[CarolK]

Originally Posted by Slraep

Hi Pattye,

Possibly, I misunderstood. But there is still no "fair trade" in freshwaters from The Philippines, Hawaii, or India.

"...***fresh***waters from ... Hawaii, ..." HAHAHAHAHAHA...

Speaking as a fifth-generation Oahu local, I know for a fact that the natives sustainably raise their "fair trade" freshwaters in the used tires and empty Budweiser cans organically-produced in the naturally hubcap- and syringe-laden rust-and-feces-colored mountain streams.

Or, am I being sarcastic here?!?!?!

Good for you, Slraep!!! I'm just glad it was you and not I who happened upon that store.

Oh, and that "Tibetan amber"--I've seen things labeled, "Tibetan amber" that look just like "African amber" (doubtless from the dense pine forests of Carboniferous Africa). These huge, heavy beads display none of the electrical properties attributed to amber, nor do they smell nice when burnt. I read somewhere that those beads are Bakelite.

"transparency from mine to market" is such a beautiful phrase.

The older I get, the more I equate transparency and clarity with goodness, and obfuscation with evil. Simple as that.

CarolK

[Pearl_dreams]

Well I'm very sorry to hear that, Josh-- it's just so wrong. I don't understand why the situation is the way it is, but I can't blame the farmers for bailing.

[CarolK]

Originally Posted by pattye

I think they are using some words they hope will have a positive connotation, but in reality have no meaning at all.

You go, Pattye!!! That says it!!!

CarolK

[CarolK]

Originally Posted by Josh

In this industry a savvy buyer is admired but how smart is it to strangle the ones who are making the pearls?

Wow. Josh, I'm sorry. That sort of thing seems to be happening everywhere.

An engineer friend of mine said that the people who make (and grow) things reap rewards intrinsic to their efforts.

Middle-men enjoy no such rewards, and need to derive their self esteem from things like office- and salary-sizes. Profit at the expense of the creators and growers.

Must remember to think twice about where I spend my money.
CarolK

[pattye]

An engineer friend of mine said that the people who make (and grow) things reap rewards intrinsic to their efforts.

Having parents who farmed for 52 years, I can attest that their rewards were certainly not monetary.

[Josh]

CarolK, I agree with your engineer friend without a doubt, but too many years of "intrinsic rewards" only can wear a person (or pearl farm) down.

[CarolK]

Pattye and Josh,

Yes. You are both right, and it's discouraging. But, at least you can sleep well at night.

I hope I didn't offend anyone by seeming a polyanna--I just wanted to get a jab in there at greedy managers. I switched careers from graphic design to engineering, and was appalled at the superior attitude of managers at Ball Aerospace, where I worked. These managers didn't know how to program or design anything. They just strutted about like royalty manque.

Their salaries were multiples of mine, but when it came down to it, they each looked insecure, because they really didn't know how to *do* anything. They never learned the satisfaction of hard work for itself. The engineers didn't respect such managers, no matter how much money they made (bonuses of $100K and up).

That's the context for my friend's remark.

I don't have your guts, that's for sure.
CarolK

[pattye]

CarolK,

Certainly didn't offend me--

I don't have your guts, that's for sure.

Josh has guts, (and a ton o'courage)-----

[Slraep]

Here's where a pearl lay person would certainly be confused enough by Caisse Pense as to think that "Ninety-five percent of the world’s pearls are cultured in water farms in Australia, Tahiti, Philippines and China, the home of freshwater pearls."

She forgot to include Hawaii and India.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/200...916862392/1064

Slraep

[CarolK]

I think I read somewhere that people are attempting ***salt***water pearl cultivation in Hawaii, but not fresh.

CarolK

[Josh]

I had to run to the farm for a few days so I guess I'm a little behind on this thread. A good friend and grafting protege of mine Ray Marks, as far as I know grafted the first salt water pearls (Pinctada margaritifera) in Hawaii a number of years ago for a certain Neil Anthony Sims, if anyone knows him? Ray brought a shell back and it was thin and with weak color but I never did get the low-down on how the pearls turned out.
Carol, certainly no offense taken here either. What you described is the rot of the corporate world. From my experience it seems that no matter how hard you try not to fall into that garbage, it is something that seems to go hand in hand with large scale operations. Size seems to universally detract from harmony (and efficiency) in the work place. On the farm we used to have over 20 people working but things were much better before (and now) with ten people or less.

[waimeamomi]

I was just looking (Googling) Hawaiian pearls a couple of days ago. I was curious about what was possible here and if anyone was trying to get pearl farming going. There is some older (6-7 yrs) info about trying to grow in the aquaculture mode, i.e. in tanks, but nothing recent. I guess they could grow freshwaters that way (maybe that vendor has an in with someone with a tank). They're raising salmon and lobster in Kona using deep, cold freshwater currents. If the fw pearls looked the way the seafood tastes, no thank you. Pearl Harbor was called that because they were pearl oysters and pearls there, but the agricultural run off from the sugar cane and pineapple quickly ruined that and killed the shellfish creating the pearls. You can go to Kona and pick an oyster out of a tub of freshwater and you'll get a pearl.
I hope you can hang in there Josh. We all need to fight the good fight, in any way we can, but it does wear you down. I love showing your pearls and telling people that your pearls are not only gorgeous, but are also coming from a business that is working hard to do the right thing. Maybe there's some karma coming out in those amazing colors.

[Josh]

Hi Sheryl,
The time period of that info corresponds pretty well. I guess they didn't produce anything too exciting or we would have heard about it. Maybe the shell my friend brought back had a lot to tell after all.
And thanks for your support.

[waimeamomi]

I was wondering why no one tried to get something going here. My guess is the water is just too busy, people, pollution etc. The idea of pearl farms in tanks doesn't seem right. The salmon, shrimp, and lobsters are pretty tasteless, but they all seem to sell. Blehh.

[Heidi]

Originally Posted by waimeamomi

I was wondering why no one tried to get something going here. My guess is the water is just too busy, people, pollution etc. The idea of pearl farms in tanks doesn't seem right. The salmon, shrimp, and lobsters are pretty tasteless, but they all seem to sell. Blehh.

Hm, sounds pretty blehh, indeed. There wouldn't be the unique profile of nutrients to make those critters be like they are in their normal/"wild" environments. Being from the NW, imaging salmon force-bred makes me cringe. I can't imagine oysters would do any better.