Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Chinese pearls hit Hyderabad's trade


September 27, 2010 10:59 IST Hyderabad may still be the 'City of Pearls', but it is increasingly pearls from China that are dominating the city's trade in pearls.
Pearls from Japan [ Images ], Australia [ Images ], Indonesia, Burma, Venezuela and Tahiti are also coming into the market. Chinese pearls are more affordable and have taken the business away from big players and to the smaller retailers.
"But there is nothing Hyderabadi about these pearls," says Satish Agarwal, managing director of Kundan Jewellers. The result: volume of trade, which had touched 120 tonne a year, is now down to 70-80 tonne.
"Similar pearls are available elsewhere at the same price," rues Agarwal. No wonder many like Agarwal have shifted to the business of gold and diamond jewellery.
Hyderabad's pearl legacy is as old as the city itself. The nizams, who ruled the city, were great patrons of the gem. This encouraged merchants to get the best pearls from Basra, Tahiti and some Gulf countries. The trade flourished, despite the absence of a river or a sea for pearl farming.
With plenty of skilled labour, drilling, assorting, threading and processing formed the bulk of the business. Besides Hyderabad, a few villages such as Chandampet in Medak district were exclusively dedicated to pearl drilling. Today most of them have moved to agriculture.
The decline in tourists, a result of the political disturbance in the state and the economic slowdown, have also hit the pearl business, worth Rs 500-700 crore (Rs 5-7 billion) a year. "Tourists contribute about 40 per cent of sales," says Naresh Agarwal, managing director, Mangatrai Pearls.
But the story is not over for the Hyderabadi pearl. Retailers, who are rejoicing in the small-value, big-volumes game, say, "The demand from domestic customers is good." With gold prices touching the sky, the pearl floats on hope.

Source: http://business.rediff.com/

Friday, January 23, 2009

Akoya and South Sea Pearls: 'Inaugural Party-goers Sport 'Accessible Chic' With Classic White Pearls,' Says PearlParadise.com Retailer

Source: http://www.prweb.com

"Classic white Akoya and South Sea Pearls made for great fashion-watching during President Obama's historic Inaugural," reported the owner of the world's largest online pearl store.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 23, 2009 -- "Classic white Akoya and South Sea Pearls made for great fashion-watching during President Obama's historic Inaugural," says Jeremy Shepherd, owner of the world's largest online pearl store.

Classic white Akoya and South Sea Pearls made for great fashion-watching during President Obama's historic Inaugural
I've had the TV on day and night just like everybody else
and it won't surprise anyone to know that I focused on the pearls so many ladies were wearing. Mrs. Obama's love of pearl necklaces obviously made an impression on the women who came to celebrate
You saw pearl jewelry at the receptions and at the swearing-in ceremony -- and of course, at the balls. And no one could ignore the pearls California Sen. Diane Feinstein wore as she presented gifts to the Obamas and the Bidens at the Inaugural luncheon. They looked like white, luminous marbles.
clearly favored the clean, classic look of white Akoya and South Sea pearls. There's a reason that well-bred, fashion-conscious women gravitate to classic white Akoya and South Sea pearls
They are quintessentially American. Beautiful, yet practical. Dress them up, dress them down. Classic white pearls are accessible chic for memorable occasions. 'Accessible chic,'
really describes what PearlParadise.com is about.
We always encourage customers to compare our pearls to those pearl necklaces sold in fancy jewelry stores because we know they'll notice the price difference.
a fun and fashionable way to introduce young ladies to the timeless beauty of pearls.
PearlParadise.com has no middlemen the way typical retail jewelry stores do
We own our own pearl farm and deal with our own suppliers directly.
"I've had the TV on day and night just like everybody else," he says, "and it won't surprise anyone to know that I focused on the pearls so many ladies were wearing. Mrs. Obama's love of pearl necklaces obviously made an impression on the women who came to celebrate," says Shepherd.

