Contents: PEARL WORLD

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April / May / June 2005 0Volume 14, Number 2 1-l.10".mul ..m:....

people .4"4*Contents:· Tucson 2005 augurs dynamic year ahead for cultured pearls PEARL• Lois Berger reports on pearl availability at Tucson 2005· A pearl designer's peripatetic travels through Tucson: Eve Alfilla WORLD· The fascinating saga of The Pearl of Allah The iliter,iatilinal Peurting ./01,1·nat· Other famous pearls, Scanning The Pearl World, and more

CULTURED PEARLS DOMINATE IN TUCSON:MANY DEALERS EXTREMELY UPBEAT

ABOUT THE YEAR AHEAD.t

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The hardy core of regulars on the Annual Pearl Walk assembles on February 4th at the2005 AGTA Show in Tucson. Back row, from left: Gary Roskin, Rene6 Newman, StuartRobertson. Middle row, from left: Fuji Voll, Lois Berger, Maurice Alfi116, Sarah Canizarro,Gina Latendresse. Front row, from left: Eve Alfi116, Betty Sue,King. Missing in action:Fred Ward, Philip Schneider, K.C. Bell, Sarabeth Koeth, Barry ¤artmann, Bo Torrey.

The International Pearline Journal

EDITORIAL -1-his issue has been a lot ofall-trades, running her gallery in

work, and a lot of fun. It is Evanston, Illinois, with her husbandcoming out a little later than (and bagman in Tucson), Maurice.

ops! We really goofed in usual due to time constraints, and is Early February in Tucson is anour last issue. The article featuring four pages of color photog- important time for the Alfillds, ason the Cultured Pearl raphy of people and pearls at the here is where Eve gathers most of

Association of America's tie-up February show. the pearl goods she uses through-with PAPPE (the Philippine For starters, kudos and thanks out the rest of the year. And she willAssociation of Pearl Producers) go to our friends who covered for us spend the better part of two fullon page 26 inadvertently ran copy in Tucson, particularly Lois Berger, weeks searching out and visiting vir-duplicated from page 3 on Eve Alfilla, and K.C. Bell. We were tually every pearl venue in town.Jewelmer's 25th anniversary show on the tail end of another surgery To have her take the time toin Hong Kong. recuperation, and just plain not write a full-fledged commentary on

How this happened, we have allowed to come. her finds this year was wonderful ofonly a guess: in preparing the pho- We must acknowledge the yeo- her. To give you an insider's look attography on page 26 for color man job that Lois does every year at current availabilities from a design-reproduction, we somehow the Tucson Show, going from dealer er's perspective, read her delightful-pushed the wrong button on a to dealer to accumulate reams of ly witty insights beginning on pagecomputer keyboard and substitut- data about the goods they are dis- 17.ed old copy which had been left in playing, distilling all this input into One more individual to thank formemory to run around the color meaningful charts, and commenting this issue: Fred Ward, who painstak-photographs and captions.

with clarity on the various strengths ingly helped color correct the pho-Nobody at our end caught thismistake (the most egregious error and weaknesses of each pearl seg- tographs that Lois and Eve took in

ment. Tucson. This is a big help to an edi-we have made in 14 years) untilthe marketing department at And, on top of this all: for laying tor who is color blind!Jewelmer let us know. Even then, the groundwork for the annual So, in general, the pearl newswe couldn't believe we'd made Friday Pearl Group Walk (actually, from Tucson was very gratifying:such a mistake (the copy started more like a ramble), assembling and sales were good-to-great, dealersand ended so perfectly in its wrap- coordinating the participants, and were happy and upbeat, and pearlaround). keeping the herd pretty much intact supply prospects looked to be both

To make amends, we herewith throughout the morning. stable and encouraging for the pre-reproduce the article in its entirety This personable lady is a mini- sent and the foreseeable future.with the correct copy on page 4. dynamo, and we all are in awe of This may well indicate anotherAnd we extend our sincere apolo- her efforts (and results) every year. period of renaissance (and prof-gies to both Jewelmer and the Another gentlewoman we must itability) for the cultured pearl indus-CPAA. especially credit for her contribu- try... and for even more choices at

To err is human, etc. Nice to tions in this issue is Eve Alfill*. more price levels for consumers.realize upon occasion that we are Eve (as you all must know by And for that, we should all besometimes (!) wrong. Gomenesai! now) is an extremely busy jack-of- extremely grateful.

n quite another matter, wewere first introduced to thesaga of The Pearl of Allah by

Eve and Diane Alfilla (which begins4 11 K. Obuchi • President on page 7) and this led us along to

PEARL R. Torrey • Editoryet another trail... to a listing ofsome of the most famous pearls in

WORLD R Grella • Production Supervisor history (beginning on page 2). WeTh, /„/ri,fi ,•„„,/ /;94„4./f.„m,1 hope this might lead some of our

P. Brutcher • Production Manager readers to explore even more of thehistory of pearls, both cultured and

PEARL WORLD is published quarttrly by Haggis House. In¢u Office: 5501 North Seventh Avenue' PMB33 V Phoerix. Aritorna 85013·1775/ USA. Telephone: XXX-{602} 678-5799. Fnesimile: XXX· (602} 678-6799. Er mail natural: quite a legacy!address: [email protected]. © 2005 PEARL WORLD LLC. Al! righta resened. Any reproduction or use. in whole We hope you enjoy this chefor part, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited without writton permission. One year sub-scription: US$110 for North America, US$130 elsewhere. For comments or opinions, please write, call or rax dbeuvre by so many contributors.PEARL WORLD, attention Editor. -Pearl World, The Intornational Pcarting Journal- is r gistered in the USPatent and Trademark Ofice. The Editor

The International Pearling Journal

FAMOUS PEARLS OF THE WORLDearls are some of the most Khubilai Khan, the emperor of It was found off the coast of

P prized gems and may be China, by the celebrated traveler, the West Indies, and the pear-found among the finest jewel- Marco Polo. shaped beauty weighed 126

ry pieces in museums around the carats.world. The Big Pink Pearl King Philip IV of Spain -

Their rareness, mystery and bought it from a merchant namedsymbolism of purity have made This pearl was listed in the Gogibus in 1620 who reportedlythem one of the most cherished Guinness Book of World Records wore the gem as a button on hisgifts among the powerful and the as the largest known natural cap.wealthy. abalone pearl.

Thus, there is a fabulous trea- This baroque specimen is a The Hope Pearlsure trove throughout the world of hefty 470 carats. It is purported-these mysterious gems from the ly owned by Wesley Rankin, a Possibly the most famousdeep, and here are some of the diver in Petaluma, California, pearl, and perhaps the largestmost noteworthy to be found. who found it at California's Salt saltwater specimen in existence,

Point State Park in 1990 the Hope is a white, drop-shapedThe Abernethy Pearl It is listed in the Guinness freshwater blister pearl weighing

Book of Records, and was last 1,800 grains (450 carats or 4The Abernethy is the most valued in 1991 at $4.7 million. ounces).

famous and perhaps most perfect It measures approximatelyspecimen of a Scottish freshwater The Dudley Pearl two by four inches in size and jpearl, weighing 44 grains. ranges in color from white on one

The pearl was collected by This large, black pearl is end to greenish-gold on the other.Bill Abernethy, a professional fashioned into a brooch and was The Hope Pearl was firstpearl diver, from an «odd-shaped sold by a gentleman named Fred owned by Henry Philip Hope, themussel" in the River Tay in 1967, Leighton to a woman named man who once owned the Hopehence its nickname: «The Little Jane Wrightsman. Diamond, in the 19th Century.Willie Pearl." One may view it, capped by a

Not only was it huge, it also kind of crown to form a pendant,was of incredible quality. The Euginie Pearls at the British Museum of

The Abernethy Pearl was on Natural History.display in a store Cairncross, The Eug6nie pearls are aScotland, for nearly 30 years, but part of a large jewelry collection The Huerfana Pearlwas sold in 1992 for an undis- that were once among the Frenchclosed amount. crown jewels. The Huerfana («Orphan")

Scots have searched for Along with much of the Pearl was allegedly found not inpearls in the River Tay for hun- monarchy's jewelry, the pearls an oyster but loose in a shell bed

dreds of years, and many rivers were auctioned off in 1887 at the in the Gulf of Panama.in Scotland were home to fresh- Palace of the Tuileries. It was one of the most beauti-water pearls until the Industrial Napoleon Bonaparte had ful treasures in the SpanishRevolution polluted the water- purchased many of the pieces for crown jewels.ways. his wives Josephine and Marie The Huerfana was distin-

Louise. guished by its magnificent luster,The Arco Valley Pearl perfect shape and large size, and

The Gogibus Pearl · , was briefly owned by· Isabel deThis gem is a baroque pearl, Bobadilla, the daughter of the

weighing 575 carats, and is col- This pearl was the largest man who sent Christopherored white with pink and brown known specimen.in Europe.dur-hues. It was supposedly given to ing the early 17th century. "Famous" to page 20


CPAA AWARDS PAPPE

CPAA/PAPPE cooperationis to educate end con-sumers that there are aplethora of choices forSouth Sea pearls availableto them.

