was denied proper workers' compensation after injuring his back opening oysters .
the other three members of the family who own a piece of pearl corporation are nick' s sisters roslynne bracher, 68, and marilynne paspaley, 61, along with her son nicholas hanigan, 39. roslynne doesn' t talk to the media, either, i was told. however, i was granted a telephone audience with marilynne, a former actor best known for her role as dr tessa korkidas in the abc tv series, gp. she was keen to spruik the attractions of her pinctada resort in broome, and blame the government for the fact it is losing money. the decision to allow budget airlines to fly between perth and bali had siphoned off hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers who otherwise would consider travelling to the kimberley, she said .
western australia during this period was the center of the mother - of - pearl industry in the world, producing almost 80% of the world' s requirement of mother - of - pearls, used in the shell button industry. the family migrated from cossack northwards to port hedland and then to broome in northwestern australia, as the pearl - oyster beds in the previous locations were exhausted, and pearling was no more economical. nicholas paspalis was first introduced to the trade at the age of 14, and in the year 1932, when he was 18 years of age, was manning his own pearl lugger, diving for oyster shells. after arriving in broome, nicholas paspalis, set up the family business in the town and changed the family name to paspaley. broome became internationally renowned as the center of the mother - of - pearl production, and in 1925, had 400 pearling luggers engaged in the industry, producing almost 80% of the world' s requirement of mother - of pearls .
jarrod' s parents robyn and tony hampton, have called for changes to the industry .
worksafe is rejecting pressure to prematurely release the details of its investigation into the death of a pearl diver off the cost of broome, in western australia .
commissioner lex mcculloch says he has experienced enormous pressure to rush the outcome but maintains it will be thorough and accurate .
we' ve been getting a lot of email and letter communication, as has the minister, and some people have even written to the premier and that interest has come not only from within west australia but from around australia and some people making contact from overseas ,
he said .
they want to know what' s happened to their son and how it happened but what we' re saying to them is basically what we' re saying to the public is we' re being thorough, give us time and we will do a good job ,
he said .
pearl producers association chief executive officer brett mccallum has previously said the industry was recently deemed to be meeting safe work australia' s guidelines .
if there' s been errors made or gaps in what we need to do, then the industry will assess those and try to meet them ,
he said .
if you have inside knowledge of a topic in the news, contact the abc .
abc teams share the story behind the story and insights into the making of digital, tv and radio content .
we' ve ranked the top 50 wimbledon players over the last 50 years .
peter sagan is a triple world champion and the most charismatic rider in professional road cycling. he is now the leader of the 2018 tour de france, writes rob arnold .
could you bring yourself to support england? are the french or belgians more your cup of tea? we want to know who your pick is to take out the 2018 world cup title .
the beautiful game has shown an ugly side in russia, with the treatment of the referees coming into sharp focus .
this service may include material from agence france - presse (afp), aptn, reuters, aap, cnn and the bbc world service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced .
the father of a pearl diver who died off broome last year has written to the west australian premier colin barnett asking why a coronial inquest has been delayed .
a coronial inquest has been delayed pending a decision from the state solicitors office on whether the company might be prosecuted under occupational health and safety laws .
jarrod' s father tony hampton says the family is anxious over what appears to be a lack of action and has written to mr barnett a second time, in an attempt to speed up the process .
we desperately want a coronial inquest, we want the necessary people to be questioned to find out as much as we can about what happened on that day ,
he said .
i believe the premier is the only one who can speed the process up .
a new dinosaur has been discovered. but did it walk on two legs or four ?
it' s no surprise the plight of the soccer team has received global media attention. but it does raise some interesting questions about how we extend empathy and concern to people we don' t know .
hobart' s old zoo is famous as being where the last thylacine in captivity died, but in its heyday people could view elephants, zebras, monkeys and even see a girl walking her pet leopard. what happened to the beaumaris zoo ?