"You saw pearl jewelry at the receptions and at the swearing-in ceremony -- and of course, at the balls. And no one could ignore the pearls California Sen. Diane Feinstein wore as she presented gifts to the Obamas and the Bidens at the Inaugural luncheon. They looked like white, luminous marbles."

He noted that Sen. Feinstein -- like so many fashionable women attending the Inauguration -- "clearly favored the clean, classic look of white Akoya and South Sea pearls. There's a reason that well-bred, fashion-conscious women gravitate to classic white Akoya and South Sea pearls," he says.

"They are quintessentially American. Beautiful, yet practical. Dress them up, dress them down. Classic white pearls are accessible chic for memorable occasions. 'Accessible chic,'" he says, "really describes what PearlParadise.com is about."

Shepherd says that Pearl Paradise sells pearls 80% below the average retail price of pearls sold in upscale jewelry stores.

"We always encourage customers to compare our pearls to those pearl necklaces sold in fancy jewelry stores because we know they'll notice the price difference."

In honor of the new First Lady, who often wears classic white pearls both in single and multiple strands, Shepherd offers the following specials on classic Akoya and white South Sea pearls.

* For $240 - A 16-inch, AA+ Akoya pearl necklace with a lustrous white bodycolor with 14-karat white or yellow gold ball clasp.
* For $425 - An 18-inch AA+ double-strand white Akoya Sea Pearl necklace with 14-karat white gold or yellow gold ball clasp.
* For $920 - An 18-inch, AA white South Sea high-luster baroque pearl necklace with 14-karat white or yellow gold clasp.


In honor of Sasha and Malia Obama, Shepherd offers "a fun and fashionable way to introduce young ladies to the timeless beauty of pearls."

* For $35 - A 10-11 mm. drop-shape freshwater pearl leather necklace with a sterling silver or 14-karat white or yellow gold clasp.

How can Jeremy Shepherd afford to sell Akoya and white South Sea pearls at 80-percent off retail?

"PearlParadise.com has no middlemen the way typical retail jewelry stores do," he says. "We own our own pearl farm and deal with our own suppliers directly."

The online pearl retailer's unique business model attracts media attention. In the last three years alone, he and his discount luxury pearls have been featured in dozens of media outlets, including:

* "Fox Business News"
* "The New York Times"
* "The Los Angeles Times"


For more information about classic white Akoya and white South Sea pearls, shop online at www.pearlparadise.com or call Shepherd's Los Angeles store at (310) 474-8788.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Pearl price by December 2008

Source: JCK


Akoya Pearls (by the strand)


Fine

Extra-Fine






18-in. strands, 6 to 6.5 mm

$650-$850

$1,000-$1,200








Round Tahitian Black Pearls


Good

Fine

8 to 8.5 mm

$30-$60

$60-$120

10 to 10.5 mm

$35-$90

$90-$150

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Mussels targeted for their pearls

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk

By Euan McIlwraith
Reporter, Landward, BBC1 Scotland

Euan McIlwraith
Euan McIlwraith reports on Scotland's endangered freshwater mussels

Despite being protected since 1998, Scottish freshwater mussels have been increasingly targeted by thieves who kill the mussel to get at a possible pearl inside.

Most don't contain a pearl and the discarded shellfish are left to die on the bank.

Following recent cases on the Spey, the police in Moray are calling for the public to help to report the lawbreakers, before the mussels become completely extinct.

Douglas Darling, a wildlife crime officer with Grampian Police, said: "What we found on the river bank was literally hundreds of these small pearl mussel shells, just discarded.

"The shells themselves, there's no way you would get any size of a pearl, if anything at all inside them. They're very young indeed.

"Action like this potentially would clear out one pool - one area of the pearls."

Scotland is a stronghold of the freshwater mussel with about 60% of the world's population living in our waters.

Strict licence

Freshwater pearls have been extremely sought after throughout Scottish history.

They're in the crown jewels in the vaults of Edinburgh Castle and it was even one of the reasons that Caesar invaded Britain.

