Some of Jacques Christophe Branellec’s earliest childhood memories are of long summer days at their pearl farm in Palawan, splashing in the seawater, playing in the sand. “I remember waiting for the tide to go out, and seeing what sort of crabs and different animals we could catch in the low tide,” he says. “And then, not long after that, holding oysters, moving them around, and looking for work I could help with at the time.” Jacques Christophe’s father, a French pearl farmer, is the co-founder of Jewelmer; his mother is a Filipino marine biologist. Thus, the family spent most of their time on the island. Later, when Jacques Christophe started school in the city, they still spent holidays at the pearl farm: Easter break, summer, and Christmas. He remembers how, when he was ten years old, he drove a tricycle to shuttle scientists around the island. “Whatever small tasks..