He says, "By learningmore about pearls, retail-

tial of these natural beau-ers realize the great poten-

ties."The variety of pearls

(L-R) Mr. Sonny Setht. Vice President of CPAA and Mr. Frank Mastoloni Jr., Treasurer: - in terms of color, shape,Mr. Manuel Cojuangco. President ol Jewelmer; Mr. Jacques Branellec, President of PAPPE; quality, size and budgetMr. Avi Raz, A&Z Pearls, Inc., and Mr. Ron Greentdge, Emiko Pearls,of CPAA.

makes it a unique productto display and a fantastic

9 he Cultured I story about the coilabora-

ation ofPearl Associ- tion between man and

nature to tell customers.America (CPAA) "On top of that, sur-recently presented Ill-VI!.E,«ik

veys show that the profitthe Philippine v <2 L*) potential of pearls is

4 32£47 2 greater than any otherAssociation of PearlProducers and 4.1 •tjilp gem. We firmly believe that

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this is a piece of informa-Exporters (PAPPE) M.

an award for sup- '** Philippine Association of Pioducers and ExporterA, 47' tion retailers deserve toporting the

pinpeerny'0/Dyarn .N:, know and the CPAA is* 7-HE CUOTIRED I'lly ; Al·SONIATION Ott *441(KICA: : "American associa- doing a great job in doing

tion in their active SO."pearl promotion The joint brochure on Philippine South Sea pearls The CPAA has 31produced by PAPPE in partnership with CPAA.activities during the active members, while2004 Hong Kong PAPPE has nine activeJewellery and Watch Fair at the wholesalers worldwide cooperate to dis- members. PAPPE wasHong Kong Convention and seminate quality pearl education. recently joined by La ReineExhibition Center. The originality of the CPAA concept- Des Mers, Port Barton

The two associations are forg- which involves retailers- showed very Development Corp., anding stronger ties to promote the encouraging results, and the Philippine Salvamar, Inc. *Philippine South Sea pearl to a producers are dedicated to pursue efforts towider market, particularly to the support these kind of actions." Contact DetailsUS. market. Assistant Managing Director of For more information,

PAPPE President Jacques Jewelmer, Pierre Fallourd, who has also please contact PAPPE:Branellec said, "The mere fact that been actively supporting the CPAA with80% of cultured pearls are pur- promotional materials in the past year Phone: (632) 8404538chased byAmerican customers jus- such as an educational pearl farming DVD, Fax: (632) 8189778tifies that pearl producers and says the main objective of the Email: [email protected]


The Status of the Palawan Seas andThe Impact of Philippine Pearl Farmers'Preservation Efforts on the Environment

by Dr. Kent Carpenter a comparatively high number of Dr. Carpenter was able tospecies that are endemic in the observe that the quantity and

The Philippines is the equiv- Philippines. diversity of marine species inalent of the Amazon rain- Therefore there is a real call pearl farm sites is 21% greaterforest in terms of having to prevent the extinction of these than in the unprotected and

the greatest number of marine endemic marine species, includ- exploited areas.species in the world. This study was initiated

If America has the Grand after his presentation at theCanyons and Egypt has the National Museum lastPyramids, the Philippines is September 14, 2004 where heproud to have its own valuable presented his findings on the

natural heritage bearing the title "The Center Of The Center Ofas the Epicenter of Marine Marine Biodiversity: TheBiodiversity. Philippine Islands" which he co-

Ironically, this precious authored with Victor Springer ofmarine ecosystem housing the the US. Natiorital Museum ofmost diverse species in the world Natural History in Washington,is also the most threatened. **. D.C.

Thus a call to action, for the According to Dr. Carpenter:Philippines to preserve this valu- · "It is very refreshing to find aable heritage, was made via an business, such 'as pearl farming,Environmental Forum that was i that protects biodiversity andheld last February 8,2005, at the + biodensity".Hotel Intercontinental Manila, Through his initial bioticPhilippines where Dr. Kent -MI..„--' I inventory and his comparisonCarpenter, a world-renowned + with surrounding sites, he wasmarine scientist, presented his + able to reveal taxonomically thatfindings in a 10-year study about · there is an abundance of marine

, the "The Center Of The Center 1 + organisms in pearl farms versusOf Marine Biodiversity: The in those areas outside the farms.Philippine Islands". . 1.. 2 '1114 * He conducted his study

1*He also shared his initial , + 1 ,,4014 using the "roving census tech-

t' .findings from a preliminary com- . 1 I - * :Liv, f ,·f underwater using his scuba gear,

nique" where he spent an hourparative scientific study he con- 4 . . L,-*-1: I . 4

ducted in the pearl farm areas, 400 , 42:1493 71 f ·' ,/t#and where he roamed from shal-

which serve as marine protected · low depths at 1 meter down to4 TH · , around 12 to 15 meters, and heareas, versus the unprotected 0,1**i,#All#MWAIU-,_*4616 4 1

areas in Palawan. 1,<. -* 4. simply enumerated every species

The basic finding of the of fish that he saw and recordedstudy is that the Philippine ing some species that have yet to relative abundance.islands located in the Southeast be discovered by scientists. Based Relative abundance is on aAsian marine biodiversity trian- on the findings of this scientific logarithmic scale where "single"gle, has the richest concentration study, one of the most important refers to one, "few"" refers to 2-of marine life on the entire plan- places in the world to focus atten- 10, "many" refers to 10-100,et. The study also found that this tion on conservation, is in thecenter of marine biodiversity has waters of the Philippine Islands. "Environment" to page 6


"Environment"from page 5 maxima in the whole Sulu- the natural marine reserve asSulawesi area since veliger lar- oysters can only produce goodvae drift during 3 weeks in and quality pearls in a pristine

"abundant" to over 100. Sites around the farm up to a distance marine environment.close to pearl oyster baskets typ- of 800 miles downstream due to It is noteworthy that a sym-ically had greater abundance of the prevailing current around biotic relationship betweenfishes. the farm humans and the seas is possible

His conclusion is that pearl as shown in an ecologically-farms, in their own small way, • As a marine protected area, enhancing business such as pearlare a step in the right direction pearl farms provide clean envi- farming.in the conservation and protec- ronment/ habitats that attract a It shows how respect andtion of marine life. variety of marine life to stay and care for the seas can yield real

The importance of a marine seek refuge in these marine jewels in the form of pearls, asindustry such as pearl farming is cocoons long as man takes good care inthat it has a positive impact and preserving this precious ecosys-a pro-active role in marine con- • Cages used primarily in the tem.servation efforts and that it is cultivation of oysters have also Dr. Domingo Ochavillo ofnot too late to reverse the dam- other equally important benefits ReefCheck Philippines also gaveage done to the seas. to the environment where they a brief presentation on the state

According to Ms. Melinda de are placed. These act as cradles/ of the reefs today and how theyLuna, a representative of the shelter and breeding areas for are developing community-basedPhilippine Association of Pearl aquatic flora and fauna monitoring protocol designed toProducers and Exporters measure the health of coral reefs(PAPPE) in her presentation, • Underwater baskets bring con- on a global scale.pearl farms positively impact the tinuous support for attachment ReefCheck Philippines wasmarine ecosystem through three and proliferation of microorgan- developed in 1996 and is now onkey goals: 1) by encouraging isms such as larvae and phyto- in its sixth year of operation andmarine biodiversity, 2) by acting planktons is active in over 60 countries andas biogenerators and 3) by pro- territories throughout the tropi-viding food support for various • Oceanic microorganisms are cal world.marine animals. integral components of marine Attorney Antonio "Tony"

food webs: they are the root of Oposa, founder of Batas-Pearl farming sites result in: the plankton biomass and serve Kalikasan, also gave a brief talk

as nutrients for oysters and on the state of the seas and how• Increase in biodiversity due to other marine animals to thrive. his team are championing thehigh survival rate of young The presence of healthy cause to protect and conserve themarine life because of shelter planktons is essential in the Visayan seas.effect and availability of virgin earth's biogeochemical cycles. Mr. Jose Ma. Lorenzo "Lorie"substrate placed at continuous These planktons prevent extinc- Tan, President of World Wildliferegular intervals which act as tion of marine species and Fund Philippines (WWF Phils.),collector for seaweeds and other ensure the continuous existence also said that it is important tospecies that need to attach to of marine life in their natural balance conserving marine habi-grow glory and rich diversity. tats while thinking of how to pro-

The philosophy behind pearl vide sustainable livelihoods to• Increase in biodensity due to farming lies in the fact that it the people in the neighboringno catch and payao effect of sub- generates and sustains life. It communities and the importancestrate used for oyster cultivation makes sure that the circle of life of enforcing the law on illegalwhich result in a tenfold increase continues far into the future for fishing. ·>in marine stock including edible the coming generations to seefishes that repopulate neighbor- and experience the amazinging seas diversity of Philippine marine Our thanks to Jewelmer Intl. and

life. PAPPE for helping us continue arti-• Regeneration of the stocks of The very nature of a pearl cles of interest on pearling and thethe vanishing species ofPinctada farm is to protect and conserve environment. The Editor


THE PEARL OF ALLAHM ay 7th, 1934: a Muslim Confucius and himself: the leg- series of safe deposit boxes over

Filipino diver named Etem, endary Three Friends. the years, but he won't disclose itsdiving off the island of He told his nephew to place present location, even though he'd

Palawan in the Philippines, made an the amulet securely in a clam. like to unload the gem to a muse-amazing find. Doing so would bring great wealth um or library.

