Cook Islands Pearling Developments

[Pearl Dreams]

Several other vendors here are selling earring grade pearls, as far as I understand it-- Elite, Presidential and I believe GemFresh are their names for this quality of pearl. Like the Freshadamas, they are the top of the line freshwaters. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

But good luck finding them in the average store! I've visited a lot of jewelry stores and only once did I come across a 7-8mm strand that rivaled my Freshadama strand, laid down side by side. It was at a "better" independent jeweler's. But his 8-9mm weren't as nice, and his prices were no improvement on Jeremy's. I'm done wasting time visiting brick-and-mortar stores for this grade of pearl-- online is the way to go.

Could other sellers carry this highest grade of freshwater pearl? I suppose it's possible they might-- but they don't seem to be doing it. Maybe for the same reason that most jewelers I've seen carry inferior colored stones-- they underestimate the buying public's appreciation for higher quality, and their willingness to pay for it.

 

[Caitlin]

My my, the bulk of this conversation has taken place when I was asleep.......

Do you think you couldn't go to a gem store in Hong Kong (or London, or NY) or sift through thousands and thousands and thousands of pearls in China to come up with a similar strand??

Actually, back before 2004, there was one person buying earring grade pearls and matching them for necklaces- (a guy named Mark Freeman, I think) His gem grade CFWP strands were beautiful and quite round and very, very, very, expensive, reflecting the fact he bought those earring grade pearls almost one by one and doubled the price (at least) to the people he "wholesales" to. I am quite sure that his inventory does not match Jeremy's in size- I don't think he sells on line, but to B&M stores.

When you have the buy-power Jeremy has, you can get large lots of loose pearls, because you buy so many thousands of strands a month. A single person trying to get enough for a strand would have to pay the top price to buy the earring grade and it would not be from the people Jeremy buys from, it would be further down the line, with more "wholesalers" in between the farm and the seller. By the time you tried to buy them in London or NY, they would cost double Mark Freeman's prices.

 

[Caitlin]

And here I thought Freshadamas were something special.

And I am sure you still do!
I thought I detected a note of sarcasm in your post that this quote came from. but even if you were sincere, I would take up the banner for Freshadamas being unique by virtue of being selected for a large percent of pearls with orient. Most sellers don't sort for orient in their pearls- if they even notice it!

The fact freshies have orient makes them more like the best natural pearls of yore. My sweet little Bahraini pearls are very round for natural pearls. They also have orient because that was a factor in the best Bahraini pearls back when and my little guys (3mm-6+mm) are quite high quality, even though on the small side.

Orient dropped out of use with the rise in cultured pearls, (except baroques). Because most did not have orient, the term was no included in any pearl standard. You have to look in Leonard Rosenthal's book "Pearl Hunter" or the tomes of Tavenier's travels to find an informal standard for luster that includes orient. Luster is made up of Mirror, Orient, and Water. Water is very rare, even in natural pearls, but held in high regard-especially in round pearls. Water is non-existant on PPB's, though I read somewhere that CFWP pearls with water are discarded because they are impossible to match in any quantity. Water is not the illusion of depth or being able to see into a surface with 1mm or less in nacre. Some pearls with thicker nacre do have that quality, but it is not water in the old fashioned sense of the word.

 

[Slraep]

And I am sure you still do!

I thought I detected a note of sarcasm in your post that this quote came from.....

Caitlin, I commend you on your excellent sarcasm detecting abilities. Yes, I most definitely still do think Freshadamas are something special!!!!

The fact freshies have orient makes them more like the best natural pearls of yore.

You said it! Try looking for them at your local jeweler. Nada. They are worthy of being marketed and worthy of the expense. Very different from something like marketing Cooks black pearls, that look exactly like Tahitian black pearls, as being something special enough to make them more expensive. What about the black pearls of West Australia and Micronesia, which look exactly like Tahitian pearls and are from the same mollusc? Should those producers spin some marketing magic and sell theirs as something special too? I'm not even taking into account that SS black pearls have lost much of their "special" status in general in recent years.

Slraep

 

[Pearl Dreams]

But I thought I'd read somewhere that the Cook Islands pearls have different color overtones than the ones from French Polynesia? Are they really all the same?

 

[Nerida]

Slraep - no one is saying that highest quality freshies aren't special. I'm sure I have said this many times before. The "local jeweller" that I said had the gem grade for $10K is in fact one of Sydney's (and therefore, pretty much Australia's) top family-owned, high end jewellers. Same place that sells "Paspaley" pearls rather than SS's, Kailis rather than Tahitians etc. etc. Same place where I found a pair of matched GSS's slightly smaller than the ones I bought in China, unset, for over $7K. So I am hardly speaking of your average, could just about be on ebay, B&M vendor..

