[jshepherd]

We have just finished printing our first run of the documentary:

Pearl Paradise.com Presents
PEARLS
The Documentary

We have 5000 copies which will be going to customers. If anyone on the forum would care for a free copy please drop me an email:
jeremypshepherd@yahoo.com

For those of you who have already requested a copy, please do not send another request. We have just sent copies out to you.

[Satine De La Courcel]

Jeremy,

Thank You! I am really looking forward to seeing this Video!


Ashby

[mikehrz]

got my copy. brief, but very interesting! now of course we need the sequel, dealing with fw and tahitian pearls

[jshepherd]

That would be part 2 and 3!
I am surprised to hear you received it so fast!

Now, your honest opinion would be appreciated. You can PM me if you like. I would appreciate it. We are getting ready to release it to our customer list so any input would truly be invaluable.

[jshepherd]

As I have received a lot of emails today regarding the video, I would like to clarify, the DVD is free! If you would like a copy just send me an email with your address and I will drop one in the mail for you. This documentary is about education, not profit. It is free to anyone who would like to learn about pearls and witness the secret art on oyster nucleation (under a macro lense). There is no postage cost either.
If you would like one let me know in a hurry. I ordered 5000 copies on the first run, and we have already sent out nearly 1000!]
jeremypshepherd@yahoo.com
or
jeremypshepherd@gmail.com

[mikehrz]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

That would be part 2 and 3!
I am surprised to hear you received it so fast!

A pearl trilogy? sounds good to me! and there are advantages to living near santa monica...

one of the only things that occurred to me while watching was that there should have been subtitles during the parts where conversations are taking place in chinese, particularly during the negotiations over pricing the pearls. this would add to the professionalism of the documentary, and help your viewers get a better feel for what it's like to "be there" in the pearling region of china.

if i have time i'll watch it again and see if anything else comes to mind. overall, though, you should be proud to distribute this to your customers. it's certainly unlike anything i've ever seen!

[jshepherd]

Thanks for your constructive criticism, Mike. I have heard the same thing from others about the sub-titles. We actually started to do this but decided against it once we put the translations of the negotiation part of it down. I would have to edit it a bit, and then it would not have been a true translation. We actually cut the vast majority of the negotiations (that went on for hours that day). The parts that are voiced over just had too much proprietary information...should be fine, unless someone can read lips in Chinese

[Caitlin]

Mark my words, youngsters-this post is a prediction.

I got and watched my video yesterday. I enjoyed it immensely. I am pleased to know someone who can go to the source and jump over all those layers of middlemen!

Jeremy Shepherd is a practical anthropologist who has chosen to use his gift for communication to facilitate free trade. He has chosen a timeless and beautiful product in pearls and become a world-class expert in the subject.

He has positioned himself to become a major/central figure in 21st century pearl history with the "new" pearl trade via the internet. He has helped blow the old model of pearl trading out of the water, though most jewelers don't know it yet. By the time they find out, Mr Shepherd will have already taken his place in 21st centruy pearl history with the great pearl enterpreneurs of the last century like Mikimoto and Paspaley. Like Mikimoto, Shepherd has best taken advantage of the latest innovations, and even helped create them, to bring the product to the "masses".

Unlike Mikimoto and Paspaley, Shepherd has not counted on developing a Neptunian mystique to push his his products to the public. In fact, he dispells a lot of that attitude from his online business and lets it reside in the pearls themselves.

Shepherd could write the 21st century DVD equivalent of Kunz' book. Meanwhile, It is nice to have snippets through this forum!

[PearlsAndJade.com]

Jeremy,

I just received the Pearls-The Documentary DVD, and wish to thank you for your kindness and generousity. You're a very special person to offer this DVD to us and I am sure that everyone who receives it will appreciate it as much as I do.

My wife and I plan to watch it tonight and I know it will be interesting and educational.

This is a wonderful promotional project and I hope the project is very successful.

Bill

[jerin]

Hello Jeremy,

I just received the DVD and was delightet to see it. It was very interesting and informative, the only thing I would have liked even better is to have seen some of Your staff on the DVD. As an online buyer I have much contact with Kirsten and for that reason alone it would have been nice to know what You all look like. It was a pity that the last sequence of Your showroom was so short - the necklaces shown at the end would have been nice to have gotten a close-up.


The written part was a bit difficult to read, I have a plasma screen and still I had to go quite close to it to be able to see what it said. I think the letters were blue and the overall effect was a blurry one.