It was a pearl. But not just any and fort:une to his family, he said. How the pearl wound up inpearl. It weighed about 14 pounds The pearl, the story goes, was Colorado is quite a tale: an extra-and was about the size of a toy foot- handed down from generation to ordinary one, if the rumors are toball... 9.4 inches across and some generation growing larger and be believed. It is purportedly a for-five inches wide. larger as it was transplanted into mer amulet of Chinese philosopher

So begins the saga of The Pearl Tridacna clams of ever-increasing Lao-Tzu, who is said to haveof Allah, a fascinating story of the size until the pearl reached is pre- carved his face and those oflargest pearl known to exist, one that sent size. Confucius and Buddha into its sur-includes a wanderer saving the son The pearl is said to have influ- face. It was then planted in succes-of a chieftain and being awarded the enced China's history. sively larger clams for generations;prize as a gift, a Chinese legend, a During the waning years of the convolutions on its surfaceship sunk by a typhoon, a tangled the Sui dynasty, a direct decedent resemble a human brain.ownership dispute that was fought in of Lao-Tse named Lee, legend tells,the Colorado and California courts, had a dream in which the pearla contract killing, and Osama bin spoke to him as a message of theLaden and Saddam Hussein, among Three Friends, foretelling a newothers. dynasty distinguished by a more

We are thankful to Diane and hurnane attitude than had pre-Eve Alfilld for setting us on this trail vailed before, and said a boy toof intrigue. whom Lee had recently offered

shelter would become the secondemperor.

he Pearl of Allah has been The story says the boy was Liensconced in an ocean of leg- Shih-Min, son of the Duke ofTang 4. ....

end. and founder of the Tang Dynasty. W.../.The chief of Palawan took pos- Legend has it the so-called

session of the pearl when it was Pearl of Allah was created as afound near his island and it is said symbol of peace 2,500 years ago in .'that around 1939 a man named ancient China. To Victor Barbish,Wilburn Dowell Cobb saved the the 14-pound gem has been noth-life of the chiefs son and received ing but a big headache.the pearl in gratitude. The football-sized grayish

Cobb's heirs sold it in 1980 to lump has been tied to enoughPeter Hofman, a jeweler from greed, drama and intrigue to rivalBeverly Hills who still owns a 33% any Agatha Christie mystery, According to legend, the pearlinterest in the pearl. Replicas of including two contract killings and was lost in a shipwreck centuriesthe pearl are on display at various a court fight that ended with one of ago, then found in 1934 offmuseums around the world. the largest jury awards of its type Palawan Island in the Philippines

The giant pearl has also been in Colorado history: by a diver who drowned when hecalled the Pearl of Lao Tsu, named "It draws the wrong type of reached into a huge clam to claimafter the legendary sixth-century people," said Barbish, the pearl's it. The clam, the pearl and theB.C. philosopher known as the majority owner who lives in dead diver were pulled to shorefather ofTaoism. Colorado Springs. "It's only a and the island's chief, a Muslim

There are stories in which Lao pearl. It has a nice history. It was who named the pearl, took posses-Tsu, before his death, became made to do something good, appar- sion.weary of the evils of mankind and ently, but what it's been drawing, About five years later, Wilburnhanded his nephew a small amulet it's been terrible." Dowell Cobb saved the life of theupon which the philosopher had Barbish says he kept the pearlcarved representations of Buddha, in a Denver bank vault and a "Allah" to page 8


"Allah"from page 7 form pearls. 'Allah" gives the following explana-Filipinos are proud of production:

chiefs son and was given the pearl ing the largest pearl, first called On Earth, wherever one turnsin gratitude. Cobb's heirs sold it in the Pearl of Allah and is now offi- his eyes and tooks, one meets a1980 for $200,000 to Beverly Hills cially named the Pearl of Lao-tze. magnificent creation, a perfectjeweler Peter Hoffman, who in turn Is it the really biggest pearl? At design with amazing features.sold part ownership to Barbish. about 14 pounds (6.4 kg) there is Allah has created many plant and

The two men formed the now- little doubt. The giant clam, animal species on Earth whosedefunct World's Largest Pearl Co. 7>idaciza gigas, is the only mollusk appearances are splendid. He hasInc. in California and raised money that could have produced such a brought euecything into existence inby selling interests in the pearl to large pearl. It:s shell is so large that a way that man finds pleasure in.investors including Joe Bonicelli. it is often used as an oversized bap- Along with these, many ornamentsThis is where the hist:ory turns tismal font in the South Seas, par- haue been created on Earth bybloody. ticularly in the Philippines, the Allah and haue been giuen into the

The pearl is now part of the only Catholic state in Asia (though s€ruice of men. The pearl, which islargest wrongful-death judgment with large Muslim, Chinese and one of these ornaments, has veryin Colorado history after a jury tribal minorities). interesting features besides its out-recently awarded $32.4 million to In the 1750s Alexander standing beauty.Bonicelli's adult children, who sued Dalrymple described these big The developmental phases ofover the 1975 death of their moth- shells and their pearls. Dalrymple the pearl are amazing. 77te pearl iser in a contract killing. worked for the British East India generally produced by the "pearl

After Bonicelli's death in 1998, Company and in 1758 concluded a oyste,i" of which many kinds exist.police said they determined that peace treaty with the Sultan of The shells ofoysters are quite hard.the decades-old killing was done at Sulu, an archipelago at the south- The composition of their outerhis behest. ern end of the Philippines. His shells, which are uery di/licult to

His children want the pearl account reads in part: open, is calcium carbonate-basedsold so they can be paid the settle- "Manangcy, or keema- called and deters many of their enemies.ment they won against their humba by the Chinese- is a shell- 77te calcium carbonate also playsfather's estate. They plan to use fish generally denominated "cock- an important role in the oyster'sthe money to establish a founda- les" by our voyagers. It is said that formation ofpearls.tion in their mother's name to help on the west coast of Sumatra 71,e oyster is irritated when anabused women and children. [Indonesia] they have been found object or an organism enters inside

Bonicelli left his estate to his so large as to contain 50 gallons in of it. In such situations, it isolatesyoungest daughter, whom he the two shells. I brought to the uninvited guest, as a method offathered with his second wife. England a pair fished at protection, and begins to couer it

Appraisers have valued the Balambangan [in the Philippines], with nacre. This covering process ispearl at up to $60 million. Further each measuring 2 feet, 8 inches. the first phase of the formation ofcourt action will be necessary to The large ones, in general, yield the pearl. The foreign particlesdetermine how the children will pearls of various appearances: the entering the oyster serue as a nucle-receive their money... but it will most beautiful I have ever seen is us for the formation of the pearlshave to include selling the pearl. Lord Pigot's, which weighs 8 dwt. Through the years, the surface of

Barbish just wants to be rid of 17 gr. and is 49/50 of an inch long this nucleus substance will be cou-it, but on his terms. and 38/50 of an inch in diameter." ered with calcium carbonate layers

"We are donating that pearl," An odd choice of measure- forming one on the top of the other.he said. "We don't want the money ments. Who measures things in How is the nacre inside the oys-for it. We want it to go to a charity fi ftieths of an inch? The weight sys- ter made? There are two mainfor everybody to see and view, tem he used is called "penny- ingredients that form the nacreeither a museum or a presidential weight," part of the Troy measur- among the layers of the oyster'slibrary. ing system, still in use for gold and inner tissues. In one layer is a min-

silver. Lord Pigot's pearl weighed eral called "aragonite." the contentHOW IT WAS FORMED 13.5 grams or just under a half an of which is catcium carbonate; in

ounce. The Pearl ofAllah or Lao-tze another layer is an adhesiue sub-Though most people think is rnuch larger. stance "conchiolin, " which holds

pearls only come from "pearl oys- Why The Pearl of Allah appel- the aragonite together in the pearl.ters," they are produced by many lation? Other than this misshapen Since aragonite is a semi-mollusks (shellfish). Both uni- blob actually looking more like a transparent substance,it gives thevalves (snails, whelks and conchs) small brain supposedly having theand bivalves (mussels, clams, oys- likeness of a turbaned individual?ters), both in fresh water add salt, A research site on the word "A"ah" to page 21