When I've said marketing involves creating a story around a product, I have NEVER said that it is fictional - just that favourable elements surrounding the product are utilized in such a way as to enhance the product's appeal. For CI - it could be about colour, or quality - or it could be about choosing a different distribution channel to other Tahitian producers - who knows? but it would be in their interests to find those elements and enhance and highlight them.

yes, maybe (or maybe not) CI pearls could be theoretically thrown into a barrel with every other Tahitian of similar quality, and could not be differentiated. Equally, I think that Jeremy's gem grade freshies could be thrown into a (much smaller) barrel with the other miniscule percentage of the FW harvest purchased by other vendors and could not be differentiated. The reason we choose Jeremy's (or any others that we choose), is because of his business ethics, his customer service, the way the product is distributed (no middlemen, therefore decreased margins), the testimonials of customers, the price accessibility, his personal "story" -the ease of using the online store etc etc - I pretty much would challenge anyone to pick the pearls that he purchases from amongst the rest. Truth is they would all be gorgeous, and stunning, and have orient, but would they all be accessible or affordable? That is marketing.
I am trying to keep my comments on this topic relevant to the original topic, and that is about using marketing to enhance the viability of pearl farming communities in remote pacific islands... now I think that is a very worthwhile cause!

 

[Slraep]

But I thought I'd read somewhere that the Cook Islands pearls have different color overtones than the ones from French Polynesia? Are they really all the same?

Hi Pearl_dreams,

Yes, they do have some slight differences in colour. I have a strand of silvery browns. They are very beautiful but I wouldn't pay more for them than Tahitians. I've seen Tahitians in those colours too.

Slraep

 

[SteveM]

But I thought I'd read somewhere that the Cook Islands pearls have different color overtones than the ones from French Polynesia? Are they really all the same?

You read it here (perhaps elsewhere as well?knowing the source would be much appreciated if so!)?but the key as I understand it is that the P. Margaritifera shell on Manihiki offers a greater range of colors for targeting.

Recent elaboration from our Manihikian pearl farmer acquaintance of earlier posts (his statement re shell color vs. Tahiti remains empirical, without third-party confirmation):

As for the superiority shell comment, my intended point was to the availability of the different coloured shells. We are known to have a better selection in colours & more of than our cousins in Tahiti. This gives us the edge in targeting a specific colour if required. Obviously, all this depends on the quality and experience of a technician. I think where we lack in numbers, we make up in the colour range & quality.

 

[Slraep]

Recent elaboration from our Manihikian pearl farmer acquaintance of earlier posts (his statement re shell color vs. Tahiti remains empirical, without third-party confirmation):

As for the superiority shell comment, my intended point was to the availability of the different coloured shells. We are known to have a better selection in colours & more of than our cousins in Tahiti. This gives us the edge in targeting a specific colour if required. Obviously, all this depends on the quality and experience of a technician. I think where we lack in numbers, we make up in the colour range & quality.

Hi Steve,

That would mean if we tossed a handful of Mr. Manihiki farmer's best pearls into a pile of Josh's best pearls, we'd be able to differentiate them straight away by means of colour, right? I'm obviously talking "black" pearl range only.

Slraep

 

[SteveM]

?if we tossed a handful of Mr. Manihiki farmer's best pearls into a pile of Josh's best pearls, we'd be able to differentiate them straight away by means of colour, right?

That's the idea, supposing that such a commitment to individuality were to be made.

I personally would love to go there if a seeding opportunity came up.

Wouldn't it be interesting to compare the results?

 

[Slraep]

That's the idea, supposing that such a commitment to individuality were to be made.

Wouldn't it be interesting to compare the results?

Interesting doesn't begin to describe it! A veritable pearl-colour showdown! Yes, wouldn't that be something. I think Josh should take along one of his crew. Maybe the guy called JR--- he's good at "mano cornuta". He could put some old and obscure pearl-colour-altering Sicilian curses on the Manihikis so as to create an advantage before they get down to the real nitty-gritty of comparison.

Slraep

 

[john675]

Wow - what a lot of interesting comments!

