The Cook Islands Pearl Authority is staging its first ever mini auction in Rarotonga later this week.
Retailers and wholesalers have been invited to submit written bids on over 16,000 pearls of all shapes, sizes, grades and lustres.
About two years' worth of brainstorming and preparation has gone into the mini auction, which was borne of a series of meetings between the pearl authority, retailers and farmers.
The pearl authority has consolidated parcels packaged by nine pearl farmers into smaller, more manageable quantities, and is putting them up for auction.