Euan Lindsay, of romanscotland.org.uk, said: "Caesar in particular was interested in these and he was noted for actually weighing them in his hands before the financial transaction was done which was rather unusual for Rome's aristocracy and their elite to actually do that."

The selling of pre-1998 pearls is now strictly licensed and in fact there are only two jewellers in Scotland who are allowed to sell Scottish pearls.

But the mussel is still under threat - apart from illegal fishing, it's threatened by pollution and declining salmon stocks. So what's the connection with salmon in this whole process?

Ben Ross, from Scottish Natural Heritage, explained: "Without salmon there isn't any mussels, the larvae has to attach to the gills of a salmon or trout though it's not fully known why - but it may be that the salmon take it up the river and allow the species and the population to spread."

Even touching a freshwater mussel can be punished with a £10,000 fine, but it appears even that threatened sanction is not enough to deter the collectors.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Pollution's Impact on an American Icon

Source: http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/

(ARA) - Disappearing plant species, endangered wildlife and adverse health effects for humans - all grab headlines whenever talk turns to the impact pollution has on our world. But pollution also affects production of pearls, the gem American pop culture has made an icon of exemplary womanhood.

From June Cleaver to Marge Simpson, a perfect strand of pearls has come to represent the essence of feminine perfection in American culture. The bestowing of an heirloom strand from mother to daughter is a treasured rite of passage in many families. Yet pollution's effect on the mollusks that produce pearls may mean fewer pearls - and higher prices - in the future.

Pearl production and a pristine environment are tightly linked. Pearl-bearing mollusks are filter-feeders. To get their microscopic food, they filter as much as 106 gallons of seawater a day. Filter-feeding makes the mollusks extremely sensitive to pollutants in the water.

Pearl-bearing mollusks are also very sensitive to water temperature. Mollusks that produce pearls evolved over millions of years to live in very specific environments. Although those that live in temperate latitudes are accustomed to seasonal fluctuations in water temperature, an unusual rise in summer can kill them. Pearl-bearing mollusks that live in tropical latitudes can survive only within a very narrow range of water temperature. A small rise at any time of year can kill them.


People Can and Do Help

The mollusks' sensitivity to temperature increases and pollutants make people who are dependent on the mollusks' productivity acutely aware of environmental factors. Pearl farmers -- people who grow cultured pearls -- have a stake in mollusk health and productivity. That stake makes pearl farmers good stewards of the environment. If water pollution or temperature increases kill their mollusks, pearl farmers lose their livelihood.

Jewelmer, a pearl-farming company in the Philippines, has been especially active in promoting environmental preservation. The company has strongly lobbied the Philippine government to outlaw cyanide and dynamite fishing in the islands. Those fishing techniques produce big, easy catches, but they're environmentally destructive, and they adversely affect the mollusks on the pearl farms.

"Jewelmer produces some of the finest golden South Sea cultured pearls," says Jeremy Shepherd of PearlParadise.com, Inc., a leading online pearl-seller, "and the company has been among the most aggressive in protecting the pearl-farming environment."

Forum for Pearl Lovers

Pearl-Guide.com is a pearl forum that has more than 3,000 members, many of whom contribute posts about pearls every day. Since pearls are the members' passion and reason for participating in the forum, they are naturally concerned with pollution's and global warming's effects on pearl culture. Without protecting the delicate environment mollusks need to produce pearls, Pearl-Guide.com members and other pearl lovers around the world would lose their favorite gems.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Pearl industry frets over sinking prices and image

Source: http://www.globeinvestor.com/

Friday, September 12, 2008


SHANGHAI — The prices of the lustrous strings of pearls that line display cases in Shanghai jewellery stores are more eye-catching than the glossy gems: some pearl sets cost under 10 yuan, or $1.50 U.S., even before bargaining.

“All kinds of people come to buy pearls, Chinese and foreigners,” said Wang Caijiao, who has been selling pearls in a two-storey shop on Shanghai's bustling Nanjing Road for seven years.

