[purepearls]

Pearls are making waves in all new ways with the latest trends in nucleated freshwater cultured pearls. This has been going on primarily in China and the surrounding areas, with massive improvements in the quality of the pearls, as well as a sudden growing interest in pearls of different colors.

Though many people still think of the commercial production of freshwater pearls as the way it was in China in the 1970s – when there began an enormous influx of tiny oblong-shaped pearls that sold extremely cheaply – a lot has happened since that time. Even in the 70’s, it was believed that one day the technology would arrive to develop larger, rounder, higher quality nucleated freshwater pearls. They were not wrong.

Today, China’s nucleated freshwater pearls are becoming an intimidating competition to the traditional Akoya cultured pearl – especially because of the ability to produce them in abundance, with low production costs which lead to lower prices to the consumer. In fact, it has been reported that in 2004, over 1 ton of nucleated Chinese freshwater pearls were produced by the Guangdong Shaohe Pearl Company Ltd of the Guangdong province, a leader in the nucleated freshwater pearl farming industry. Forty percent of these pearls were round in shape, leaving only sixty percent of the more traditional flat, mabe, and other variously shaped pearls. These round pearls were reportedly of fine quality, and were sold to respected pearl dealers. It is expected that 2005’s final count of these new higher quality nucleated freshwater pearls will also beat the 1 ton mark.

Beyond finer shape, size, and overall quality, there is a wide range of colors available to consumers. Nucleated freshwater pearls have become extremely and increasingly popular in pink, lavender, peach, apricot, and beige, in addition to the more classical white.

To top this all off, the thick nacre of China’s current freshwater pearl nucleating technologies allows them to be much more durable.

This is good news to the many consumers out there who have recently reinstated their interest in pearls. After a lag in the market, causing several years of price fluctuations, freshwater pearls are experiencing a rebound never before encountered. In fact, the demand has been so high that prices rose between fifteen and thirty percent in 2004, though it is anticipated that they will level off for the remainder of 2005. The upward sales trend is expected to continue; particularly in the medium and higher quality freshwater pearls, which people are now ready to pay for. However, the highest quality nucleated freshwater pearls remain in limited supply.

Most pearl farmers aren’t worried, though, since with this added interest in nucleated freshwater pearls, cultivation techniques have upgraded substantially. It is anticipated that round, high-quality nucleated freshwater pearls will soon become available in much larger quantities; ready to provide for today’s increasing interest and demand.

[Caitlin]

Good post. I agree with you that bead nucleated pearls is a logical trend, and it will happen. With the larger number of pearls that can grow in a mussel, they can affordably be left in the water to grow for years and thus have a really thick nacre.

I love fw pearls because they are solid nacre. My understanding is that much of the larger ones available today are not (yet) bead nucleated -so if you like solid nacre, invest in the larger pearls today. they may not be available in several years.

I am not clear on how they are being nucleated. I read somewhere that it was tumble-rounded fw pearls, but if that is expensive, then it will probably be shell beads.

[PearlsAndJade.com]

The potential problem here is that as the nucleated fw pearl is perfected, they will begin to cut down the growth period, just as the Japanese did, from several years to 8 months. Then you'll have a round nucleated fw pearl with thin nacre that will set back the reputation of fw pearls by 30 years.

It will be an interesting period. The sellers of akoya pearls naturally do not talk about the thin nacre, and how these pearls will not last a long time. Otherwise their sales would drop.

I fear the same thing will happen with fw nucleated pearls.

Bill