Why is it so hard to find a long necklace of Golden South Sea Keshis?

[MintyFresh]

There is nothing out there except at Gump’s (oh, the premium pricing) and strands of tiny misshapen things. Is there a reason there are not more of such necklaces on the market? Has Gump’s bought them all up? Don’t pinctada maxima produce Keshis in gold any more? Is the Philippines grinding them into fertilizer (kidding)?

 

[Amoreperla]

Hmm that is an interesting question. I do not have an answer but I think most Keshi I’ve seen are freshwater . I rarely see Tahitian as it is.

 

[MintyFresh]

The pearls in the necklace at Gump's are not even that nice . . . the clasp is probably a large part of the price. I'm going to research if there is a particular time of year these are harvested or available. Maybe it is a timing thing. Also, I have my favorite pearl hunter looking for a vintage set, although she has warned me it may take some time!

 

[BWeaves]

I think there's just not much out there in the way of SS keshi. So trying to MATCH a LONG strand of them, is going to be really hard because by their nature, they're not going to match well.

 

[ennui]

Is the Philippines grinding them into fertilizer (kidding)?

I believe that pearls not used for jewelry are ground up into cosmetics.

Perhaps the south sea mollusks are disinclined to produce keshi?