On Your follow-up DVD:s (FWPS, South Sea and Tahitian Pearls) which I hope You are thinking of doing, this will hopefully be taken into consideration.

Thank You very much for Your generosity, this DVD was greatly appreciated!


Inge Jernberg
Sweden

[jshepherd]

Thank you all for your comments. It is appreciated.
Regarding the staff, that is a good idea. Kirsten and Melissa are both in the DVD, Kirsten is the one unloading the pearls upon arrival, and Melissa is our sales manager that was showing the pearls at the end.

I am not sure when the next one will be. I am thinking of doing one on the freshwater pearling industry in China - we will see. I would like to write a book first though. But time is not a commodity which I have a lot of.

[mikehrz]

a few questions came to mind while watching.

1. what unit of measure do you use when negotiating (if you can tell us, that is)? by the individual pearl, by the strand, by the kilo?

2. do your chinese associates tell you your chinese has an american accent?

3. i noticed you were examining some black dyed akoyas. were these from the same harvest as the rest of the pearls? since i don't know how long it takes to dye a pearl vs. how long it takes to bleach one, i assumed it would take longer to dye one a totally different color than to simply bleach it.

4. how big a difference does bleaching make? using your own grading scale, could a AA+ become AAA? or an A+ an AA?

[jshepherd]

Good questions-

1. what unit of measure do you use when negotiating (if you can tell us, that is)? by the individual pearl, by the strand, by the kilo?

This depends on the type of pearl and the way it is being purchased. If it is Akoya hanks, whether it be Japanese or Chinese, they are purchased by the hank. The purchase price, however, is determined by the average number of pearls in a strand, and its corresponding kilo weight. If the pearls are purchased loose (typically half drills), they are purchased by the momme in Japan and the Kilo in China.

Freshwater pearls are always purchased by kilo weight.

2. do your chinese associates tell you your chinese has an american accent?

No, they do not tell me that, but I know it. I get a lot of smiles and a few laughs when I make mistakes. Unlike Japanese and Spanish I did not grow up speaking Chinese. I went to Berlitz Language Academy as an adult.

3. i noticed you were examining some black dyed akoyas. were these from the same harvest as the rest of the pearls? since i don't know how long it takes to dye a pearl vs. how long it takes to bleach one, i assumed it would take longer to dye one a totally different color than to simply bleach it.

No, these were from a different harvest and a different factory. It can take about the same time to dye the Akoyas as it does to bleach them. Some factories specialize in dyed Akoyas. But their success depends heavily on the skill in mixing the chemicals.

4. how big a difference does bleaching make? using your own grading scale, could a AA+ become AAA? or an A+ an AA?

This is a bit harder to answer as all cultured Akoya pearls are bleached. This is standard in all factories in Japan and China. They are cleaned, polished, and bleached. Bleaching does not necessarily improve the over all surface quality or luster of the pearls.

[Satine De La Courcel]

Jeremy,

Hre are some more thought and Critiques for you about the Video.

My Mama, Mary Panitz "Loved It! but then again she has never met a pearl she did not like"

My Brother Jeremy Panitz. is never interested in anything jewellery related really enjoyed it and wondered how he could join you next trip... LOL

My Husbands is a little longer

Pearls-A Documentary
A Critique
by Jamie McKenney

My wife is a pearl fanatic. I hear about pearls all the time. But I don't actually know much about
them myself.
The documentary was direct and concise. Jeremy Shepard successfully commentated on the subject of
pearls, and the process of making them into the product we find on the market. Jeremy kept it simple
for those of us who are entirely ignorant on the subject, without ever seeming condescending. Good
attitude, well spoken. Though the subject was pearls, I appreciated the little cultural details
included, such as the low percentage of pearl farmers being English speaking.
I have no complaints about the documentary itself.
However the printed information on Jeremy Shepard, and PearlParadise.com was poorly presented.
On these screens, only the centre was clear. The top, bottom and sides were out of focus, as if the
images were photographed off of a computer screen.

I agree with my husband Jamie, except there were not enough pictures, Oh I almost forgot Jamie aslo was wondering where the Easeter eggs on the DVD were.... LOL

anyway sorry for the late reply! I wanted to get several critiques at once for you! Have a great week everybody!

Ashby McKenney

[Kenji]

It was a very good, very accurate documentary. Thank you, we really enjoyed viewing it.