Lagoon Island Pearls
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2009
- Messages
- 2,043
Over the past few years, I've been noticing a rising trend that has given me cause for concern. A movement away from certification, full disclosure and expert opinions while leaning toward appearances and incomplete data.
Many of us understand the gap in common knowledge with respect to the differences between cultured and natural pearls. Separating the two has been an uphill battle for collectors and sellers worldwide. Despite the best efforts of dealers and retailers, this disparity has given rise to other elements of questionable practices. Before I comment, I will list points in history that have been dispelled or changing.
The term natural when applied to pearls means:
1. Present in or produced by nature.
2. Conforming to the usual or ordinary course of nature.
3. Not produced or changed artificially. Not conditioned or reared by enhancement.
4. Characterization by spontaneity.
5. Not altered, treated, or disguised.
With respect to pearling, these terms are summarized to mean "without human intervention, by any means".
In history, traditionally harvested pearls were never called "natural" pearls, because all pearls were gathered from wild stocks. This practice led to the depletion or interruption and loss of recruitment among many species throughout the planet, particularly the tropics.
For many years, natural was to mean not factory made from other substances atypical to mollusk biology and mineralization, even though shells are commonly used. I'm certain Mr. Mikimoto did not deliberately intend to overshadow harvesting pearls from the wild by applying the term natural to his product. I trust his intention was to describe pearls reared by mollusks within a water column, as opposed to pearls created by factories, (ie) Majorca or carved shells.
Subsequent to this, the term natural has be confounded in several ways.
1. Pearls created by any mollusk, not faux.
2. Unaltered coloration.
3. The absence of post harvest treatment.
The term "cultured" was introduced to separate water reared from hand or machine created beads. Although vastly different in source, both are artificial in origin.
Despite being cultured, the term "natural color" is acceptable. Farmers can control the incidence of certain colors by donor selection, but generally have little or no control whether that color actually pans out. Some farmers have attempted the use of dyes or elementals to enhance or pronounce colors, but these experiments are rarely viable or desirable. Recently, there has been some evidence where thermal elevation of living animals can enhance, deepen or darken colors, but this is not necessarily a target insomuch as a side effect of accelerated growth techniques.
It is also acceptable to use the term "natural" to describe the absence of post harvest treatments. "Maeshori" is the term used to describe pearls that have been chemically altered, bleached, polished or otherwise modified after harvest, as to make the product more presentable in cleanliness and uniformity. Treatments such as salt slurry or mineral oil are recommended practices for cleaning and preserving pearls and thus may be considered as natural when applied to both natural or cultured pearls. That said, these latter treatments do not take away from natural pearl's origin nor does it intend to imply a cultured pearl becomes natural.
Recently, in increasing amounts I am seeing a lot of so-called natural pearls which are questionable in origin. These can be broken down into several categories.
This brings us to a third and very important list of concerns.
1. Fraudulent schemes.
2. Misrepresented descriptions.
3. Illegal or unsustainable harvesting.
All to often, we see outrageous and downright fraud from harvesters, dealers and retailers. The motivation to add value by unscrupulous groups or individuals has overshadowed ethical retailers of all pearls. The market is rife with underhandedness in an unchecked and widespread manner. Many inferior or otherwise rejected pearls find their way back into the marketplace as natural. Good quality pearls are dyed, coated or otherwise enhanced to appear similar to higher quality pearls.
prov?e?nance /ˈpr?vənəns/ noun
The place of origin or earliest known history of something.
Knowingly or unknowingly, there is little substitute for provenance. I've said it hundreds of times before and continue to uphold that unless you harvested a pearl yourself or source from licensed and reputable collectors, you have no certainty as to a pearl's origin, nor the manner in which it was harvested.
Many so-called natural pearls are incidental to aquaculture. Although many are spontaneous in onset, they are borne and reared in captivity. Most farmers are quite adept in identifying these by-products. They appear in areas of the mollusk where they don't apply their technology, namely the mantles. They are often small or malformed and have discernible features which can adequately describe them. No farmer worth their salt would dare risk a reputation or market share by wholesale of a few questionable objects. Even if farmers were to market into the gray area of "incidental pearls" there is always the risk that unscrupulous marketers will overlook or deliberately disguise this classification and rebrand them as natural.
This is where lab certification can be exploited for misrepresentation. At best, labs can affirm species and onset, but fall short of recognizing harvest techniques. There are no chemical or x-radiographic tests for harvesting methods or legality. Any person, at any time, for any reason can take an illegal or incidental pearl to a lab and have it deemed natural in origin. A certificate, cannot and must not stand alone as provenance. It can only be considered as a single point to support the overview as to whether a pearl is natural or aquacultural.
There a variety of natural pearl collectors in the world.
1. Traditional harvesters.
2. Source buyers.
3. Non-regional collectors.
4. Recreational harvesting.
Whether incidental to food gathering, traditional fishing or manufacture of other targeted objects. Examples would be mother-of-pearl, scientific studies etc. In nearly every case, the harvester would advertise for sale a single (or few) pearls. This can aide one to assume the source is genuine.
