Free trade pearls?

[Slraep]

Is there an organization somewhere that supplies craftspeople with free trade pearls?

While browsing around in Victoria, P.E.I., I entered a shop(Redstone Creations) where the jewellery artist said the pearls she used were free trade. The pearls I saw in some of her necklaces were your average off-round, trendy colour-dyed Chinese freshwater pearls. I mentioned that I would not necessarily believe they were free trade if someone in China was telling me so. She replied that her freshwater free trade pearls were not just from China but from the Philippines, Hawaii, and India. I insisted that there are no Philippine freshwater pearl farms. She asked that besides myself, who else was saying so? I mentioned Jeremy and the Pearl-guide.

Now here is the funny part---she all of a sudden tells me that okay, so the Philippines has no freshwater production, but she just used that as an example. Heheheheh. THEN, she tells me it's 5 o'clock and that she should already be closed and good-bye! Heheheheh, again.

I've just about had it with retailers lying to me either on purpose or are badly misinformed because they don't do enough research on the products they are selling.

At a small shop in Summerside---Spinnacker's Landing, actually, there is a Chinese retailer selling only freshwater pearls. I commented that the pearls were nice. She told me they came directly from her pearl farm near Shanghai. Later on she told me her husband was from Montreal. Yeah, that adds up.

Oh my, will people ever stop with the embellishing?

Slraep

 

[KAC]

At a small shop in Summerside---Spinnacker's Landing, actually, there is a Chinese retailer selling only freshwater pearls. I commented that the pearls were nice. She told me they came directly from her pearl farm near Shanghai. Later on she told me her husband was from Montreal. Yeah, that adds up.

oh come on thats very believable

 

[Josh]

I looked into getting "free trade certified" for my pearls but the only thing I could find was a private gem company that had it's own certificate thing(?). Please let me know if you find a legitimate organization that has the capacity to determine whether we qualify as free trade or not. Thanks.

 

[pearlescence]

At the three week market in Manchester this summer my stall was opposite a vietnamese woman who claimed all her stuff was done by her brother and sister back in V - in spite of the artwork being three distinct styles - oh and she hand embroidered lots of panels which she spent a week making then sold for a tenner.
My comment was ' just how daft do you think I am?'
It is actually rude to claim this sort of nonsense, it means the claimer thinks we are stupid

 

[pattye]

I am not sure what "free trade" means---------is it supposed to be the same as "fair trade"?

 

[aggiep]

I am not sure what "free trade" means---------is it supposed to be the same as "fair trade"?

To some free trade is as believable as bumper bearins and spark plug oil. I did an editorial last year in my magazine about a company in Santa Clara California (computer company) that claimed they used free range plastics. I called them about it, and their reasoning is that plastics were made from oil products, thus it was organic, and everything organic was obviously free range. In the advertising world it is buyer beware (informed). It is too bad that a buzz word or group will come along and suddenly it will if used lend legitamacy to a product or other group. I would trust Josh in a heart beat since I have plowed through so much of the archeives here. If your product can't stand up, there is no amount of buzz words that will help it.

 

[Slraep]

I am not sure what "free trade" means---------is it supposed to be the same as "fair trade"?

Hi Pattye,

Possibly, I misunderstood. But there is still no "fair trade" in freshwaters from The Philippines, Hawaii, or India. And for sure not potato-y ones in unnatural colours on top of that. Where are the facilities that dye these freshwaters from Hawaii bright green? Oh, I see, they send them to China and back. Not.

The owner of the store mentioned it was a certified company that, besides pearls, also supplied the gems in her creations. She had an authentic free/fair trade "Tibetan" amber necklace for sale, too. I'm pretty sure that Tibet does not have any real amber deposits and that old Tibetan amber was procured from other places in trades. Authentic traded old Tibetan amber is very costly, rare and not 300 bucks for a necklace(which this person had for sale). Good luck trying to cut through all the BS people will spew about their authentic old Tibetan ornaments, let alone buy some fair trade. Anyway, where is this company that is supplying fair/free trade authentic Tibetan amber and Philippine, Hawaiian and Indian FWPs??

Slraep

 

[Slraep]

At the three week market in Manchester this summer my stall was opposite a vietnamese woman who claimed all her stuff was done by her brother and sister back in V - in spite of the artwork being three distinct styles - oh and she hand embroidered lots of panels which she spent a week making then sold for a tenner.
My comment was ' just how daft do you think I am?'
It is actually rude to claim this sort of nonsense, it means the claimer thinks we are stupid

I know the panels of which you speak. The panels are machine embroidered with a few hand stitched stitches!! And I mean very few. So, of course, they are hand embroidered, see? My sister-in-law brought a load of them back from Vietnam, which she was tricked into buying. They told her the "montaignard" or hill tribe girls had hand embroidered them. Now the hill tribes are famous for their delftness with a needle and thread, but this lot definitly came from a factory.