hundreds of people shed their clothes on a chilly melbourne morning and drape themselves in sheer red fabric to be part of the latest photo shoot by internationally renowned photographer spencer tunick .
while they like to think you need a thick skin in politics, our representatives are notoriously quick to reach for the lawyers when they don' t like what they read .
perched on an oyster - encrusted boulder, surrounded by 300 gawping sydney socialites, the three toga - clad graces primped and posed, their preposterously expensive jewellery glinting in the spotlights. one of the models sported an oval bangle of platinum and gold inset with pearls the size of cherries; another wore a necklace of 36 perfectly matched silvery pearls joined with a diamond clasp. if you needed to ask the cost of this bling
fit for a greek goddess
you couldn' t afford it: the bangle was $ 89, 800, the necklace $ 39, 800 and the clasp alone another $ 26, 800. team them with a pair of tear - shaped baroque pearl earrings and there would be little change from the price of a porsche .
eye of the beholder … nick jnr admires an almost perfect pearl in 2006 .
we' re not in a state where i' d want to go out encouraging people to come and invest in our industry .
the australian pearling industry has come a long way since theodosis paspalis and his family fled greece during world war i and settled at cossack in the pilbara, then a thriving port and the centre of australia' s pearling industry until it later moved to broome. after the pearl - shell industry collapsed in the 1950s, theodosis' s son, nicholas, attempted to start a cultured pearl - farm, using japanese technology, but his attempts to grow pearls were largely unsuccessful, and it wasn' t until theodosis' s grandson, nicholas jnr, took over the business in 1984 that the company really hit the big time .
it was a very emotional decision for the family ,
says current managing director alex kailis .
pearl farming is in our bones, in our heritage. but this was a knockover event. we had to make the hard call on whether to reinvest millions of dollars in the pearl industry, or concentrate on other branches of our business - fishing and marine engineering. in the end, you just couldn' t justify it .
the roebuck bay lease has now been closed down, as have dozens of once - profitable pearl farms dotted around the 2500 - kilometre coastline from broome to darwin .
the collapse of the international pearl market is driving this destruction. andy müller, a swiss - born pearl trader based in the japanese
pearl capital
kobe who is also an author and an authority on the industry, has documented the huge increase in pearl production in recent years - particularly in china, which now produces an estimated 4000 tonnes of pearls a year, grown in freshwater mussels in flooded rice - paddies. these pearls, scorned by high - end retailers, can be polished, coated, irradiated and dyed to any colour and make up the necklaces on sale for as little as $ 200 at walmart in the us .
müller has also documented the boom in production of
australian - style
pearls, the so - called south sea pearl, in indonesia, where one producer, the nusantara pearl group, has about 4 million oysters under management - more than double the entire australian crop. in the decade to 2009, says müller, global south sea pearl production increased five - fold, but the price per kilo of the once - prized pearls fell from $ us91, 000 to $ us13, 000. since then, the situation has worsened.
paspaley pearling company is the largest and oldest pearling company operating in australia . today , paspaley operates a variety of businesses , some of which are dedicated to the support of pearling operations ; paspaley is a strong advocate of environmental responsibility within industry . it has diversified into a shopping mall , an office block , agriculture properties , resorts and a vineyard . to this day paspaley remains a family owned and operated business . 
paspaley pearling company is the largest and oldest pearling company operating in australia. today, paspaley operates a variety of businesses, some of which are dedicated to the support of pearling operations; paspaley is a strong advocate of environmental responsibility within industry. it has diversified into a shopping mall, an office block, agriculture properties, resorts and a vineyard. to this day paspaley remains a family owned and operated business.
paspaley pearling company is the largest and oldest pearling company operating in australia. today, paspaley operates a variety of businesses, some of which are dedicated to the support of pearling operations; paspaley is a strong advocate of environmental responsibility within industry. it has diversified into a shopping mall, an office block, agriculture properties, resorts and a vineyard. to this day paspaley remains a family owned and operated business.