Pearl farming brings wealth to Indonesian diver

The Mentawai Islands in western Indonesia are well-known to international surfers for their enormous waves. But now, thanks to pearls, locals are going into a lustrous business. The man behind the business is Hardimansyah. In 2007, while diving in the waters of Mentawai, he accidently found pearl oysters in the region. It was quite unusual for that part of Indonesia. With limited knowledge of pearl farming, Hardimansyah tried to cultivate one-hundred pearls. But, he only managed to harvest eight. After five-years of perseverance, he now harvests more than 2-hundred round pearls a year. The pearls make a good source of income and he wants to encourage others to take up the business.