The massive volume of freshwater pearls on the market have made the gem affordable to the masses.

That might be good news for the migrant labourers and factory workers who can now afford pearls but it is bad news for the pearl industry which frets over the sinking prices of pearls and the damage to the gem's once exclusive image.

Now, local Chinese governments, concerned about environmental damage to lakes and reservoirs from pearl cultivation, are beginning to rein in production.

And what's healthy for the environment may end up being healthy for the industry as well.

“The pearl industry has not been doing well in the past two years because the output is too high,” said Li Jiale, a professor at Shanghai Ocean University.

“The industry needs to reduce quantity and improve quality.”

In 2007, China produced 1,600 tonnes of pearls, over 95 per cent of the world's total output, the Gems and Jewellery Trade Association of China said on its website.

Most are rough-edged, elongated orbs. Perfectly shaped salt water pearls that are formed by nature can fetch millions of dollars.

The massive quantities of pearls produced by China's pearl industry carry a hefty environmental cost.

Lake waters where the pearls are cultivated are greenish, cloudy and often foul-smelling from a mixture of pollution and fertilizers dumped into the water to help the mussels produce pearls faster.

“The disorderly growth of freshwater pearl cultivation in some regions, resulting in the dumping of large quantities of fertilizer into lakes and reservoirs, has seriously damaged those water bodies,” said a document on the website of the agriculture department of central China's Hubei Province.

Hubei, one of China's biggest pearl producers, last year banned pearl cultivation in lakes and reservoirs, and restricted pearl-producing mussels to ponds.

Several cities and regions in southern China have also banned or restricted pearl cultivation in recent years.

But experts said mussels, used to produce the gems in freshwater, while oysters produce pearls in saltwater, should not pollute the environment if they are raised properly.

“Mussels eat plankton in the water and can therefore actually purify it,” said Pan Jianlin, secretary-general of the Jiangsu Province Pearl Industry Association.

“But some farmers are not raising pearls properly. They use fertilizer to feed the plankton,” he said.

Overly dense mussel populations compound the pollution, experts said.

“If mussels are raised in an enclosed body of water, it can easily lead to eutriphication,” or a rise in chemical nutrients that causes a severe deterioration of water quality, said Cheng Wen, a professor at Xi'an University of Science and Technology.

Environmental damage from pearl culture is minor compared with industrial emissions, heavy fertilizer runoff and untreated sewage that have fouled many Chinese rivers and lakes over three decades of break-neck economic growth.

Local governments are now under pressure to attack all sources of pollution.

Hit by the restrictions, as well as rising costs and falling prices, China's pearl output is expected to fall to 1,400 tonnes in 2008 and 1,000 tonnes by 2010, down more than one-third from last year, the Gems and Jewellery Trade Association of China said.

Lower production might not hit profits. Experience in other pearl-producing regions has shown that producing smaller quantities of higher quality gems can actually bring better returns for the industry as a whole.

“It's important that pearl farmers know that producing 100 kilograms of pearls is not more profitable than producing 20 kilograms,” said Qiu Zhili, associate professor of earth sciences at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong province.

The quality of China's freshwater pearls is starting to improve and if cultivated properly, with lower densities of mussels in ponds and longer cultivation times, experts said they could look more like the smooth, perfectly round saltwater pearls from Japan and the South Pacific that command far higher prices.

But that is not likely to happen either quickly or easily.

“I'd like to see output fall to 100 tonnes. Then our pearls would be priced at the same levels as Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls. That would be great,” said Du Kunlin, secretary general of Zhejiang Province Pearl Industry Association.

But he added: “Tens of thousands of pearl farmers live off of them. You can't just let only 10,000 of them survive.”

© The Globe and Mail

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Overproduction takes shine off Chinese pearls

Source: http://news.yahoo.com

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The prices of the lustrous strings of pearls that line display cases in Shanghai jewelry stores are more eye-catching than the glossy gems: some pearl sets cost under 10 yuan ($1.50) even before bargaining.

