[Caitlin]

These are the same arguments natural pearl lovers have been saying about cultured pearls since Mikimoto hit the market, right? I think natural pearl buffs universally claim that cultured pearls do not make the grade of the real thing and use brutally honest terms such as pearl plated to differentiate them from REAL pearls. In fact, the culturists even had to develop a new grading system, because the one for natural pearls emphasized qualities not present in most cultured pearls.
How much of that is correct?

The honest pearl culturists have taken over the pearl business and created a vast NEW market no one in the natural market would have believed 100 years ago. They have created a product that is not the same as the original, but it is accessible and enjoyable for most. Unless they develop more refined tastes and have the money to indulge them, this is probably where many folks will stay - and one akoya necklace per female person would be a great sales goal! For 100 years, cultured akoya necklaces have been the gateway pearls for most. And probably 90% of them are people who could never have afforded a natural necklace at all. This is a good thing.

The bad pearl culturists have cheated on every step of the honest culturing process and flooded the market with their c**p, and can STILL call it “pearls”, which must be a double insult to the traditional pearl people! These scoundrels have made a travesty of the integrity of the market and people have been cheated.

“PTAW! The whole bunch of them should…………(insert some standard Arabic insult here)”, is what the old pearl men of Bahrain are grumbling when they hear about shenanigans like this, because integrity is their middle name. In fact, integrity of their honor of the natural pearl keeps them from embracing the cultured in the first place. “What have they done to an honest business? They have sold out!” is their attitude.

Now, akoya lovers and pearl buyers should not take this kind of grumbling personally. These are the cries of a tiny minority that has been overlooked for 100 years- Even if they are right, and they are, there is not much that can be done to change the eliteness of natural pearls and the availability of beautiful cultured akoyas!

Buyers should just go ahead and get their cultured akoyas from an honest dealer. There is time later if they want to go further into pearls.

Hi Caitlin,

You know that I am not against pearl culturing in general. Au contraire. However, I think it is only fair to both the mussels and the buyers if the finished product is actually a pearl, albeit cultured, and can be graded and appreciated to the Tavernier standard. If I want to buy a bag of chemicals and some beads, I buy a bag of chemicals and some beads. I do not go to a jeweler's store and buy a bag of chemicals and some beads in silly boxes and with inherently stupid clasps plus a good pound of Mystique thrown in for good measure. That is about as strange to me as shopping for organic potatoes at a discount fast food joint. The stuff they sell is as close to an honest home-grown garden potato as your average akoya is to a pearl.

And since we had an advocat of consumer interest here who opined that consumers must not be confused with my terminology and that akoyas are 100% nacre, I may point out that the retail world is still selling the same stuff that Antionette Matlins exposed in her little pearl buying adventure for ABC. However, now they cannot call the nacre thickness they found at that time abyssmal because now the GIA has decided that a quarter of a millimeter constitutes thick nacre. In short, they simply adjusted the standard to industry demands. I prefer to speak up for consumer interests. Hopefully, soon there will be more people that will have seen a cultured pearl that is actually a pearl and will not settle for the jewelry equivalent of "freedom fries."

Zeide

Originally Posted by jshepherd

This is the exact point we have been trying to make. May I ask, as a consumer and a budding pearl expert, would you still feel happy, or at all taken if you had purchased an Akoya strand that day instead of a freshwater? BTW, you should stop by and check out the new ones when you get a chance.

Hi Jeremy,

I still wait for an answer to my mail regarding above mentioned CFWP.s, thank you.

Inge Jernberg

[Caitlin]

Originally Posted by Zeide Erskine

Hi Caitlin,
You know that I am not against pearl culturing in general. Au contraire. However, I think it is only fair to both the mussels and the buyers if the finished product is actually a pearl, albeit cultured, and can be graded and appreciated to the Tavernier standard. Zeide

I do wish that the marine perliculturist business would experiment with tissue nucleation and thus create a whole new tier of solid nacre pearls. High price would be no object for some people- who would then own a solid nacre Tahitian or Akoya or SS, a really real pearl. These pearls would certainly be able to be judged by the Tavernier standard- got a link for it?

I think most of my friends over the years have understood completely that there are MoP beads inside the cultured pearls. It is not a trade secret! They accept it as the trade-off for price accessibility. When a critic calls such beads pearl plated, this term isn’t giving the customer any information they didn’t already have, it just presents it in a way that has punch.

If such language drives customers from the marine pearls, and I don’t think it will, then redirect them to a great alternative, and better buy, in a quality FW pearl solid nacre piece.

Originally Posted by jshepherd

May I ask, as a consumer and a budding pearl expert, would you still feel happy, or at all taken if you had purchased an Akoya strand that day instead of a freshwater?

Well, I wouldn't call myself a budding expert, but the short answer is:

I would have been happy with akoyas.

The long answer is:

When i decided to buy pearls, I started learning about them, and found useful information on sites such as this one. When i started looking around at various retail stores in my area, I knew that all commercially available pearls are cultured, but some are solid nacre fw and some are nucleated akoyas. Frankly, it got to the point where i was tired of knowing more than the salespersons. (Q: "Are these freshwater pearls?" A: "All our pearls are cultured pearls." Well, duh!) I also knew that pearls of all sorts must be taken care of, or they will lose their luster. This was one reason I wanted fw, since the fact that they are solid nacre makes them a bit more durable, if that's the right word, and probably a wiser choice for a gift intended for a teenager.

