[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by Kevin Canning

wow, I love that ring - I could even see that as a men's piece.

I thought it was a man's piece! What a fabulous pearl!

[smetzler]

From Ben Bergman, designer of the ring:

One of my latest 'creations' is a pearl curtain 3391 pearls! Similar piece at Robert Wan, great way to use up all the low grades!

[Karl]

Steve:

That's some curtain, even using the "low" grade pearls!!

Like everyone here I'd like to thank you for keeping us informed of the happenings in the Cook Islands. Sounds like they are poised for a comeback.

Karl

[smetzler]

Originally Posted by Karl

…keeping us informed of the happenings in the Cook Islands. Sounds like they are poised for a comeback.

Thanks Karl. My personal tendency has always been to seek information that is not generally available, and share. It is entirely up to the farmers on Manihiki to differentiate their product sufficiently (ie take full advantage of the more intense colors of their shells) in order to escape the Tahitian umbrella. As a far more limited source, lack of critical marketing mass could eventually be compensated by greater caché. But unity among the farmers and the success of the pending CIPA (Cook Islands Pearl Authority) grading system must come first.

[robinmce]

Thank you for all this information Smeltzer. I understand both tahitian and Cook Island pearls are from P. margaritifera. Are there any differences in the pearls or pearl color?

[smetzler]

Originally Posted by robinmce

Thank you for all this information Smeltzer. I understand both tahitian and Cook Island pearls are from P. margaritifera. Are there any differences in the pearls or pearl color?

Yes, both are black pearls from P. margaritifera. There does seem to be a general consensus, albeit lacking any volume of evidence due to inconsistent farming over the years, that the shells in Manihiki offer more color variation and intensity—especially in the green/gold range—than those in French Polynesia. But it will be up to the new generation of farmers to exploit this, and market it properly. We're talking years, not months.

[Josh]

Cook Island farmer: "In fact, its proven that our black lip shells retain a better colouring than found in Tahiti."
Buddy, thems is fightin' words.

[smetzler]

Josh, is there any formal or informal communication between the Tahitian and Cook Island farming communities? Would be interesting to know.

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by Josh

Cook Island farmer: "In fact, its proven that our black lip shells retain a better colouring than found in Tahiti."

According to whom? That is a very interesting statement.

I would agree that there are some interesting colors that come from the Cooks that are not as common in French Polynesia, but deep peacocks are more prevalent in FP than in the Cooks, and these are some of the most valuable. From the Cooks you see more of the golds and the lighter colors. The light-color lots sell for much less than the dark lots wholesale.

[smetzler]

Need to call in the Cook Islands defense fund…

[Josh]

Hi Steve, I have my ear to the ground for that sort of thing and have to answer "no" to your question. Technology wise the Cooks are regarded as kind of back woods. I personally would love to go there if a seeding opportunity came up.
Jeremy, that was my understanding too: more lights than darks but once again that often goes hand in hand with less sophistication in the grafting process. What I would like to know is how the water temp compares to FP?

[smetzler]

Could be a good opportunity to test the CIPA (Cook Islands Pearl Authority) preparedness on this issue, I'll send a message and see what they might say (or if). My feeling is that they are on the fence at the moment whether to stay independent or throw in the towel and just become an integral part of the Tahitian sphere.

[smetzler]

Originally Posted by Josh

I personally would love to go there if a seeding opportunity came up.
Jeremy, that was my understanding too: more lights than darks

The stage is set for a knight in shining armour to arrive in Manihiki…maybe those lighter colored pearls could be marketed as the ‘transition’ between FP and SS, potentially with the appeal of both?

[Josh]

We have the lighter colored pearls here too but the problem with lights are that (apart from having less color - duh - ) they are invariably lower in quality. The darker the lot, the higher the % of A (AAA) grade pearls.

I think the Cook Islanders should have their own rules and label of quality. If they play it smart they could brand their pearls as more expensive than Tahitians. All they have to do is take the cue from our friends in the Sea of Cortez and learn what not to do from us Tahitians.

[smetzler]

Josh,

Yes, you've got the vision! I think however that just as with Sea of Cortez it's going to be an individual farm, with its own brand (ie Kamoka?) that makes or breaks such a future. BTW I found some temperature/salinity readings and variances of Manihiki Lagoon from 1996 and 2000, temperatures pretty much in the normal tropical range (28.5/30). Shall I forward?