"All kinds of people come to buy pearls, Chinese and foreigners," said Wang Caijiao, who has been selling pearls in a two-storey shop on Shanghai's bustling Nanjing Road for seven years.

The massive volume of freshwater pearls on the market have made the gem affordable to the masses.

That might be good news for the migrant laborers and factory workers who can now afford pearls but it is bad news for the pearl industry which frets over the sinking prices of pearls and the damage to the gem's once exclusive image.

Now, local Chinese governments, concerned about environmental damage to lakes and reservoirs from pearl cultivation, are beginning to rein in production.

And what's healthy for the environment may end up being healthy for the industry as well.

"The pearl industry has not been doing well in the past two years because the output is too high," said Li Jiale, a professor at Shanghai Ocean University.

"The industry needs to reduce quantity and improve quality."

Pearl farms now earn less than 2,000 yuan per kilogram of pearls, down from a peak above 20,000 yuan more than a decade ago, Li said.

In 2007, China produced 1,600 tonnes of pearls, over 95 percent of the world's total output, the Gems and Jewellery Trade Association of China said on its website ( http://www.jewellery.org.cn ).

Most are rough-edged, elongated orbs like those threaded into necklaces in Wang's shop. Perfectly shaped salt water pearls that are formed by nature can fetch millions of dollars.

POLLUTING PEARL FARMERS

The massive quantities of pearls produced by China's pearl industry carry a hefty environmental cost.

Lake waters where the pearls are cultivated are greenish, cloudy and often foul-smelling from a mixture of pollution and fertilizers dumped into the water to help the mussels produce pearls faster.

"The disorderly growth of freshwater pearl cultivation in some regions, resulting in the dumping of large quantities of fertilizer into lakes and reservoirs, has seriously damaged those water bodies," said a document on the website of the agriculture department of central China's Hubei Province ( http://www.hbagri.gov.cn ).

Hubei, one of China's biggest pearl producers, last year banned pearl cultivation in lakes and reservoirs, and restricted pearl-producing mussels to ponds.

Several cities and regions in southern China have also banned or restricted pearl cultivation in recent years.

But experts said mussels, used to produce the gems in freshwater, while oysters produce pearls in saltwater, should not pollute the environment if they are raised properly.

"Mussels eat plankton in the water and can therefore actually purify it," said Pan Jianlin, secretary-general of the Jiangsu Province Pearl Industry Association.

"But some farmers are not raising pearls properly. They use fertilizer to feed the plankton," he said.

Overly dense mussel populations compound the pollution, experts said.

"If mussels are raised in an enclosed body of water, it can easily lead to eutriphication," or a rise in chemical nutrients that causes a severe deterioration of water quality, said Cheng Wen, a professor at Xi'an University of Science and Technology.

LESS IS MORE

Environmental damage from pearl culture is minor compared with industrial emissions, heavy fertilizer runoff and untreated sewage that have fouled many Chinese rivers and lakes over three decades of break-neck economic growth.

Local governments are now under pressure to attack all sources of pollution.

Hit by the restrictions, as well as rising costs and falling prices, China's pearl output is expected to fall to 1,400 tonnes in 2008 and 1,000 tonnes by 2010, down more than one-third from last year, the Gems and Jewellery Trade Association of China said.

Lower production might not hit profits. Experience in other pearl-producing regions has shown that producing smaller quantities of higher quality gems can actually bring better returns for the industry as a whole.

"It's important that pearl farmers know that producing 100 kilograms of pearls is not more profitable than producing 20 kilograms," said Qiu Zhili, associate professor of earth sciences at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong province.

In French Polynesia, where Tahitian pearls are cultivated, the local industry association compiles output plans and strictly regulates market access. Pearls that do not meet gem grade standards cannot be sold as jewelry, Qiu said.

The quality of China's freshwater pearls is starting to improve and if cultivated properly, with lower densities of mussels in ponds and longer cultivation times, experts said they could look more like the smooth, perfectly round saltwater pearls from Japan and the South Pacific that command far higher prices.