Unfortunately, the fw i found locally were very poor quality. I doubt if the strands i saw would pass muster for any of the merchants that post in this forum. And of course the akoyas that could be found locally were astronomically priced. When i visited the pearlparadise office, the fw surpassed by far all the fw and most of the akoyas i'd seen previously. their akoyas were beyond anything i'd seen except for one mikimoto (probably a sea magic) strand which may have equaled them in luster.

Had the fw not been up to par, the akoyas that pearlparadise carries would have been been extremely satisfactory. and the price, though steep for a part-time drug store employee, was about as low as i could reasonably have hoped to find. lower, actually, based on the prices i'd seen elsewhere. but thankfully, their fw were up to par. heck, they came in several strokes under par and i was proud, thrilled, to give them to my friend. she was quite impressed and very happy.

Getting back to the question, though, i guess the full answer is that i would have been happy with the akoyas i saw there at the price they were asking. lower quality or higher prices (for instance, at the other stores i went to) would have made me content, but not happy.

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams

I think most of my friends over the years have understood completely that there are MoP beads inside the cultured pearls. It is not a trade secret! They accept it as the trade-off for price accessibility.

Exactly right. That is precisely what i would have done. We can't all afford to be pearl snobs. If i could have easily afforded the akoyas, I wouldn't have hesitated to purchase them. If I could buy some for her right now, I would. Then she'd have one set for casual wear and one set for formal occasions. A girl's gotta look good, after all.

[Caitlin]

Here is a link to an article by Richard Wise on the subject of thin-skinned akoyas.
http://www.secretsofthegemtrade.com/articles_6.htm

Quite the thread!

I first time I read Zeide's term "pearl plated bead" I had to laugh because it really does more accurately describe the cultured pearl. The term "plated" is, however, not a very good word to use in a sales presentation because it conjures up thoughts of the plating used in costume jewelry.

I wear two hats: One the one hand I am a retailer and sell pearls on the other a writer, one of the few to be publicly critical of the akoya pearl industry. Those who have my book know that I made a point of not including akoya pearls in my list of precious gemstones. I did include CFWP and Southsea black and white.

I am also a big fan of Ziede's posts and follow them closely and when and if Secretsis revised into a 2nd edition you can bet some of her posts will appear in the footnotes. As Caitlin points out we need the sort of debate that these posts have stimulated. The gem business in general is badly in need of gadflies such as Ziede. If I were the publisher of Pearl World I would offer her a column.

In my retail shop I do not sell akoya pearls. I was one of the first advocats of the CFWP and stopped selling akoyas after setting one in a custom made ring and having it come back three months later with half the nacre scraped off.

I find myself constantly in awe of this forum. On most of the shill-sites (how about that term) that pass themselves off as forums this thread would have brought down the wrath of the industry down on the heads of those daring to speak so honestly. No, I take that back, Zeide would simply be banned and this thread deleted.

Unfortunately there will always be industry professionals who fail to recognize that the truth is a best sales tool. For thousands of years keeping the customer in ignorance has been an article of faith in the gem trade. It won't work anymore.

Hello Richard,

Somehow I never ever pictured you selling akoyas. Not after having read your book and your posts in different forums. That would have disappointed me.

As with consumers, there can also be a lumping of retailers into
three groups. Let's just say that you do not belong in the common majority, and obviously not to that bamboozling minority which sells on e-bay.

Bravo bambino. What? Do I hear the scales tipping a bit? So soon?


Slraep

[jshepherd]

I believe a forum is a place to have discussions and express opinions. This forum was developed for that purpose, and more importantly, with the intent to protect and educate consumers from online sellers who sell with impunity and make claims with no basis in fact. Granted, this is mainly a problem with eBay as management there cannot be expected to understand the depth of the problem, and with profits rolling in, why would they care. But, when this forum was launched the Internet itself was under attack, with sellers trying to take the eBay cartel public. With this forum, this is no longer easy to do (with success). And those that hold dishonest claims such as “Japanese Akoya Pearls”, and natural black freshwater and Akoya pearls, nearly all have a response somewhere on this board.

I would not remove a post stating “pearl plated beads” as I know this is an opinion. As I have stated before it is also a respected position – it is simply a lonely one. For a seller such as myself, it would be business suicide not to include Akoya pearls into the mix. I am a business man and a pearl lover. Akoya pearls fill a need in the market that, until we launched freshadama, freshwater pearls could not hope to fill. I do know of the nacre problems and durability problems, and I do play my part in only sourcing the best and working to lengthen the culturing process in farms with which I hold interest and/or support.