I have a couple observations to share:
1) Everybody looks for something to distinguish what they have to sell. For example, Care (druzydesigns on Ebay) often references Josh in her Ebay posts for the Tahitian she obtains from him (c.f., These Rare All Nacre "Josh" Kamoka Keishi Pearls Glow Magnificently With Beautiful Luminescence & Iridescence!). Why mention him if she does not think it will increase her chances of selling them? This implies that hope that somebody would pick her Tahitians from Josh over some other Tahitians on Ebay. Perhaps they would pay a premium to do so...

2) Slraep, you mention you would not pay more for the brown toned Tahitians that you have from CI; however, I would imagine many people would gravitate towards an unusual overtone from what is traditionally found on them. When I look at Tahitians, I am far more impressed with something unusual. I remember the picture of Josh wearing a great Tahitian necklace at the Tuscon show, with wonderful greens and copper colors. I would pay more for that necklace than a perfectly matched traditional black peacock overtone necklace but both are Tahitian pearl necklaces.

3) Marketing takes different approaches. This site provides wonderful information as well as a great opportunity to create excitement over new things. Building excitement is also marketing. We just passed through the exotic frenzy. How many waited (myself included) with palpable anticipation for their release? Jeremy recently posted his "loot" of very vibrantly colored baroque Tahitians that he acquired. The extra "wow" factor from the pop offered by the unusual orient is worth something extra to some people. Getting the marketing buzz going over such lovely pearls helps sell the merchandise and encourage (or lust after) the pearls. Lust leads to sales It has for me any way!

4) Creating a market means more sales. There has been an increased interest in selling to men. Pearl Paradise mentioned pearls for men in a WSJ article recently about Men's jewelry. We point to pictures of male celebrities wearing a pearl choker (Kurt Russel, Pierce Brosnan, for example). If men buy pearls that more pearls to sell and more money to be made. Several of the sites mentioned on this page now have pages for men's pearl jewelry. Having people realize that men can wear pearls makes those pages sell.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with marketing. We are savvy consumers here and as a whole people are much more sophisticated today about choices than they were before. Ultimately, the people selling pearls are here to make a living and marketing is the way to get presence. It includes having a great Web site, wonderful photographs, great customer service, articles published in the WSJ other newspapers. It also includes having a compelling story, be it the "special waters" around the Cook Islands, the eco-friendly farming of Josh's farm, or the personal attention paid by Jeremy and his colleagues on pearl selection. Without marketing buzz, there would be a lot less selling going on...

John

 

[jerin]

But I thought I'd read somewhere that the Cook Islands pearls have different color overtones than the ones from French Polynesia? Are they really all the same?

Hi everyone

Just wanted to let you know that Elisabeth Strack mentiones the CI-pearls of having different colours in her book "Pearls".

 

[Slraep]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to let you know that Elisabeth Strack mentiones the CI-pearls of having different colours in her book "Pearls".

Hi Inge,

Yes you are right about Strack, and that's what Steve and I were saying---if the Cook Islands farmers started producing some of the different colours they are capable of, then they would have a special product worthy of marketing as more expensive than Tahitians. But they are culturing the same colours as Tahitians, and that is where I disagree that these should be marketed as anything special deserving of being sold as more expensive, just because they come from the Cook Islands.

If we review what started me protesting, it was that Josh said that if the Cook Islands pearls could be marketed like the Sea of Cortez pearls, they could fetch higher prices.

But there is a world of difference between Cortez pearls and Cook Islands black pearls. Cortez pearls are practically a miracle in a shell. The Japanese never thought any non-mabe pearls could be cultured in them. Pteria sterna was too small and puny to accept round nucleation and to retain it, they said. Highly skill technicians would be needed, they said. But Douglas and his partners proved all that wrong. To boot, the colours coming out of Pteria s. are wonderfully unique and the pearls have orient!! They are cultured ecologically and are unprocessed. To this, I say, full steam ahead for proper marketing and they are more than worthy of expensive pricing. Unfortunately, there is not enough from each harvest to go around yet.

And what about the Cooks? They are not producing any of the nifty different colours they claim they are capable of. It would be a whole different story if they did. They produce your ubiquitous Tahitian black pearl clone, possibly because it is an easy ride on the Tahitian pearl's coat tail. There is no real difference in nacre thickness, no difference in processing, no strongly ecologically minded farming....So what is there? Location? If we stressed location only, then to be fair, everyone's pearls should be special. Imagine all the different provinces and villages in China marketing their pearls individually!! Should we as the consumer be slickly spin-marketed Tahitian pearl clones coming from the Cooks as something special and deserving of more expensive pricing? I don't want to see that. I want the farmers there to farm those different(and I mean different)colours. Then we will see.