Sourced buyers are generally collectors who personally know their clients, purchasing their landed catches of other species at the source. Food grade scallops and oysters are good examples. During processing, natural pearls can be found, collected and resold. In these cases, the collector will normally have more than just one specimen even though some other pearls have unique characteristics. All the same, that person is able to identify their source although they may not necessarily divulge the individual nor the location for reasons of conservation.
Though not in every situation, this aspect gives rise to a dark side of natural pearling methods. Illegal or unsustainable methods, otherwise known as poaching. Under-utilized mass slaughter for the singular target of pearls should not be condoned, overlooked or disguised. The well being of animals is paramount to ethics, ecology, sustainability and the law. Trade in unauthorized endangered (or not) animal parts continues to be a problem in today's marketplace. Elephant ivory, rhino horns, sea coral, eagle talons, whale teeth, bear gall bladders are all examples better known to us.
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) has done well to prevent the unlawful harvest and trade in many species, but the regulations and permits required from trade in natural pearls are often overlooked or ignored. It's also inadequate to safeguard other species from becoming endangered or extinct.
Non-regional collectors are often speculators with little or no scientific background or absent of credible sources.
The regulations concerning recreational and sport harvesting vary from country to country, but in most cases stipulate that no animals may be harassed, molested or sacrificed for anything other than food resources for domestic, non-commercial purposes. These laws usually include the rider, that in whole or in part, animals may not be bartered, traded or resold for commercial value. To Mexico's credit and like many other countries, it's even illegal for non-residents to retain sea shells from the beaches. Not necessarily because the animals are killed, but to dispel the appearance of illegality and to proactively snub the consideration of it.
At this point in time, I feel the need to broadly admonish anyone in this position. We have come a long way to bring both ethical and unethical practices to the forefront, but my heart-of-hearts tells me the latter aspects of this discussion are woefully inadequate. I cannot overstate that trading, buying or selling pearls from unknown sources, whether right or wrong invariably leads to a dark place. We need to get past the concept of treasure hunting, solely for the sake of economics or vanity. Our reputations in conservation, pearling industries and environment must never take a back seat to indifference.
This does not mean I'm unwilling to contribute or aide in natural pearl identification and education. In fact, I'm strengthened by it. I'm proud to be a go-to person among many esteemed colleagues and greatly encourage anyone to submit specimens for discussion and overview at any time. My opinion may be overwhelming or naively misleading from time to time, but in general, it's meant to support or disprove a multitude of points about natural pearl occurrences. I cannot possibly be correct in every instance insomuch as to detail my concerns on each of these points.
I welcome your comments and criticisms of this post.
Many of us understand the gap in common knowledge with respect to the differences between cultured and natural pearls. Separating the two has been an uphill battle for collectors and sellers worldwide. Despite the best efforts of dealers and retailers, this disparity has given rise to other elements of questionable practices. Before I comment, I will list points in history that have been dispelled or changing.
The term natural when applied to pearls means:
1. Present in or produced by nature.
2. Conforming to the usual or ordinary course of nature.
3. Not produced or changed artificially. Not conditioned or reared by enhancement.
4. Characterization by spontaneity.
5. Not altered, treated, or disguised.
With respect to pearling, these terms are summarized to mean "without human intervention, by any means".
In history, traditionally harvested pearls were never called "natural" pearls, because all pearls were gathered from wild stocks. This practice led to the depletion or interruption and loss of recruitment among many species throughout the planet, particularly the tropics.
For many years, natural was to mean not factory made from other substances atypical to mollusk biology and mineralization, even though shells are commonly used. I'm certain Mr. Mikimoto did not deliberately intend to overshadow harvesting pearls from the wild by applying the term natural to his product. I trust his intention was to describe pearls reared by mollusks within a water column, as opposed to pearls created by factories, (ie) Majorca or carved shells.
Subsequent to this, the term natural has be confounded in several ways.
1. Pearls created by any mollusk, not faux.
2. Unaltered coloration.
3. The absence of post harvest treatment.
The term "cultured" was introduced to separate water reared from hand or machine created beads. Although vastly different in source, both are artificial in origin.
Despite being cultured, the term "natural color" is acceptable. Farmers can control the incidence of certain colors by donor selection, but generally have little or no control whether that color actually pans out. Some farmers have attempted the use of dyes or elementals to enhance or pronounce colors, but these experiments are rarely viable or desirable. Recently, there has been some evidence where thermal elevation of living animals can enhance, deepen or darken colors, but this is not necessarily a target insomuch as a side effect of accelerated growth techniques.
It is also acceptable to use the term "natural" to describe the absence of post harvest treatments. "Maeshori" is the term used to describe pearls that have been chemically altered, bleached, polished or otherwise modified after harvest, as to make the product more presentable in cleanliness and uniformity. Treatments such as salt slurry or mineral oil are recommended practices for cleaning and preserving pearls and thus may be considered as natural when applied to both natural or cultured pearls. That said, these latter treatments do not take away from natural pearl's origin nor does it intend to imply a cultured pearl becomes natural.
