Pacific pearls history and archive photos
I am home again in sunny California again, and as promised here are just a few of the HUNDREDS of old Pacific Pearl photos that I unearthed in Hong Kong this last trip.
Here is Fuji Voll as a baby in New York City 1949, with his mother Frieda Voll who is modeling a hair cap and several strand necklace made of cultured Burmese pearls. At this point Rudolf Voll had bought the entire harvest of these pearls and was trying with NO luck at all to sell them to jewelers in New York. He was soon to give up in New York and return to Tokyo where he sold these pearls to Japanese brokers, who in turn resold them to the very same jewelers in New York for a 10 times mark up! I wonder where they are now? I hope the people who own them know what they have~!
Next a couple of photos taken by Fuji's father Rudolf at the Tokyo pearl auction some time in the early 50's.
Sometime around 1953 Pacific Pearls Tokyo tried their hand at pearl farming. It was short-lived, but here are some of the photos. Rudolf standing in front of the farm.. and that's Fuji walking on the pile of Akoya shells, and as well fishing from the pier. Lastly Frieda with a handful of fresh pearls.
More photos to be shared. I love these old photographs.. really makes me think to be better at documenting.. Thanks to Rudolf Voll we still have these to enjoy!
Cheers, Sarah
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Originally Posted by pearlescence
