Then and Now: The Story of A Woman Behind Thousands of Pearls
Inside a building that everyone at Alyui still calls "the hatchery", a familiar rhythm plays out.
Throughout the morning, oysters arrive from the longlines. They are removed from their panels, cleaned and placed into tanks. Water rushes through the system as pumps hum steadily in the background. Knives scrape against shell as thousands of oysters move through the room, each one beginning the next stage of its journey.
From here, the oysters are prepared and passed into the operations room, where pearl technicians work with remarkable precision and care. During harvest, each technician may examine up to 400
oysters a day. One by one, pearls emerge from their shells, each revealing a story years in the making.
Today, harvest is in full swing at Alyui Bay. But nearly three decades ago, the scene looked very different.
On 5 September 1997, after a 12-day voyage from Kupang, a boat carrying 12 people arrived in a remote bay deep within Raja Ampat. There was no pearl farm waiting for them. Instead, they brought the materials needed to build one: concrete anchors, longlines, spat collectors and a vision for what the site could become.
Work began almost immediately. Longlines were deployed, dense vegetation was cleared, and the foundations of a new farm gradually took shape. Alyui grew quickly. Within two years, the site had expanded to two camps and established a hatchery, creating the capability to cultivate juvenile Pinctada maxima
oysters locally.
It was during this period of growth that Jusmin Hana Ramli arrived at Alyui in 1999.
Joining the hatchery team, Jusmin was responsible for nurturing young oysters through their earliest stages of development. It was meticulous work requiring patience, consistency and care. Yet it would prove to be only the beginning of a remarkable career.
As Alyui's operations expanded, new opportunities emerged. In 2002, Jusmin began training as a pearl technician and joined the technical team. The transition gave her a unique perspective across the entire pearl cultivation process, from oyster spat to finished pearl.
One harvest in particular remains etched in her memory.
"It was a group of oysters I had worked within the hatchery. I was involved in the spat production, then the seeding, and then the harvest. It was really special."
By 2002, Alyui had grown to encompass three camps:Batu Terio, Sailo and Alyui. Together, they supported every stage of pearlproduction, from hatchery operations and seeding to grow-out and harvest.
Yet the evolution of Alyui was never simply astory of continuous expansion.
As Atlas Pearls developed a network of farmsacross the Indonesian archipelago, specialised hatchery, nursery and grow-outsites were established in different locations. Alyui's role within this broaderfarming system evolved alongside the company.
In the mid-2000s, the hatchery was dismantled. Batu Terio Camp later closed, and by 2015 Sailo Camp was also being decommissioned. Alyui transitioned into a single-camp grow-out site, with seeded oysters arriving from other Atlas locations to mature in the pristine waters of Alyui Bay.Over the same period, Jusmin's own journey continued to unfold.
The young hatchery technician who arrived in 1999 became an accomplished pearl technician, then a technical manager, and today serves as Senior Technical and Admin Manager. Her role now takes her across Atlas Pearls' farming operations, supporting teams and sharing decades of knowledge and experience.
This month, that work has brought her back to Alyui.
Back to the building where her journey first began.
Much has changed since those early days. The hatchery has found a new purpose. Atlas Pearls' farming operations have grown across Indonesia. The farm itself has been reimagined and reshaped over time.
Yet some things remain constant.
For Jusmin, the future of pearling lies not only in technical skill, but in fostering a deeper appreciation for the craft and commitment required to produce every pearl.
"I want young people to be inspired by this work, not just know how to do it."
Ask her whether harvest still brings the same excitement after all these years, and her answer comes without hesitation.
"Of course I'm excited. Because a pearl is a mystery and a miracle."
Twenty-nine years after the first boat arrived in Alyui Bay, that sense of wonder remains unchanged. And perhaps, more than anything else, it is what continues to connect the people, the place and the pearls that emerge from these waters.
