[Slraep]

Originally Posted by pattye

Oh Dear, STOP! You are making me cry!!! I was soooooo sucked in----being new to the forum-----

Don't cry Pattye! Have a good laugh instead! I think everyone, new or not, was scratching their heads wondering! We all wanted it so much to be TRUE...there's just something "jaw dropping" about that colour had it been natural.

Slraep

[Caitlin]

I was soooooo sucked in----being new to the forum-----

Being new had nothing to do with it.

I even "attended" the ZESPA - the Z-E School of Pearl Appreciation.

Behold- I give you the infamous Lop Noors- half garnered from a personal trip to Bahrain. And if she weren't Zeide Erskine, why, no one else could have the heft to buy them-except her- the foremost pearl expert in the world!

To tell the truth, I have looked for some other CFWP as bright and clean as these ever since-

[Valeria101]

There was one thing good about those red trinkets: I found this forum following a post about them elsewhere on the net. I wonder if Zeide isn't posting her usual elsewhere as we type.... Amazing how isolated forum communities can be, just a click from each other.

Anyway, it got me to do some research about Lop Noor - the area cross China's border, and a historic pearl market after all. It was surprisingly easy, in fact, to find credible reports on the environment and the local economy, the gem trade today (jade) and contact the authors. You never know until you try!

Man, that was embarrassing

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by NaturalPearls

And about the color of the pearl, i've attached a picture of the pearl necklace we used to have...

Crazy how easy intense red/pink overtone is taken these days, isn't it... As if they grew on trees! You'd think cultured pearls would aim to look like the original goods, but not really

[NaturalPearls]

Peacock Brooche

[NaturalPearls]

The wood looks like a flower, thats how we found it! by the way, if you burn it you get a very good smell, but I dont think you would want to burn such a lovely piece, or would you!?


(There is a dangling senjny down, not very clear in this photo though)

[NaturalPearls]

Caitlin, I remeber you wanted a new comb, is this a good one? hahah



All the jewellery photos I have posted are made in our workshop here in Bahrain, and they are all one of a kind!

[Valeria101]

The rim of your comb could as well be part of someone's necklace...

Hard to think of what would have become of all this if not the local ban on cultured pearls.

[GemGeek]

What fabulous pieces! Thanks for posting them.

[pierrettedE]

Originally Posted by Caitlin

Zeide is a housewife from Fresno whose husband does some translating to-from German. Frankly, I quit believing she is a native German speaker, at all.

Unfortunately, most of her pontifications were out and out made up lies that never came from Strack. I have removed 500 of her posts, but still have 1,000 to go........

BTW Strack got the Pearl of Allah wrong. She stated that it was sold in 1980 and currently in Tahiti, owned by Robert Wan, though she admits that was not a confirmed statement (pp204-205)

Hello Caitlin and my PEI neighbor Slraep and others I recognize.

I've been "away" ... baby/kids/family... for a while and started reading this thread when I came across the Zeide E 'soap opera' ..?... wow... what a thump! She did seem rather... well versed in many things. strange,...

[Caitlin]

Hi Pierette

Welcome back! I have thought about you many times. Hang around a little and check out the changes.

Dear Natural Pearl!
I miss you and your beautiful pieces too. Please come back and give us a few more pictures

[pierrettedE]

i realize i'm in the wrong thread here, but did you ever get those muscle and scallop pearls from.. from,... argh.. you know who i mean, I'd have to look the messages up. I've never heard from him again.?.

I have acquired a few more blue muscle pearls since last summer though. One funky little grey bluish one that is about 4x7mm: symetrical drop, circled. I have no pictures of it yet but will post some when I can.

Pierrette

[Caitlin]

Nope. Never did!

I need to clean this thread up and move stuff off of it. I'll try to fimd one of the old threads.

[effisk]

Just discovered this thread after it being mentioned by Steve on Tom's thread.
Here's a citation from a natural pearl dealer found on this blog:

Natural Salt-water Pearls: Before the 16th century the fisheries were in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Mannar straits and also the Philippines. After the 16th century Mexico, Baja California and South Pacific became important pearl fisheries. Today, there are practically no fisheries. Perhaps the only known fishery today is off the coast of Kuwait but the production of natural pearls is insignificant.

[knotty panda]

He isn't bald