THE ANNUAL TUCSON EVENT he Tucson Show is actually a bash in Tucson, our recommenda- vote for Barry Goldwater).

misnomer, as it consists of a tion is to obtain the annual Co/ored · So... if you come to Tucson inwide array of varying exhibi- Stone Tucson Show Guide and February (and we encourage you to

tions at venues scattered across Tucson Survival Guide (www.tuc- do so), come for more than a day orthe width and breadth of Tucson, sonshowguide. com is the official two. As you shall see, it is an amaz-Arizona, over about a three week website where you can obtain infor- ing amalgam of earthly, oceanlyperiod. mation). and man-made treasures on dis-

This event usually begins in And 'Survival Guide" is not an play... in main venues and out-of-very late January and runs to mid- understatement. Tucson is not a the-way nooks and cranniesFebruary, with the major attractions humongous metropolis: its hotels throughout town... for mere dollars(The American Gem Trade and restaurants are always and cents to thousands and tens ofAssociation at the Tucson swamped during this period of time, thousands of dollars... for the begin-Convention Center, and the Gem & and you'll have to gear up your ner and first-time buyer as well asJewelry Exchange a short walk patience quotient and get out your cognoscenti.across the road at Granada Street) people shoehorn to navigate And for cultured pearl enthusi-frequently running the entire first through town. asts, Tucson has the reputation ofweek of February. It used to be even worse (if you being the finest (besides the friend-

And it is not just for dealers of can imagine it): they used to sched- liest and earliest) place to purchasediamonds, colored gemstones and ule The Tucson Gun Show at the loose pearls. Las Vegas in June iscultured pearls. There are count- same time as what used to be bigger and gaudier... but it is hotter,less purveyors of minerals, fossils, called The Tucson Gem Show, and and it does seem to be known morebeads, Indian jewelry, western art, then you had to contend with for its endless arrays of finishedjewelry-making machinery and hordes of both crazed bauble buy- pearl jewelry.materials... you name it, and it's ers and armed rednecks at the So enjoy these insights whichprobably there awaiting you. same time (you must keep in mind incorporate notations and photos

If you want a complete, that many of us here in Arizona still from pearl buyers, experts and affi-detailed overview of what's on and drill in the desert with our long rifles cionados who were present thiswhat's available at this early Spring and Bowie knives, and continue to year in Tucson. THE EDITOR

TUCSON PEARL REPORT 2005by Lois Berger, G.G., NAJA

t the Tucson Gem Show Another petal pearl strand gauging 14x12mm,this year, we could really beige multi-color, very high luster, light blemish,sense the up-beat atmos- excellent match was priced at $450 (see photo #1 on

1 , :W- phere. Buying appeared vigor- page 11). Last year, a 14x12mm petal pearl strand,; ous and dealers felt it was a multi-color, very high luster, light blemish, excellentr much stronger show than last match sold for $400.

a- year. Prices have gone up.In the Chinese Fresh Water Coin CFWCP prices were up also. For example -

Cultured Pearl arena, there was a round circle strands gauging 9.5xlOmm were $75stand-out, hot item called "Petal Pearls". Their per strand; 10xllmm priced at $225 per strand;shape somewhat resembles a dogwood flower petal! 11x12mm priced at $200 per strand and 12x12.6mmThese pearls, 10x10.5 to 10-11mm, white and very were priced at $315 per strand. Last year thehigh luster were priced at US$150 to $170 a strand. 11x12mm coin strand was priced at $150 and theLast year, they were priced at $98 to $105. Luster 12x12.5mm coin strand was priced at $190 Thewas high both years. The petal pearl sizes from prices for larger sizes have gone up.9xll to 11x12mm were priced from $105 to $372 Chinese Fresh Water Cultured Pearls wererespectively.

"Tucson" to page 10


"TUCSOn"from page 9 strand. These pearls actually were nucleated with awhole Chinese Fresh Water Cult:ured Pearl, rather

available in all sizes, ranging from 1.8x2mm to than with the customary shell bead (#7, p. 12). This15x16mm in off-round to round, potato shape, but- was very interesting. We had heard of this beington shape, semi-baroque, baroque and ovals. Very done but had not seen such pearls before.small sizes are not generally cultivated but seem tobe available from old inventory. KESHI-LIKE CFWCPSFor example: a strand gauging 1.8x2mm, button,white, high luster, slight blemish, good match ispriced at $80. Another strand gauging at 2x2.5mm, "Keshi-like" baroque CFWCPs were well repre-off round, very high luster, slight blemish, excellent sented. The natural colors and very high luster ofmatch is priced at $25. the pearls was outstanding. Prices were higher than

Prices do not always correlate with luster con- last year.sistency, roundness, color, blemish and matching. The range of sizes and prices for the "keshi-like"

In larger sizes, from 8x8.5mm and higher, the CFWPs were as follows:pearls became chalky, blemished and were moreprone to potato shape.

The largest CFWCP strand that I saw was 9xl Omm Bronze, beige $15015x16mm. This strand was $200 and not veryappealing. It was off round, white, med-high luster, 10xllmm Silver, white $161very heavy blemish and fair match.

Prices for CFWCPs ranged from $25 to $4,000. 10x13mm White, double pearl $600For example: the $4,000 strand was 13x12mm, off-round to round, pastel colors, very high luster, blem- 12x14mm Peach $525ished, excellent match (#2, p. 11).

We should be aware that CFWCPs are still over- 12x15mm Multi color $1,000produced. The focus is on off-round 5-8mm pearls ofcommercial quality. Prices of these pearls are down. 15-22mm Double-triple pearl $400We have to appreciate that there are CFWCPsthat are round with really high luster, natural colors 18x22mm Triple pastel $500 (#8, p. 11)often-metallic, clean and with excellent matching.One dealer displayed very high-end pearls at theshow. Each strand was a beauty and a collector'sitem. AKOYA

Round CFWCPs are relatively rare and onlyrepresent 5% of total production. In discussing Chinese akoya cultivated pearls,

I looked at eight strands ranging in sizes from one dealer mentioned that close to harvest time the10xllmm to 11.8x14mm. The prices ranged from Chinese akoya are taken out of the warmer Chinese$9,500 to $35,000. waters and transported to colder Japanese waters

The $35,000 strand was 11.8x14mm, round for the last three months of cultivation, resulting inmetallic pink, very high luster, clean, excellent better quality. In colder temperatures, nacre is larmatch (#3, p. 11). ered in a tighter configuration and luster is higher.

The $9,500 strand was 10xllmm, round, metal- Of course, Japan is the main processor of bothlic sunburst color, very high luster, clean and excel- Chinese akoya and Japanese akoya cultured pearls.lent match (#4, p. 11). Every dealer has his own grading system of

A double strand with a diamond clasp priced at Chinese and Japanese akoya pearls.$22,000, measured 10.8xllmm and the second Some dealers only carry high-end pearls. Andstrand measured 11x12mm. The strands were most carry a variety of sizes.round, peach metallic rainbow color, very high lus- I have been told that strands of both Chineseter, clean with an excellent match (#6, p. 11). It is akoya and Japanese akoya cultured pearls areinteresting to note that these two strands are certed mixed - especially in smaller sizes up to 8mm. Inby AGTA. the highest quality strands, from 5x5.5 to 9x9.5mm,

Another CFWCP strand caught my eye. Itlooked like a Japanese akoya cultured baroque pearl "TUCSOn" to page 15


4%7. W 9-f4.

.. An .-'-

#1.14 x12mm, beige multi-color, very high luster, #2. CFWCP 13x12mm, off-round to round, pastel col-light blemish, excellent match CFWCP "Petal Pearls": ors, very high luster, blemished, excellent match:$450. $4,000.

f

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- h - - ,V * .#3. CFWCP 11.8x14mm, round metallic pink, very #4. CFWCP 10xllmm, round, metallic sunburst color,high luster, clean, excellent match: $35,000. very high luster, clean and excellent match: $9.500.

#6. CFWCP 15x12mm, round, rainbow metallic, very #5. Certed CFWCP double strand with diamond clasp.high luster, clean, excellent match: $30,000. 10.8xl 1 mm, round, peach metallic rainbow color, very

high luster, clean with an excellent match: $22,000.All photos © Lois Berger 2005

The International Pearting Journal

,

09

#7. From a CFWCP strand whose pearls were nucleat- #8. A CFWCP "keshi-like" baroque triple strand,ed with whole CFWCPs rather than the customary 18x22mm, multi-pastel, very very very high luster,shell beads. blemished, excellent match: : $500.

--==lin.. V %-

#9. SSCP necklace, 14xl Omm, round, white rosO, #10. Mixed Tahitian, SSCP and CFWCP strand, 11.2xvery high luster, slight blemish, excellent match: 9mm, oval, metallic light pastel, very high luster, very$14,000. slight blemish, excellent match: $3,000.