Slraep

 

[jerin]

Hi Slraep,

I don?t know quite what to answer you but I think once the farmers in the CI-area become aware of the possibilities with different colours, of course those that will appeal to us costumers, they might be able to get some pretty special Tahitians on the way.... I realize of course that the Cortez pearls in this respect demand much more because of the smallsized Pteria, which in itself probably poses serious obstacles and no other mollusk produces such unbelievable rainbow colours IMo. I do not count in Haliotis, they have lovely colours too but amongst our more usual (smaller) mollusks/oysters the Pteria surely must be the Queen of them all....

But as a customer I also do understand the necessity of the farmers to find something worthwile to marketing as the competition from French Polynesia and all the other places who work with Margaritifera must be overwhelming.

That are just my pesonal thoughts, not the marketing for its own sake.

 

[Slraep]

It would be very interesting if one of their native bivalves, the one that gives the natural golden poe pipi pearl, was studied more. The Pinctada maculata is probably as small or smaller than Pteria sterna of Cortez pearl fame. Imagine if someone tried culturing them? It would have to be people like Douglas and his partners---marine biologists, ecologists and pearl farmers all in one package. Hard to find, I would think. What an odd parallel though, between the Pteria sterna's plight and the Pinctada maculata's. Maybe Douglas can send in a trained team of bivalve revivalists. Maybe they could get the P.maculata to thrive again, and give them some little golden beauties.

Here is a link to a Cook Islands pearl farmer's/distributor's site. I do not know this fellow but he answers the question about the difference between Tahitian pearls and Cook Islands pearls on his home page.

http://www.wholesaleblackpearls.com/

Slraep

 

[Hanaleimom]

I wonder why the production costs in Tahiti is higher than Cook Islands ?

See last sentence here:

http://www.wholesaleblackpearls.com/aboutUs.html

 

[Slraep]

I wonder why the production costs in Tahiti is higher than Cook Islands ?

See last sentence here:

http://www.wholesaleblackpearls.com/aboutUs.html

Hi Hanaleimom,

Oh that's surprising! I wonder what's up with that? Might have something to do with the French Polynesian pearl tax. The Cook's are self governing and tied to New Zealand.

Actually West Australia and Micronesia have been putting out black pearls too. So Tahiti and the Cooks are not the only two countries producing them, like this site says. Their info needs a little updating, I think.

Slraep

 

[SteveM]

Might have something to do with the French Polynesian pearl tax.

Yes, that's correct and a major reason that the Cooks have served as a gray market source for 'Tahitian' pearls for less scrupulous pearl wholesalers in Asia and elsewhere. In other words, there has been an incentive for CI farmers to produce pearls as similar as possible to their more Easterly cousins.

Re Paka's, this is a smaller retailer/jeweler in Avarua (Rarotonga) with no farming interests. His website statement is simplistic, although it is the safe position since it accurately reflects current product. (I must also credit Paka's shop and his 'pearls for tourists' educational display?with crosscut pearl showing the bead nucleus?for instantly turning us into poe pipi collectors!).

 

[jshepherd]

Yes, that's correct and a major reason that the Cooks have served as a gray market source for 'Tahitian' pearls for less scrupulous pearl wholesalers in Asia and elsewhere.

This creates an added challenge for someone considering investing in CI pearls for sake of buying CI pearls. There are many dealers in the US and Asia who knowingly purchase CI pearls for a lower price than Tahitian market and mix the pearls in with their Tahitians. One might think that is fine because the shells are the same (like it is fine with akoya from Japan, China and Korea), but it is not really a legitimate practice.

When someone buys a Tahitian strand they buy it with the understanding that it has met the export specifications of the Ministry of Perliculture in Tahiti and it has been cultured in Tahiti. If the pearls came from the Cooks they do not go through through quality inspection. This means producers of CI pearls are free to evaluate their own goods according to their own standards. Also, if a P. marg pearl is not grown in French Polynesia it cannot (according to GIE and CIBJO) be called a Tahitian pearl. This means sellers who knowingly combines pearls or add CI pearls to their Tahitian inventory are in effect cheating their customers.

In addition, I have heard from a very reliable source that some well-known Tahitian pearl producers in FP have privately exported pearls that would not pass examination in Tahiti to the Cooks to be sold as CI pearls. These would be pearls with thin skip or deep gouges.

The Tahitian pearls that we see at shows in Tucson and Vegas that appear to be of a quality that should never pass export are almost certainly pearls that have come to the US via some route other than legal export, or they are not Tahitian pearls at all.