Am I a Naive 19 year old?

My name is Richard and as the title suggests I’m 19 years old. My pearl story begins in my 7th grade year. The new in was pearl necklaces with a Jupiter pendant and I wanted to fit in. I couldn’t afford real pearls however and would instead string my own plastic faux pearls from Walmart.

From there I became infatuated with pearls. Throughout high school I would continue to make my own jewelry until I went to Texas.

There was a string of grey toned cultured pearls for sale at a Macy’s for 70% off. I couldn’t resist the opportunity and it was in that moment I bought my first real pearl piece.

A couple years later till today I have now grown fond of Akoya pearls amongst other verities.

Lately I’ve been thinking that maybe one day I can share my love of pearls and practice culturing them to share with the world and to inspire the children of the next generation. Granted it won’t happen for another decade or two but I just wondered…

Am I a silly naive kid thinking I could acquire and operate a pearl farm and create my own jewelry company or is this a goal I can really work towards in our modern day society?

Welcome to Pearl Guide! You are in good company as we are all pearl lovers here!

There is nothing silly about your desire, but operating a pearl farm is a huge and difficult venture, financially and otherwise. I'm going to tag @CortezPearls, of the Sea of Cortez pearl farm, to reply.

In the meantime, do read the educational material on this website-- there is much to learn. If you have not yet taken the CPAA's "Pearls As One" course, consider taking it. I'll message you a code to take it for free. The Q&A after each chapter is full of excellent information and is updated often.
Link to course:
Pearls As One course

Maybe work on the jewelry company instead and let others create the pearls for you. Also, consider podcasts and TikTok content to spread the message of the wonderful world of pearls already now.

Thank you for the response.

Welcome to our forum @hungry4nacre
If you live in Texas you could consider moving to the coast and consider the feasibility of culturing pearls in the Gulf of Mexico. There would be many problems to achieve this, but then again: why not try?
Have fun and learn a ton in this fascinating pearl world of ours!

CortezPearls said:

There would be many problems to achieve this, but then again: why not try?
Have fun and learn a ton in this fascinating pearl world of ours!

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I agree with Douglas. I also agree with your naivety, which is a good thing to recognize. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed to admit anything, instead channel your energy into learning. It's not an industry for dabbling. It's an all-in venture that requires intensive technical expertise and consultation. Even at best, the ocean is fraught with perils and unexpected things happen. Immersion is the only way and even then success is never guaranteed. Most farms have nuanced procedures which are unique to the operation, thus these may or may not work on other farms.

You are young, that is a good start. At the very least, I'd highly suggest a post secondary degree in marine biology. Learn your government's land use and water regulations. Even the best farms have marginal seasons sometimes.