1

....*#

-

#11. Tahitian SSCPs, 1 lx8mm, off-round to round, #12 . CFWCPs, 13x12mm, off-round, pastel mix, verymixed black with green overtones, very slight blemish, high luster, slight blemish, excellent match: $4,000.excellent match: $6,200.

All photos © Lois Berger 2005


-

#13. Seen at the JCK Show in Phoenix: strands of #13. Lucky Gem's second booth of better Chinesemixed, very nice, smooth CFWP pink drops about 10- goods. I am holding were 10.5-1 1 mm (they also had10.5 mm, mixed with inferiorcercl*e dark grey Tahitian 11-11.5) and cost $1,200/strand for very fine roundSSP drops at the Merit Jewellery (H-K) booth. These goods (down to $800 for merely good ones) with slightwere selling for under a thousand dollars. They were departures from round here and there. But all hadattractive, in spite of not-very-nice Tahitians... a good excellent processing: direct competition for akoyasway to disperse of the latter! rather than SSPs at these sizes.

T

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#15. American Pearl Company's usual large selection #16. You could see many iterations of this look, in lineof U.S. natural pearls, plus smaller deep orange and with the fashion for large gold link chains and thedeep saffron yellow melos... and, of course, conch. emphasis on individual pearls as a fashion statement.

#17. King's Ransom: very accessibly-priced, inventive #18. In the tent at Discovery Inn: many harshly dyedCFWPs including some shell-nucleated with the shells CFWP's abound which are in great favor with beaders.shaped as stars, squares, cats and dogs, etc. Fun! Seen also at the Holidome.

All photos © Maurice Alli116 2005

The International Pearting Journal

4-

0 0

C2005 Fred Ward

Above, left: "The Galaxy Opal is beyond belief.... perhaps the largest and finest boulder opal ever mined. The showprice was $250,000. As you can see with my hand holding it, the piece is huge. No matter the orientation, the faceof this incredible opal is alive with color. Just the best ever.' Above, right: "The following photo shows the newpearls from Jack Lynch at Sea Hunt. What Jack did was to collect pearls from Indonesia, Tahiti, and freshwatersfrom China and blend them together into color fantasy necklaces at $3000/strand. These pastel colors make astunning display and were quite popular with buyers." © 2005 Fred Ward

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Tucson scenes (above, left to right): Eve Alfilla, Fred Ward, Gary Roskin and Gina Latendresse examining goodsat a pearl bo6th; Avi Raz of A&Z Pearls, assistant, and Lois Berger. Below, left to right: Maurice and Eve Alf'116 atImperial-Deltah display; Jack Lynch of Sea Hunt; Fred, Lois and Eve at play; Betty Sue King of King's Ransom.

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Lower 2 rows 01 photos: ©2005 Lois Berger, Maurice Alfilla

The International Pearling Journal -"Tucson"from page 10 SOUTH SEA CULTURED PEARLS

only Japanese akoya cultured pearls are used. South Sea cultured round pearls were not bigsellers at this show; but South Sea cultured keshi

JAPANESE AKOYA PRICES baroques were very popular and were selling verywell.

As we know, trends come and go but I think theOverall, both the prices for the Japanese and popularity of this South Sea cultured pearl segment

Chinese akoya cultured pearls are very stable.The strands listed below were A+ grade. These

was unexpected. The eye-catching baroque keshi

Japanese akoya cultured pearls were round, white - shape always makes a fashion statement.Indonesian farms are now cultivating a smallerwhite rose, very high luster, clean, and excellent

match (16" strands). size first crop of 6 to 8mm. These pearls are in thewater a shorter time for more rapid production.Once these smaller pearls are harvested, it then

4.5x5mm $ 650 - $ 750 allows a larger shell bead to be inserted into that5.5x6mm $ 750 - $ 800 empty pearl sac. This yields a larger second genera-

6x6.5mm $1,000- $1,070 tion pearl of 9 to 14mm.Listed are size and range of prices for SSCPs:

6.5x7mm $1,150- $1,300

7x7.5mm $1,500- $1,690 9.5x13.5mm baroque $900

7.5xBmm $1,750- $2,580 12x9.2mm off round to semi-baroque $2,400

8x8.5mm $2,000- $3,780 12.2xl Omm round $3,600

13.lx10mm baroque $4,500

14.7xll.lmm round $7,600GRADING AKOYA

14.8x12.05mm round $9,600

I am including grading information on Chinese 14xl Omm round $15,000(89, p. 12)akoya and Japanese akoya cultured pearls as sup-

plied by a dealer. 15.7x13.2mm round $19,000

17.7x14mm round $25,000CHINESE AKOYA19x15mm round $94,500

Al grade: more pink- best out of China white- offround - high luster- good match- lightly spotted.

A-B grade: off round- medium spotting- medium- TAHITIAN SOUTH SEA CULTURED PEARLShigh luster- off white- light cream- slight to mediumspotting- fair to good match. The Tahitian South Sea cultured pearls were a

B grade: lower luster- light cream- off round- fair huge success. Buyers and non-buyers alike weredrawn to the booths. Prices were higher this yearmatch-heavy to medium spotting. and business appeared strong.

I saw a terrific metallic light pastel strand thatJAPANESE AKOYA was outstanding. The soft pastel color and very highA grade- high luster- white rose- offround to round- luster conveyed a spring-like spirit. The strand pri-

marily contained Tahitian South Sea culturedmatch good to excellent- very lightly spotted. pearls with some Indonesian and Chinese FreshWater cultured pearls. The strand measuredA+ grade-very high luster round-white rose- 11.2x9mm, oval, very high luster, very slightexcellent match -very lightly spotted.

"Tucson" to page 16


."Tucson"from page 15 SPECIAL THANKS

- blemish, excellent match and priced at $3,000 (#10,p. 12). Gina Latendresse, of the American PearlWe note a big change· in Tahitian SSP quality Company, provided our Pearl Group with an innova-since the creation of the Pearl Ministry in French tive educational experience.Polynesia. The government has stopped the export · Gina showed us a comparative display of pearlof low-quality Tahitian pearls that were heavily size in relationship to weight as measured in grainsspotted or with nacre thickness below 0.8mm. and carats.Some poor quality Tahitian strands are still Each pearl, in an individual open box, progres-available from old inventory. Prices ranged from$275 to $340. sively became larger, in terms of its grain and carat

Size and range of prices for Tahitian South Sea weight. The last pearl weighed in at 58 carats. ItCultured Pearls are listed below: was fascinating to actually see the pearls graduat-

ed in sizes, with full explanation from Gina.All of us thank her very much.

7.5xllmm baroque $340 My sincere thanks also go to the members of ourpearl group: Fuji Voll, Sara Canizarro, Renee

8xlOmm oval $2,500 Newman, Gina Latendresse, Philip Schneider, LoisBerger, Fred Ward, Gary Roskin, Eve and Maurice11x8mm round $6,200 Alfilld, Betty Sue King, Stuart Robertson, Bo Torrey,

(#11, p. 12) Sarabeth Koeth, and K C. Bell.11.9xlOmm round $6,400 I also want to thank all the dealers who were so

very helpful: American Pearl Company, Freeman14x9.3mm round $10,000 Gem Company, King's Ransom, Sea Hunt, Pacific

Pearls, Tara & Sons, Inc., Otimo International,14.8xl 3mm round $13,600 Shogun Trading Company, King Plutarco Inc.,

Adachi American Corporation, Frank Mastoloni &15x16mm round $17,500 Sons, Inc., A&Z Pearls, Inc. and Imperial-Deltah, Inc.16.4x13mm round $24,000 The grading methodology used in this report is

the GIA pearl grading system., and the informationcontained in this report is intended to provide across-section of what is available in the currentpearl market. <·

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Eve Alli!16 (left) at The American Pearl Company booth with:*1'r Gina Latendresse (center) and her mother, Chessy (right).Photo by Maurice Alli!16

"TUCSOn" to page 17

The International Pearling Journal -"Tucson"from page 16

PICKING MY WAY THROUGH TUCSONby Eve Alfille

* ome on The Tucson Show is an annu- pearl jewelry and artwork fromalong al orgy of gems, minerals, and around the globe in a dazzlingwith me pearls. It is where some 80% of display of nearly half a million

-4 as I take you on the world's gems, minerals, pearls, including some whicha whirlwind pearls and fossils are displayed grazed the necks of royalty andtour through for perusal and sale all at once in rnovie stars.

