UAE: This 21-Year-Old 'Man Of The Sea' Helps Cultivate The Most Perfect Pearls

Out of all the things he could become in this day and age, 21-year-old Khaled Al Hammadi chose to be a 'treasure hunter'. He is a pearl farmer, the first one in his family.

Growing up on Abu Dhabi's Dalma Island, Al Hammadi has been "a man of the sea" since he was a child, he said. Free-diving and catching fish were among his favourite hobbies as he has always been curious about underwater treasures.

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“If you're born in Dalma, you will surely dive into the waters, regardless of your age or gender,” the young Emirati told Khaleej Times.“I caught my first fish when I was in sixth grade. My father was a fisherman, so I was following in his footsteps."

In the ocean, Al Hammadi found "many beautiful things" - those that can never be seen on land, he said.

"You have to dive deep to enjoy it,” he added. The best thing he has ever seen underwater? Baby squids.

For Al Hammadi, the sea was both a sanctuary and a passion.

When the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi's (EAD) rolled out a pearl farming programme, he knew he had to be part of it. He applied and became a pearl operation technician at the Abu Dhabi Pearl Centre in the coastal city of Al Mirfa.

While his entire family are“people of the sea", Al Hammadi was the first one to take up pearling.

“I learnt many things about pearl seeding, and now I practise the hardest techniques to produce these pearls,” he said, pointing at the beautifully shaped pearls on a tray in front of him.

“I have big ambitions to become a pearl expert because it requires long years of experience to become one, not a year or two.” He has been with the Pearl Centre for one year and three months now.

Al Hammadi has been working hard all for the love of these gems. He admitted he doesn't know yet what he can do next after becoming an expert but he is determined to be the best in his field.

“Not sure what I can take on as a business. It will depend on the regulations then, so I will go with the flow.”

Currently, pearl diving is illegal across Abu Dhabi. Only the environment agency is authorised to capture pearls using sustainable methods.

Inside the emirate's pearl festival

For a few days this month, Al Hammadi is given an opportunity to share the joy of pearling with residents and tourists of the UAE through the Abu Dhabi Pearl Festival in Al Mirfa.

Here, the public gets an insider's look at how the emirate's pearls are implanted and nurtured to perfection.

Walking into the festival - taking place at the Pearl Centre between January 17 and 23 - visitors observe Al Hammadi seeding a native oyster called Pinctada radiata, known for producing high-quality pearls. He carefully inserts a small shell bead and a piece of mantle tissue into the oyster, triggering it to secrete the nacre material that produces pearls.

“The most enjoyable part of working with pearls is that no matter how deep you dig into the science of its operations, there are still many possible techniques that have not been discovered yet. We are always exploring new ways to produce more pearls,” he said.

Nonetheless, it comes with many challenges.

“The seeding operation requires so much patience and precision, no matter how much you practise it. Even if your hand is used to it, you will still need to be very cautious, because any mistake would kill the oyster,” he said.

By walking over a small boardwalk, visitors can observe firsthand the underwater nursing cages where the oysters are placed and cleaned before and after seeding. The centre captures around 100,000 oysters annually, out of which 80,000 live through implantation.

“Our target is to produce between 20,000 and 25,000 pearls a year,” said Ayesha Al Hammadi, the centre's unit head.

Since the inception of the centre in 2007, none of the produced pearls have been used for commercial purposes. The regulation to allow that is still under process.

To date, the centre's produced pearls have been mainly used for gifting and projects commissioned by the agency. One was a jewellery design competition for the arts and creative industries students of the Zayed University. Winning designs, which incorporated nature's inspirations with traditional heritage, were implemented by the agency and are on display at the festival.

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