But I do have a great respect for Mikimoto, Robert Wan, Paspaley, Jewelmer, etc. Their products are the only reason fine pearls are still not relegated to kings, queens, and the super rich, and they are all bead-nucleated. Yes, they use beads, but, and by definition used here, they would all be “pearl plated beads”, and account for more than 99% of pearls sold in fine jewelry stores. Mantle-tissue nucleation is not an option for these companies as it is so pointedly noted in this forum. This already occurs and it fills a small need in the consumer market– we call these keshi pearls. I cannot bring myself to accept a term like “pearl plated beads”, or anything derogatory for that matter, as this simply seems to discredit the tremendous investment of time, money, passion, and expertise the latter pioneers have brought to the industry. If collectors, or true purists, do not like the “bead” methods they are welcome to continue to collect the specimens that fit their personal pearl utopia. But there are those of us who truly do love pearls, and can honestly appreciate the beauty of a fine Akoya strand and the rainbow effect of a rare Tahitian pearl.

I know I went a little off target with this, but if we were to simply remove posts and threads that did not match public and industry opinions the forum would lose all credibility, and become nothing more than an industry advertising tool – like the “pearl information center” recently discussed. Am I the industry? Online, yes I am – a large shareholder. Does the expression of opposing opinions help my business? The educated customer is always the best customer.

This does not mean threads and posts are never deleted. There is a lot of spam that makes it to the forum, and there are those that come and post something derogatory (usually anonymously) and then leave – those posts and threads are deleted.

I thought I would put my 2 cents in since this topic seems to be endless. You know I am one of those people who knows the real value of diamonds and I know how plentiful they are. Still, I love diamonds . That's what I want, diamonds. I don't want rubies,emeralds etc. I don't care if there are 8 billion diamonds on the planet. I think they are beautiful ..I feel the same way about pearls. I couldn't care less if Akoyas are called pearl plated and I don't care if they don't last 100 years. For $300.00 I'll buy another necklace when they wear out. I am not rich but I am a consumer. I don't want junk but Akoya pearls sold by reputable dealers on the web are a good value. Costume jewelry costs as much,for heavens sake. I've seen potato pearls at the jewelry store for more than what akoyas cost on the web. Potato pearl necklaces sell for $70.00 or so on the homeshopping networks.. I can appreciate the difficulty in cultivating salt water pearls. I like the shape of akoyas and I like their lustre. I will never have a natural salt water pearl so for a nice piece of pearl jewelry I'll take the pearlplated pearls anytime over freshwater. I like freshwater for costume jewelry.
I bet I am the average customer/consumer.
I'm going to take a hard look at the freshadamas, though.

[jshepherd]

The trepidation is understood yet unwarranted. True, there are strong beliefs on this board and strong opinions. But that is what a forum is for.
There are what I like to call "pearl roundtables" at different jewelry shows like those hosted by the JCK. These groups sit and discuss issues related to pearls. I feel the method is a bit archaic given the advent of the Internet. Here more issues are discussed on a daily basis than all "round tables" combined - the world over. Soon, those who would prepare their arguments for presentation to hosting table members will have no choice but to come here to defend or promote their views. This forum is one of a kind - the only like it in the world - and rapidly becoming the most popular "pearl" Website in the world. I do predict every real player that has access to the Internet will have a voice on this board within the next year - it is something they cannot ignore.
Those who have discounted it from the beginning claiming “cingluar points of view”, as once so eloquently put (one who had obviously not yet read the forum to find any singular points of view), will either join, or be left by the wayside and completely out of the loop. The Internet is the strongest platform the world has ever seen, and where we are we stand alone.

Hi Jeremy et al,

It is a good thing to have variety for every taste. If everybody shared my tastes it would soon become impossible to pay for them anymore. So, all you akoya lovers, stick with it and leave me my tissue nucleated pearls. If you want your pearls as fashion accessories rather than heirloom pieces, that is perfectly fine with me. However, I think the akoya industry still has a long way to go to come up with a product that I can take seriously.

Zeide

[Caitlin]

This particular discussion is one I would like to see fully debated by authorities around the world. Let the gloves come off! This is a deep issue and has not yet found a “forum”, unless it be here. I think it has been a true rite of passage in defining what this forum will and won’t do.

Bravo, all participants!

I've a funny feeling that I really ought to get cracking with my tissue nucleated pearl collecting. Nothing's happening till I finish collecting, okay.

Slraep

Well I did putdown akoyas not because there aren't a few strands out there with a reasonably thick nacre level, the old GIA definition of "thick" was 0.50mm.

Seems like the Tahitian Government acted fairly quickly and responsibly to stop export of thin nacre Tahitians and stablize the market. Japan should do the same because sooner of later CBS or some other large media outlet is going to take it in their head to investigate pearls.

Perhaps a high profile legal case such as the one that brought the emerald market crashing down will be required to wake up our friends in Japan.

When I wrote my first article on this topic a prominent dealer responded in essence that the Japanese market produces the quality that the American market demands. Thus, the responsibility for the poor quality of the product lies with the consumer who is stupid enough to buy it.

Thats the same sort of argument used by drug dealers, pimps and child *****graphers. An interesting example of blaming the victim.

Now there is plenty wrong with CFWP. Just about every technique has been used to bamboozle the consumer; dyeing, irradiation, "Japanese process", I guess vapor deposition, heating, I'm sure I missed something. But, this thread is about akoya pearls!