16:, my favorite the first two weeks of February. This would be our last chancepearl bazaar It is arduous, mentally and to see this exquisite array, and

which takes place every physically exhausting to slog for some of us, a welcome oppor-February in friendly, sunny, through and select from such an tunity to see it again in a nearbysouthern Arizona. Dealers are indoor and outdoor compendium, location (we'd held a Societyscattered helter-skelter through- yet I do it every spring! Call me event at The Field Museum hereout the town, so be sure to bring driven, call me (and some 30,000 in Chicago when 'Pearls" wascomfortable walking shoes (and others) obsessed! there), so we planned an all-daycash, as some of the smaller, out- I always bring back sorne excursion aboard a charteredof-the-way purveyors do not han- amazing booty from my visits to bus, with lunch at a nice restau-dle credit cards or travellers' this incredible show for a very rant and a viewing of Santiagochecks.., but- on the plus side- it good reason. It is called The Calatrava's addition to theis with these folks that you can Pearl Society, an expansive group Milwaukee Art Museum on theoften strike the best bargains!). of pearl aficionados which meets lakeshore on April 10th.

Are you ready? Let us begin. several times a year at our Anyhow, back to Tucson.Every year at the AGTA gallery in Evanston, Illinois, to It's quite an unusual venue. I

show in Tucson, there is a semi- hear expert speakers (and- even clipped an article from theofficial Pearl Walk. About a dozen sometimes- interesting amateur Tucson paper this year: someof us pearl experts (renowned collectors) on the subject of buyers, visiting one of the manywriters, appraisers, dealers, and pearls. Or to visit interesting motel-room dealers' exhibits,yours truly) meet at ten o clock pearl venues. asked to 1011 for a moment on- lit-on Friday morning of the show, At the Tucson Show every erally- a bed of pearls. Therefor a tour led by appraiser and year I almost always make many were strands and strandspearl specialist Lois Berger. contacts with future Pearl massed on the bed, too tempting

Lois will have scouted out Society speakers: another good in their sensuousness. Wherepearls worthy of note, innova- reason to come to the desert in else on earth could one sampletions in culture, quirks of pricing, February. such an extravagance?and other interesting pearl news. Speaking of The Pearl In general this year, ChineseThe group then travels from Society, a number of members of pearls were a vital focus of inno-booth to booth to view the pearls the Society expressed an interest vation: on the one hand the raceand hear the dealers explain in an organized trip to toward ever larger round pearlstheir finds. Milwaukee as the famed "Pearls" with their many hues; on the

We handle the pearls, check exhibition opened there March other, the realization that inter-them for luster, appraise their 5th.. its last venue before trav- esting non-traditional pearlmerits, and compare notes. elling to Tokyo and London. shapes are finally finding anPhotographs are taken which Held at the Milwaukee enthusiastic market.will appear in trade magazines. Public Museum until June 26 of Long gone are the "RiceWe are the few, the happy few, this year, the exhibition groups Krispies" pearls of the '70's;and pearl bonding is taking rare and fascinating pearls, moreplace. than 600 magnificent pieces of "Tucson" to page 18


"TUCSOn"from page 17 ter quality showroom. water, tissue nucleated, which IAt the American Pearl can sell for $1800, retail, strung

Chinese pearls are finding new Company (see photo, p. 14): with an interesting handmaderespect. And they were there in smaller melos, a couple of thou- gemstone clasp.profusion throughout Tucson. sand dollars each. Plus conch, . Only one strand was avail-

Some notes and jottings on naturals and cultured Tennessee able. They are very dramaticallymy peripatetic travels this year: freshwater pearls. We were told shaped and have high luster, andThe Lucoral exhibit seems more that they've discontinued trian- warm colors, purple to orange.subdued these days. Johnny Lu's gle shapes ("Christmas treeson is now the designen There pearls") as they're too hard towere many styles on display, produce.most notably the Starbucks logo Gina Latendresse's special -_.r 2-4 112' Von one of the WishPearl pack- challenge has been to assembleages! Now there's a totally new from her and John's collection of ij'- -1,04marketing combination: good cof- natural, perfect, round American 4 Iiifee and pearls! pearls an entire display to illus- 7 ¢!

At Imperial-Deltah (see trate for those who care about &+9 61 -photo, p. 14), Banice Bazar's son, such matters what a one grain

'9'13, r_Peter, brought in a lot of nice natural pearl looks like, two 6=2-Chinese pearls to update grains, three grains, etc., all the W' Wrll'*<74 f LImperial-Deltah's stock. Their way up in weight and size.best sellers are fine jewelry that Quite a feat! We were all mighti- The other two are Kasumis Ihappen to have pearls in them, ly impressed. got, one last year, one this year.mostly pav6 diamond pieces with At Avi Raz's A&Z Pearls with a good range of colors anda single pearl... very trendy! (see photo, p. 14): Avi now stocks the interesting textures peopleThis jewelry is made in Italy and fine FWP. "What can you do?" are mad fon To me they appearis very fine indeed. says the man noted for his fine as the bud of a peony, just before

At both Tucson and at the akoya. He showed us the five it opens, crinkled and pleated inJCK Show in Phoenix I saw large round multicolor pearls a very tactile way.many new pearl combina- hung from a large open link gold I assembled the strandstions: the H-K company with chain, a fashion look this year myself, one with more light andTahitians mixed with pink fresh- (see photo #16, p. 13). But his dark colors and tonal contrast,waters in similar drop shapes, heart is still with Japanese one more pitched to the mauveswholesaling about $400-$600 akoya! and bronzes. They have been(see photo #13, p. 13). They also - The booth where Fuji Voll retailing for $6,000 to $7,000,had nice pink drops- undrilled - holds sway is a favorite stop but in view of Fuji raising theby lot, about $20 to $30 each, every year. Here is where he dis- prices quite dramatically, I maymostly peach tones, with great plays what used to be termed have to reconsider (he was ask-skin. Kasumigara or Kasumigara-ura ing $8,000 wholesale for his top

In Tucson at the Discovery pearls, but since this has most strand, slightly smaller thanIn, the Lucky Gem gyoup had a likely become a trademarked these).special room for nicer CFWPs: up name, they're now called, simply,to 10:5 -11mm. For good luster, Kasumis.fine color CFWPs: $1,200 for the Anyhow, the Kasumis of *3 ' -·4 ·'

truly round. For akoya-like 10.5- Fuji's and Sarah's were $8,00011mm strands, almost all round,

wholesale this year..: higher than s, ,\, . . , - -?,11$800; $400-$600 for the ovals in previous years, probably(still nice, but too un-round). As reflecting higher demand. I have 1.

. 'TZ,

always, ohe will pay less for larg- bought some Kasumis in the - .,cr, :, -"er quantities. recent past, and have not been

Lucky Gem also had huge disappointed in their receptiondisplays of lower price/quality by clients. -ffgoods in the Holidome, quite , The first are my "Bird ofremoved from their smaller, bet- ,Paradise" pearls: Chinese fresh-

"Tucson" to page 19

The International Pearting Journal -"TUCSOn"from page 18 It was interesting for me to deep cream, quite consistent. I

see a whole display of these saw coin pearls of that hue at44.\

ed in their signature categories, shade had been around but notPaspaley SSPs, carefully market- other venues, and wonder if this

*Cr with knock-your-eyes-out huge noticed or encouraged until now.strands highlighted at the cor- Or if it represents a new locationners of the booth, one· per show- or new culturing trick... or, heav-

15 case! en forbid, a new processing trick!

tion even more were the twin very large and extremely lus-But what retained my atten- Marc continues to show the

V' bowls of highly baroque trous strands and layouts he haslib Australian goods, normally not been assembling through his

available, awaiting the adven- many yearly trips to Chineseturous. Alas, my budget was farms.already overstretched! And of course, one cannot

Kasumis are extremely pop- Ifyou love to see what is new miss the other pole of pearl nov-ular among my sophisticated and edgy in pearls, you have to, elty and fun: King's Ransom,clients; they don't look like any- of course, head for Seahunt where Betty Sue King enjoysthing else, are very flattering to first! Trust Jack Lynch to come great success with every kind ofmost complexions, are large up with something new each fashion-oriented pearl in bothenough for a middle-aged woman year - he has great imagination natural and treated colors. Coin-to wear seriously, not so formal and good sources. shaped?' Of course. Star-shaped?that you can't wear them every This year he was proudly She has it. Doggy and kitty-day, and - most importantly- are showing off a new twist on his shaped? Ditto. Not to mentionguaranteed to elicit comment! elegant multicolor strands: sticks and stones and squares

At the.Otimo booth, Albert instead of the bronzes, greens and so forth. Fun, fun, fun! MnTsai displayed fine goods, though and blues of all-Tahitian pearl Mikimoto must' be spinning innot as astonishing as last year. assemblages, Jack went all out his grave!Albert is known for the quality and married pastels in totally This concludes my trippingand quantity of his excellent new harmonies: «Easter egg the pearls fantastic throughoutround multicolor CFWPs. pearls; you might say Yes, gold- Tucson. I must end here, as IPerhaps I was becoming jaded: ens, and lemon-hued, and have much work to do for mygoods of almost similar types Chinese pinks, and the palest clients and am far, far behind;were showing up in so many Tahitian pistachios...an amazing and as usual I have spent tooplaces this year! But Mr. Tsai is feat considering the quality and much money on my new acquisi-still a consistent source of the luster at the very reasonable tions during my annual pearlfinest goods, in medium to large price of $2500 to $3000 for sizes hunt... but won't it be grand funsizes, and at very reasonable from 9mm toll mm. for the rest of the year?prices. · Marc Freeman at Freeman Tucson is a happening place

