The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre is launching “Pearls of Dubai,” an integrated pearl center that will include a pearl farm, an historical perspective of the region’s pearl industry, and a retail destination. The DMCC will be a showcase for a new brand of Dubai pearls that will be produced at a pearl farm located off the coast of Dubai. The imitative will also include a program to develop and train United Arab Emirates national talent in all aspects of the pearl trade.

The aim of the project is to revive UAE’s pearling tradition and embed it as the keystone of the Emirates’ cultural identity, the DMCC said in a statement. Pearls of Dubai will develop the entire value chain of the industry from production to retail. The recently announced Dubai Pearl Exchange will form an integral part of this chain by providing an exclusive trading platform.

In addition, DMCC announced that the offshore farms will produce Dubai brand pearls, which will also be known as “Pearls of Dubai.” The branded pearls will be certified as adhering to specifications determined by DMCC, carrying an identity hallmark defining their provenance as pearls produced in the waters of Dubai.

Pearls of Dubai is a joint venture among the DMCC, the Dubai government , and Arabian Gulf Pearls DMCC, the Dubai-based office of Arrow Pearls of Broome, Australia.

“Pearls of Dubai demonstrates DMCC’s commitment to re-establishing the UAE as the leading destination for pearl diving and trading,” said Ahmed bin Sulayem, DMCC chief operating officer. “It will bring together the best of the UAE’s pearling tradition and modern technological advancements of pearl farming.”

The center will showcase all facets of the historic pearling in the UAE, including the diaspora of the pearl diving tradition across the Indian Ocean as far as Australia and Tahiti. Visitors will be able to observe life under the sea, as if they themselves were pearl divers, passing through an acrylic tunnel beneath the sea in a pearling marina. Traditional dhows will transport visitors to areas within the marina to give them a real-life modern pearling experience. Maritime legends and myths of the Dubai region will also be replicated.

JCK