But that is not likely to happen either quickly or easily.

"I'd like to see output fall to 100 tonnes. Then our pearls would be priced at the same levels as Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls. That would be great," said Du Kunlin, secretary general of Zhejiang Province Pearl Industry Association.

But he added: "Tens of thousands of pearl farmers live off of them. You can't just let only 10,000 of them survive."

($1=6.839 Yuan)

(Editing by Edmund Klamann and Megan Goldin)

Lebanon chef finds 26 pearls in single oyster

Source: http://news.yahoo.com

TYRE, Lebanon (AFP) - A Lebanese woman working in a restaurant kitchen found 26 pearls in an oyster she was preparing for the table and is to submit the find to the Guinness Book of Records.

Amal Salha, 50, said she was helping out her son in his Al Fanar restaurant on the waterfront in the southern port of Tyre, when she made the astonishing find on Monday evening.

"I couldn't believe it," she told AFP.

"I was in the process of opening the shells when I found a number of shining pearls inside one of them," she said. "I was so startled I screamed.

"It was so beautiful. It looked like a bunch of grapes."

After counting them, there turned out to be 26 pearls of varying sizes. The oyster had been harvested off the Lebanese coast.

Pearl oysters are unrelated to the oysters normally eaten in Europe but Salha said they were still popular with the French and Italian soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping force deployed in south Lebanon.

"We buy these oysters at 10 dollars a kilo (less than five dollars a pound)," said Salha's husband, Raymond.

"Generally we find one or two pearls but 26 is very rare," he said, adding that the couple hoped their find would merit an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

Five Pound Pearl is a Record Says EGL USA

Source: http://www.diamonds.net/

RAPAPORT... EGL USA authenticated one of the largest pearls ever to be discovered and documented. The brain-shaped specimen — a giant non-nacreous natural blister pearl — weighs an incredible five pounds (2.267 kilos) and measures some six inches in length. It was found in the waters off the Philippines in the giant clam, Tridacna Gigas.

A team of EGL USA expert gemologists, led by Nicholas Del Re, analyzed the pearl (pictured) using a combination of advanced technologies: Digital radiography, close magnification, and data provided by a handheld x-ray fluorescence (XRF) unit. pearl

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime look at one of nature's most unique treasures," said Mitch Jakubovic, director of EGL USA. "A pearl this size is not only the largest ever seen at EGL USA, it is among the largest ever seen anywhere. We were pleased to be able to provide the expertise and experience necessary to assess such a rare and valuable specimen."

David Bidwell, senior appraiser of EGL USA's appraisal affiliate, Universal Gemological Services (UGS) provided additional confidential counsel to the pearl's owner, Hadjzad Biteng. "This is clearly one of the most valuable pearls of its kind in the world today," said Bidwell. "Mr. Biteng is currently considering many exciting opportunities regarding its future. To coin a famous phrase, one could say that the pearl world is his oyster."

Snail that produces £30,000 pearls under tight security

Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

An aquarium in Britain has splashed out on a painstaking security operation to protect one of its more unusual exhibits.

A giant sea snail is being closely guarded at Birmingham's National Sea Life Centre.

It can produce rare and valuable pearls which can fetch up to £30,000 each.

"These snails occasionally produce pearls which can fetch anything between £5,000 and £30,000 each," said curator Graham Burrows.

"The snail forms the pearl around any foreign object that gets inside its shell. The biggest one recorded was the size of a golf-ball."

The sea snail is about 20 times bigger than the British garden equivalent.

"Of course only a very few snails contain pearls, and the odds are very much against our snail having one," Mr Burrows said.

"With the prices they can fetch, however, we need to be extra vigilant to make sure no one is tempted to kidnap the snail in the hope that it contains hidden treasure.

"We've also got CCTV covering every possible access point when we're closed, as well as a sophisticated alarm system," Mr Burrows said.