Quote:
| What I am quite curious about if anyone else but the local governments admits that the respective regulation limiting putting a lower bound on commercial black pearl quality DID in fact sustain prices. |
I think the Chinese put the lie to the fact that mass production drives prices on the top pearls down. The worst Chinese pearls fetch very little and the best pearls fetch what they are worth. The bad pearls get dyed and sent to the beaders market. Why not the same for poor quality Tahitians. Just call them "commercial" or "hobby" quality. Throwing away beautiful baroques with a thin side does not make the good baroques worth more- it just means farmers get nothing for all their work, for pearls that don't make the cut. I think those pearls should be available with a lesser rating- and sell for considerably less. that's my new tune and I'm sticking to it!
Sorry for the bold up there. I don't kow how it happened and I can't undo it.