On the side, you have yet another business there: procuring black pearls and then selling them. So how did that endeavor materialize? I'm like a crow; I like shiny things! It's something I learned when I got over here. Stringing pearls is actually quite easy -- if you have the patience. It's a whole lot of trial and error. I was a student of the School of Hard Knocks; you get beat a couple of times and you learn. The very first necklace I ever made was a beautiful peacock-green one I sold for $3,500. I found out later it was worth close to $15,000. I had no idea what they were worth; I just thought that was a pretty good deal. Now I sell my pearls in a shop in the resort lobby. The pearls all come from the northern isle of Manihiki atoll , where all the farms are located. The pearl farmers come down to Rarotonga and visit all the shops, showing and selling their pearls.