The Stuller booth was show- Gems was introducing entire for pearllovers. See you thereing Paspaley pearls at the AGTA, strands of what seems. to be a next year! Affectionately,explaining their qualities and new Chinese color on the market:offering some baroques available large round pearls in a lightonly at this show. golden hue, actually a pleasing --

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The International Pearling Journod

"Famous" from page 3 Henry VIII's daughter, Mary The Mary Queen of ScotsTudon Pearls

Columbus back in irons. It was purchased in 1969 forIt is said to have been $37,000 by actor Richard Burton These pearls are one of the

destroyed when the Spanish for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, earliest known collections ofpalace burned down in the 18th who owns it today. She nearly pearls, of which the most famousCentury. lost it forever several years ago. piece was a six-strand necklace

Frantically searching for the designed as a rosary consisting ofThe Joman Pearl misplaced gem, she found it in over 600 pearls.

her dog's mouth. Many pieces of the originalThe Joman Pearl of Japan is La Peregrina was featured collection were purchased from

the oldest pearl known to exist, quite prominently in the Pearls the de Medicis by Queendating back some 5,500 years. exhibition which toured through Elizabeth I of England, who was

the US., and our friend, Fred an avid pearl lover.The La Pellegrina Pearl Ward, is noted for his prize pho-

tograph of the glamorous Ms. The Morgan-Tiffany PearlsThe La Pellegrina ("The Taylor wearing this extraordi-

Incomparable") Pearl weighs nary bauble. This collection, made possi-111.5 grains. ble by J. Pierpont Morgan and

This perfectly spherical, sil- The La R*gente Pearl the famous jewelry company,ver gem was found off the coast Tiffany, includes 557 Northof South America and was once The La R6gente pearl is a American freshwater pearls.part of the Spanish crown jewels. natural oval pearl weighing a They, and about 1,500 othersIt was brought to Russia from hefty 337 grains. in the extensive collection, areIndia in the 18th Century, and Napoleon bought it in 1811 now displayed at the Americanwas known as The Zozima Pearl, for his second wife, Empress Museum of Natural History innamed after the Czar's jewelen Marie Louise, to be set in her New York.

It was lost for a while, but imperial tiara.resurfaced and was sold by Along with most of the The Pearl of AllahChristie's auction house in 1987 French crown jewels, it was soldfor $463,800. at auction in 1887 to Russian The Pearl of Allah is the

jeweler Peter Carl Faberga and largest pearl on record. It wasThe La Peregrina Pearl was later sold in 1988 by recovered from a 160-lb. giant

Christie's auction house for clam by a pearl diver in 1934 offThe La Peregrina («The $859,100. Palawan Island in the

Pilgrim") Pearl, has a long, color- Philippines.ful history that started in Spain The Mancini Pearls This gem is 23.8 cm long,and ended up in Hollywood. weighs about 14 pounds, and is

This large, pear-shaped These two large drop-shaped now called the Pearl of Lao-tze.white pearl of 203.84 grains was pearls (which have nothing to do A Palawan chieftain gave thefound off the coast of Panama in with the noted film composer, pearl to Wilbur Dowell Cobb inthe mid-16th Century and was Henry Mancini) are set as ear- 1936 as gift for having saved thebrought to Spain's King Phillip II rings and were originally owned life of his son. In 1980, Cobb'swho presented it as a wedding by the de Medicis, the ruling heirs sold it to a Beverly Hillsgift to his wife, Queen Mary. family of Florence. jeweler for $200,000.

It belonged to Queen Maria de Medici brought It is now estimated by theMargaret of Spain as well as them to France when she mar- San Francisco Gem LaboratoryJoseph Bonaparte, the King of ried Henry the IV in 1600, and to be worth $40 to $60 million.Spain. they then went to her daughter,

Later it was acquired by the Henrietta Maria, when she mar- The Pearl ofAsiaBritish Marquis of Abercorn ried King Charles I of England.from the son of French emperor Christie's auction house sold This 2,400 grain, eggplant-Napoleon III. And at one point it these earrings in 1969 forwas in the possession of King $333,000. "Famous" to page 23

The International Pearling Journal -"Allah"from page 8 the buying and selling of bank ested and serious buyer for the

debt, and who were asked by Pearl ofAllah. The purchasepearl a shiny Look. It is surely Barbish if they knew of anyone price quoted directly to our buyerthought prouoking that these two who might be interested in buying is $60,000,000 USD. There shallsubstances are produced by the oys- the pearl. bd a commission payable to Bhakter (a composition ofshell and /Zesh Barbish claims Soria and Development of ten percent uponthat doesn't even haue a brain) and Bhak received the offer in 1999 the consummation of the sale ofthen they come together and form from bin Laden through Latif said pearl."such a beautiful object as a pearl Faed, an Iranian immigrant who A followup lettkr reads: 'Vic,by covering a mere small particle was starting a chain of gasoline- i)lease be advised that Latif FaedTlze pearl that an oyster produces station stores in California, and and his associate, Azad Amiri, arefor the purpose ofprotection is cre- Faed's friend Azad Amiri. He says diligently working on making theated as an aesthetic ornament for Faed and Amiri told him they were necessary wire transfer of the $12man. a "direct connection" to bin million USD into the account

Allah draws attention to the Laden's people, and that two bin established for [Saddam's contactpearl with the verse in the Qur'an Laden agents would meet Barbish Muhammed] Faed at PaineFom out of them come glistening in Denver to ensure he had the Webber in Boulder Creek, CO."pearls and coral" (Surat ar- pearl and coordinate a $12 million Barbish claims after severalRahman: 22). Furthermore, the deposit toward its purchase. exchanges between himself,pearl is also mentioned in the Barbish also says a man who Soria, Latif Faed, andQur an as one of the ornaments of identified himself as Muhammed Muhammed Faed, a meeting withParadise Faed, a contact for Saddam two bin Laden agents coming

Other faiths revere pearls as Hussein in London, was involved from overseas was set up aroundsacred objects. In the Bible, Jesus in the negotiations and told December 1999. He says he toldtells a parable about a "Pearl of all partiesGreat Price" (Matthew 13:44-51). involved he

And Peter Hoffman, one of the would want toowners of this legendary pearl, meet personallyadmits that since the pearl came with bin Ladeninto his possession, he has become h before sellinga more "spiritual person."

-1 +1-9 0 +the pearl.

Barbish saidTHE AL-QAIDA CONNECTION f he never heard

anything furtherBut the oddest twist of all in about the rneet-

this tale of the Pearl of Allah con- ing. He said hecerns Osama bin Laden trying to was later toldpurchase it as a gift to SaddamHussein "to unite the Arab cul- ,. the two men,

whose names hetures." And Hussein was never knew,prepared to accept it, according to Barbish that Hussein was pre- were caught trying to illegallythe pearl's owner. pared to accept the pearl as a enter the US. from Canada. The

Victor Barbish, who owns 66% token of unity with bin Laden. US. Immigration and Customsof the pearl on behalf of his daugh- Barbish purportedly has a Enforcement and FBI could notter, tells that he received an offer series of signed faxes from Soria verify the arrests.in 1999 from individuals who said on Bhak Development stationery At the time, it was reportedthey were "from bin Laden's detailing the status of the pur- that an Algerian man, Ahmedgroup" to purchase the pearl for chase: "Vic, I just spoke with Ressam, who was accused of try-$60 million to give to Hussein as Latiff, our contact man for Ben ing to smuggle bomb-makingan overture of unity between al- Laden [sic]. He said that he will materials into the United StatesQaida and the Iraqi government. know by Friday when Mr. Laden is from Canada and may have been

Barbish says the offer was pre- contacted. Then it is just the mat- an al-Qaida agent, was arrestedsented to him in September 1999 ter of working out the logistics to at the border with Washington.by Allen Bhak and Alex Soria of sell and move the Pearl ofAllah· to The FBI suspected Ressam hadBhak Development, who at the the real buyer- Ben Laden," read an accomplice.time were reportedly soliciting an one document dated Sept. 8, 1999. Grace Cook, a broker whoinvestment from Barbish in a busi- : Another, dated two weeks introduced Barbish to Soria andness that promised large returns later, states: "This is to officiallyon a European program involving inform you that we have an inter- "Allah" to page 22


"Allah"from page 21 they have not heard from Soria they reported the offer to the FBI. since 2001 and don't know of his and several other US. agencies in

whereabouts. Associates of Soria California, Washington, D.C., andwas privy to some of the pearl say he is in Las Vegas. An address Florida. They have a letternegotiations, said she thought there was found in his name, but addressed to US. Customs and toRessam may have been one of the attempts to reach him have been an FBI agent in Concord, Calif.,men sent to authenticate the pearl. unsuccessful. near Bhak's businass.