Recently, in increasing amounts I am seeing a lot of so-called natural pearls which are questionable in origin. These can be broken down into several categories.
This brings us to a third and very important list of concerns.
1. Fraudulent schemes.
2. Misrepresented descriptions.
3. Illegal or unsustainable harvesting.
All to often, we see outrageous and downright fraud from harvesters, dealers and retailers. The motivation to add value by unscrupulous groups or individuals has overshadowed ethical retailers of all pearls. The market is rife with underhandedness in an unchecked and widespread manner. Many inferior or otherwise rejected pearls find their way back into the marketplace as natural. Good quality pearls are dyed, coated or otherwise enhanced to appear similar to higher quality pearls.
prov?e?nance /ˈpr?vənəns/ noun
The place of origin or earliest known history of something.
Knowingly or unknowingly, there is little substitute for provenance. I've said it hundreds of times before and continue to uphold that unless you harvested a pearl yourself or source from licensed and reputable collectors, you have no certainty as to a pearl's origin, nor the manner in which it was harvested.
Many so-called natural pearls are incidental to aquaculture. Although many are spontaneous in onset, they are borne and reared in captivity. Most farmers are quite adept in identifying these by-products. They appear in areas of the mollusk where they don't apply their technology, namely the mantles. They are often small or malformed and have discernible features which can adequately describe them. No farmer worth their salt would dare risk a reputation or market share by wholesale of a few questionable objects. Even if farmers were to market into the gray area of "incidental pearls" there is always the risk that unscrupulous marketers will overlook or deliberately disguise this classification and rebrand them as natural.
This is where lab certification can be exploited for misrepresentation. At best, labs can affirm species and onset, but fall short of recognizing harvest techniques. There are no chemical or x-radiographic tests for harvesting methods or legality. Any person, at any time, for any reason can take an illegal or incidental pearl to a lab and have it deemed natural in origin. A certificate, cannot and must not stand alone as provenance. It can only be considered as a single point to support the overview as to whether a pearl is natural or aquacultural.
There a variety of natural pearl collectors in the world.
1. Traditional harvesters.
2. Source buyers.
3. Non-regional collectors.
4. Recreational harvesting.
Whether incidental to food gathering, traditional fishing or manufacture of other targeted objects. Examples would be mother-of-pearl, scientific studies etc. In nearly every case, the harvester would advertise for sale a single (or few) pearls. This can aide one to assume the source is genuine.
Sourced buyers are generally collectors who personally know their clients, purchasing their landed catches of other species at the source. Food grade scallops and oysters are good examples. During processing, natural pearls can be found, collected and resold. In these cases, the collector will normally have more than just one specimen even though some other pearls have unique characteristics. All the same, that person is able to identify their source although they may not necessarily divulge the individual nor the location for reasons of conservation.
Though not in every situation, this aspect gives rise to a dark side of natural pearling methods. Illegal or unsustainable methods, otherwise known as poaching. Under-utilized mass slaughter for the singular target of pearls should not be condoned, overlooked or disguised. The well being of animals is paramount to ethics, ecology, sustainability and the law. Trade in unauthorized endangered (or not) animal parts continues to be a problem in today's marketplace. Elephant ivory, rhino horns, sea coral, eagle talons, whale teeth, bear gall bladders are all examples better known to us.
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) has done well to prevent the unlawful harvest and trade in many species, but the regulations and permits required from trade in natural pearls are often overlooked or ignored. It's also inadequate to safeguard other species from becoming endangered or extinct.
Non-regional collectors are often speculators with little or no scientific background or absent of credible sources.
The regulations concerning recreational and sport harvesting vary from country to country, but in most cases stipulate that no animals may be harassed, molested or sacrificed for anything other than food resources for domestic, non-commercial purposes. These laws usually include the rider, that in whole or in part, animals may not be bartered, traded or resold for commercial value. To Mexico's credit and like many other countries, it's even illegal for non-residents to retain sea shells from the beaches. Not necessarily because the animals are killed, but to dispel the appearance of illegality and to proactively snub the consideration of it.
At this point in time, I feel the need to broadly admonish anyone in this position. We have come a long way to bring both ethical and unethical practices to the forefront, but my heart-of-hearts tells me the latter aspects of this discussion are woefully inadequate. I cannot overstate that trading, buying or selling pearls from unknown sources, whether right or wrong invariably leads to a dark place. We need to get past the concept of treasure hunting, solely for the sake of economics or vanity. Our reputations in conservation, pearling industries and environment must never take a back seat to indifference.
This does not mean I'm unwilling to contribute or aide in natural pearl identification and education. In fact, I'm strengthened by it. I'm proud to be a go-to person among many esteemed colleagues and greatly encourage anyone to submit specimens for discussion and overview at any time. My opinion may be overwhelming or naively misleading from time to time, but in general, it's meant to support or disprove a multitude of points about natural pearl occurrences. I cannot possibly be correct in every instance insomuch as to detail my concerns on each of these points.
I welcome your comments and criticisms of this post.
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