Pearls at Basel Fair

[Bernadette]

Hello everyone, its been a while since i've been in here.

I thought you might like to see some of the eye candy that has been shown at this years Basel fair in Switzerland. (I wasnt there but hubby was my eyes and ears - he feeds my habit )

[Caitlin]

Thanks! Thanks!

[Ramona]

The Chinese freshwater rounds are getting bigger and nicer.

[pearlsbynature]

What beautiful pearls! Thanks for posting the article. Do you have a link?
I'm not sure I agree with the author about freshwater pearls, saying that bright teal, copper, or intense gold colors are not natural. I just got back from China with some pearls of those colors and they're definitely natural. They were on hanks in large bags, no attempt was made to push them on me as if they were something great. In fact, those strange colors are so rather new that they've yet to be appreciated, and, by the author of the article's statement, let alone acknowledged.

Most color hues are now naturally created by the Chinese freshwater mollusks, even grey, which can look somewhat similar to the Polynesian pearls. I even found some that exhibit a red hue. It seems that, on a color scale, a combination of pink, purples, orange, and red, could create copper. Green is now acknowledged as a natural freshwater pearl color, as well as blue, both of which comprise teal. Gold color seems to be a variation of pink but also with some metallic tones to it. The Chinese gold color is not even close to that of their oceanic cousins, but a gold hue they do still exhibit.

Yes, dyed pearls with these hues are abundant, but it's not quite fair to say that 'Mother Nature's oysters' do not create pearls of these colors.
Misinformation like this is not helpful to those of us who sell the newest natural colors of Chinese freshwater pearls.
Has anyone else similar observations?

[lisa c]

Do you see the colors in the reflection of the photographer in the pearl????? That's the most astonishing thing I've seen!

[Ramona]

Yes, that and the color.

[lisa c]

I Know! OK, I would !!kiss!! the mollusc that made that pearl.
!

[Bernadette]

What beautiful pearls! Thanks for posting the article. Do you have a link?

I dont have a link for the article as that is a scan from a hardcopy sent by hubby.

I tend to agree with you on the colours but without hard facts its difficult to be definitive on either side of the discussion.

I would love to have seen that pearl for myself - photo's almost always lose something along the way - I am sure that one would have been a stunner to eyeball directly.

[Ash]

Bernadette,

Fabulous! Thank you for sharing and feeding our habits too!!

Cheers

Ash

[pattye]

Yes! Thanks very much, Bernadette!

[Mitsucats]

those are too beautiful for words...tropical paradise for sure....yummy!

[Cees]

seen a strand of big Chinese fresh water baroques with fabulous luster as shown here in a retailer's shop, from Schoeffel, price tag Euro 5000.= in The Netherlands. Strand was delivered after the Basel show to the retailer.