Bhak, who now heads · Latif Faed, who now owns a A spokeswoman for the FBI inCosmopolitan Realty in Pleasant chain of gasoline stations in San Francisco says the agencyHill, Calif., says he was not direct- California, denied he ever made received contacts from Svihus, butly involved in the negotiations for contact with any bin Laden associ- couldn't elaborate. An agent in thethe sale of the pearl, and doesn't ates. He says he was approached in FBI's Concord satellite officeknow of any bin Laden offen He 1999 by Soria, who at the time was remembers receiving a memo fromsaid he remembers an offer was trying to get Faed a loan to open a Svihus, but said it was referred tomade through Soria, who he says chain of gasoline stores. the FBI in Denver.represented himself as an inde- "Alex said maybe bin Laden Barbish said he was told not topendent consultant for , Bhak might buy the pearl, he has a lot of go public about this soonerDevelopment, but claimed he did- money. I said if I find someone who "because of ongoing investigationsn't know from where the offer orig- knows bin Laden I'd let them into Bhak, Faed and Soria."inated. know. 1 thought I would know

"Everything went through someone. I asked Amiri, who wasAlex," said Bhak. "I do remember my friend from Berkley, and he this amazing bauble. Ourthe names Latif Faed and Amiri,

nd so ends much of this tale of

said no. And that was it." thanks to the Alfilld ladies forbut I never talked to them. I had Bruce Svihus, president of steering us onto it... and who reportnothing to do with them." Renaissance Brokerage that, according to a Pearl Society

Barbish claims Bhak was International in Colorado and a friend, Dan Telleen of Vail,directly involved in all aspects of consultant and adviser to Barbish, Colorado, the dispute is now set-the purchase offer, and that Bhak says he listened on the phone in tied. Interested parties may con-told him he met in his offices sev- October 1999 from Barbish's house tact Dan at: (970) 476-4760,eral times with Faed and Amiri. during several conversations www.karatsvail.com. Or you may e-

Barbish, together with other between Barbish, Bhak, Soria, mail irish@ karatsvail.com to makeassociates, is now suing Soria and Latif Faed, Muhammed Faed and purchase inquiries. If you want toBhak, along with the Wells Fargo Amiri, all, he says, discussing in read more, go online to Google andBank, alleging a trading scheme detail the coordination of the bin type in "The Pearl of Allah: *he says they headed, in which Laden offer, and throughBarbish says he invested over $9 Muhammad Faed, the transfer of Sources. Eve and Diane Alfilld; WorldNetmillion, was a fraud. the pearl to Hussein. 1)ibune: islamcan: The Springfield News-Leader

Daily.com. The Associated Press: The Denver

Both Bhak and Barbish say Both Barbish and Svihus say Jewelmer International; The Manila Times.

VVe al#,ways suspecled Ihi; In all lhE VERIL Ihal #me vt= 1,131, n,Ad,- ial.,Inf-- -ind TI 111 Irtl ill 4, LI,nfirm, 11 thi,t ibel=In baftling people , ,liD le=pecled digniond) r·Flore ivtn Ihi' nillrt trliencnit_d Ici„, ILT 14uuld litIhan per!16 But now we I nul lol hule' The Eddor uniblr' lii cll=tiligul.-h th,-n, Irilnl li,ph 41:LL[Ill nil-

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p,ilip Ilitil -[1 di_imi,Ild ul p,-rl, I+ rulul nod i I,trit, r noll'ir' to the 1-11 91-papt-r linli, .Ii:,11111 th it the'Tll, t-Hil rriate 4 2 1 Hrat di,unond , ultal,ll- Ilir prill·,-ES 14 Blmt|Fir 11, a cutl-Ing-t-dirp 1*1Lhniq,Ii, liir

Fin ingak,ult,ullt ring th:lt might Lliwt -1,4 Ililll in n cri i,tlng Indu-Irlill d.linliinrls Knni-n as ihimILH.|JI fPin' store fi lr R , littl,- liT 1,511, tl i& di rt„r rupnrt 1:apilr depi,31+I,Inid.1, liriggid til tlil= t=11,1,ild, hlih h,M Fl,in us DI 11711:nd Lrl Pt.n|- 13-F Ii,rmud lilin, Lirhun.uL.h EL|Unit-: 118 DUrK H-UllIERS SHI 11_IT nli,mn ' sh,- i plained hi lho tnhlnld ind rliIAANGELI rirrippinill:1 -Irt- 11-,clirrl iritli c rbiin

1-*Lmil|"gicts arL -ud bi h 1, i i nnlined thi Ilun, III 4/1 1 11 11'1'rT I

The International Pearline Journal

"Famous"from page 20 Roseate Pearl a cross, and were from Australia.

shaped pearl, mounted on a The fabled Roseate Pearl isgroup of golden branches and perfectly round, pink Pincta<la The Star of Asia Pearlleaves, decorated with jade and a maxima pearl from Broome,large pink quartz cabochon, Western Australia. This is the world's largestbelonged to the last Chinese Allegedly several of The Pinctada pearl, weighing in atempress. Roseate Pearl owners died while 2,400 grains (5.5 ounces). It is

Not having been seen in in possession of the gem, so a shaped like an eggplant.years, some speculate it is hidden curse is linked to it, much likein a Chinese museum or a that of the Hope Diamond.European bank. The Roseate Pearl's last pur- The Star of the West Pearl

ported owner, Abraham Davis,The Queen Pearl died when The Koombana, an Another famous Broome

Australian ship, went down in a pearl (also known by that name),The Queen Pearl is among cyclone. The Star of the West was found

the first significant pearls found The ship's wreckage has by a Japanese diver in 1917 whoin the United States, creating a never been found and The was working for «The Australianpearl rush in New England. Roseate Pearl was rumored to be Pearl King," James Clark.

This pink gem weighs 93 onboard.grains and was discovered in Some question whether it1857 in Notch Brook, New actually ever existed. The Thiers Pearlsjersey.

Tiffany bought The Queen The Thiers pearls were madePearl, then probably sold it to The Sara Pearl into a necklace for MadameCartier in Europe. It ended up in Thiers, the wife of France's firstthe collection of Empress This drop-shaped gray pearl president.Euganie of France in the mid- weighing 220 grains was found Now in the Louvre, this neck-1850s. Eugdnie gave it to an near Isla Margarita off lace is made up of three strandsAmerican friend, Thomas Evans, Venezuela. of 145 large, almost perfectlywho helped her escape from Although its whereabouts round, graduated natural pearls.France during the revolution in today are unknown, it is most1870. likely «Pearl Number 3" which

Evans, a Philadelphia den- was illustrated by French author The Van Buren Pearlstist, bequeathed his collection of Jean Baptiste Tavernier in hispearls and gems to the 7>auels in India in the 17th The Van Buren pearls werePhiladelphia Dental School, and Century. strung into a necklace a given as·some of the items were sold to a gift to widowed Presidentthe Cooper-Hewitt Museum in Martin Van Buren, who immedi-New York where it resides today. The Southern Cross Pearls ately turned them over to theAlthough a large pink pearl in its US. government.collection isn't identified as The These nine natural baroque They are now part of an exhi-Queen Pearl, experts believe that P. maxima pearls were so named bition of First Ladies' inauguralit probably is this legendary gem. because they were fashioned into gowns at the Smithsonian. *

April 10th Just back trom a trip to Search tor the Pertect Pearl "Manila to visit with Jacques Branellec It is an amazing story ot dillgentot Jewelmer International who kindly research and unusual efforts to produceInvited Fred Ward and myself to visit not only the fabled Philippine goldenhis tive pearl tarms In Palawan pearl, but also the fight to preserve the

Our ne*t ISSUe will feature "The precious tarm environment

3

VICENZA ORO I16. - 23.01.2005 Die - '' MI 6*Halle 1, Stand 3017 ,

BASEL WORLD C -,31.03.- 07.04.2005

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00110 ef--OGerman Section The -VICENZA ORO 11 r m11. - 16. 06. 2005 .Halle 1, Stand 3017

TEST THE BESTI connection.

KOHLE DESIGN (cifitill VilmQUALITYBEAUTY 4/ I . 41»ina Hersteller von SIGN

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Manufacturer of NEW & FRESHI , , *r 4*closps and iewellery pki- ..1....,49t1. Kahle GmbH & Co.KG E.8 * 'LOT,Postfach 10 10 26D 75110 Pforzheim/GerAany,Tel. +49-7231-60 02-0Fox +49-7231-60 02-44Illp://vmw.koehle.com *3IE-Mail: [email protected] Bttal.M

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