Slraep

 

[Satine De La Courcel]

to be honest storeis sell.. sometimes the more elaborate the stories the bgger the sale. especially if the seller is a good storyteller.... people will do anything for a sale. even if it means embellishing or flat out lying to get that sale. stupid but true...

There is a sucker born evey minute still applies to selling these days.

again sad but true

cheers

Ash

 

[pattye]

Possibly, I misunderstood.

Not likely, Slraep, I think they are using some words they hope will have a positive connotation, but in reality have no meaning at all.

Exactly as Aggie sez too!

In the advertising world it is buyer beware (informed).

I have heard of "Fair Trade Gems" for which the Sea of Cortez pearls qualify under the guidelines set forth by Columbia Gem House /Tri Gem who handle their pearls in this area. They also supply other gems that qualify, by having a transparency from mine to market, as set out in a rather lengthy document.

http://wweek.com/editorial/3404/10071/ Here's a little more info if you are interested.

 

[Josh]

Thanks Pattye for the great article.
The Tahitian pearl industry takes the "free/fair trade" concept and turns it on it's head though. Kamoka prides itself on being as sustainable, ecological and socially sensitive as possible. There are farmers who exploit workers and don't have the environment in mind down here too but there are others who ARE doing the right thing. The following is a quote that is taken from that article:

"Fair trade is a concept that promotes the payment of a fair price, along with seeking to ensure social and environmental standards for goods and services."

"A fair price" is not a concern for buyers of Tahitian pearls and that is consequently killing the industry. The Tuamotus (where the bulk of pearls are produced) is being drained of it's workforce as laid-off laborers move back to the larger islands to find work. In this industry a savvy buyer is admired but how smart is it to strangle the ones who are making the pearls?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Josh,

First, I know nothing-- nothing!-- about Tahitians that I haven't read here.

So are you saying that the folks farming the Tahitian pearls are (overall) not getting livable wages? I don't mean at Kamoka.

Sorry if this question is obvious.

 

[pattye]

Josh,

I know you are doing a terrific job with the Kamoka Pearls!!

Kamoka prides itself on being as sustainable, ecological and socially sensitive as possible.

That's certainly why we all want you to have continued success, and knowing how difficult that is, why I am extra proud to purchase and wear Kamoka pearls------

 

[Josh]

Thanks Pattye,
Hearing things like that makes me want to double my efforts.
Pearl_dreams, that is exactly right. We are going to see a massive drop in the number of pearls available in about a year's time. People are jumping ship everywhere.

 

[aggiep]

So Josh that means I better get in on this years harvest? Is this the time to let my banker get his 4th computer for his office? Se he gets computer stuff, and I get things like pearls and diamonds.

 

[Monty Hall]

Hi Pattye,

Possibly, I misunderstood. But there is still no "fair trade" in freshwaters from The Philippines, Hawaii, or India.

"...***fresh***waters from ... Hawaii, ..." HAHAHAHAHAHA...

Speaking as a fifth-generation Oahu local, I know for a fact that the natives sustainably raise their "fair trade" freshwaters in the used tires and empty Budweiser cans organically-produced in the naturally hubcap- and syringe-laden rust-and-feces-colored mountain streams.

Or, am I being sarcastic here?!?!?!

Good for you, Slraep!!! I'm just glad it was you and not I who happened upon that store.

Oh, and that "Tibetan amber"--I've seen things labeled, "Tibetan amber" that look just like "African amber" (doubtless from the dense pine forests of Carboniferous Africa). These huge, heavy beads display none of the electrical properties attributed to amber, nor do they smell nice when burnt. I read somewhere that those beads are Bakelite.

"transparency from mine to market" is such a beautiful phrase.

The older I get, the more I equate transparency and clarity with goodness, and obfuscation with evil. Simple as that.

CarolK

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Well I'm very sorry to hear that, Josh-- it's just so wrong. I don't understand why the situation is the way it is, but I can't blame the farmers for bailing.

 

[Monty Hall]

I think they are using some words they hope will have a positive connotation, but in reality have no meaning at all.

You go, Pattye!!! That says it!!!

CarolK

 

[Monty Hall]

In this industry a savvy buyer is admired but how smart is it to strangle the ones who are making the pearls?

Wow. Josh, I'm sorry. That sort of thing seems to be happening everywhere.

An engineer friend of mine said that the people who make (and grow) things reap rewards intrinsic to their efforts.

Middle-men enjoy no such rewards, and need to derive their self esteem from things like office- and salary-sizes. Profit at the expense of the creators and growers.

Must remember to think twice about where I spend my money.
CarolK

 

[pattye]

An engineer friend of mine said that the people who make (and grow) things reap rewards intrinsic to their efforts.

Having parents who farmed for 52 years, I can attest that their rewards were certainly not monetary.