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THIS IS AN AVERAGE PEARL FARM IN ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA. IT IS TYPICAL; AN OLD RICE FIELD THAT WAS DUG OUT 50 INCHES DEEPER THAN WHEN RICE WAS GROWN THERE 20 YEARS AGO!
WE VISIT OUR PEARL BUYING OFFICE IN YIWU, CHINA, MANY TIMES EACH YEAR. WE TIME OUR VISITS TO COINCIDE WITH THE MIDDLE TO LATE PORTION OF THE CURRENT HARVESTS TO BE ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON THE LARGE QUANTITIES TO BUY THE BEST FOR LESS.
IT HAS ALWAYS FASCINATED ME THAT MOST OF THE DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PRISTINE PEARL FARMS LOCATED ON POSTCARD TYPE SCENERY ARE IN THE IMAGINATION ONLY!
THE PICTURE ABOVE SHOWS ONE OF THE ABOVE AVERAGE FARMS IN EYE APPEAL. THERE ARE A FEW MORE ATTRACTIVE ONES DOTTED THROUGHOUT ZHEJIANG PROVINCE WHERE OVER 85% OF ALL THE WORLDS PEARL ARE PRODUCED TODAY. HOWEVER, THE VAST MAJORITY OF FARMS ARE SIMPLY OLD RICE FIELDS DUG OUT TO ONE TO TWO METERS DEEP!
THE FLOWERY LANGUAGE THAT IS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE BEAUTIFUL PEARL FARMS IN CHINA WHERE MANY EBAY SELLERS PRETEND TO BUY THEIR PEARLS SEEMS TO RAISE MUCH DOUBT AS TO THEIR EXPERIENCE OR KNOWLEDGE OF FRESHWATER PEARLS.
I DID FIND TWO FARMS IN NOVEMBER, 2007, FAR UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS, EAST OF ZHUJI, THAT DO FIT THE BEST IDEALS OF BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS AND THE PRODUCTION OF BEAUTIFUL PEARLS. HOWEVER, THESE RARE EXAMPLES OF CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER AND BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS ARE LESS THAN 1% OF THE 140 FARMS WE HAVE VISITED SO FAR. MOST OF THE OLD RICE FIELDS NOW USED FOR PEARL PRODUCTION HAVE VERY MURKY WATER THAT VARY IN COLOR FROM ALGAE GREEN TO CLAY RED TO UGLY MUD BROWN.
YEARS AGO, WHEN I STARTED VISITING CHINA FOR PEARLS FOR OUR OWN JEWELRY FACTORY IN THE PHILIPPINES, I ANTICIPATED FINDING THE GORGEOUS SMALL RIVERS AND PRISTINE LAKES I HAD READ ABOUT IN INTERNET PEARL SELLERS WEBSITES. NOW, MANY YEARS LATER, TWO IS ALL I HAVE FOUND, ALTHOUGH WE ARE PROBABLY THE MOST ACTIVE BUYER DIRECTLY FROM SMALL PEARL FARMS IN THE ENTIRE PROVINCE.
THE BEAUTY OF THE CHINESE PEARL FARMS OF ZHEJIANG SEEM TO BE AS MUCH A MYTH AS MOST OF THE OTHER READILY AVAILABLE INFORMATION ABOUT FRESHWATER PEARLS. I DOUBT THERE IS ANOTHER PRODUCT THAT CARRIES SO MANY FALSEHOODS WITH THEM TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION...THE CONSUMER.
THE FALSE INFORMATION FOR ALL TYPES OF PEARLS, GIVEN BY PEARL SELLERS AROUND THE WORLD EACH DAY, IS STAGGERING. PEARL INFORMATION AT ALL LEVELS ALL THE WAY TO TOP END JEWELERS IN THE UNITED STATES IS SADLY LACKING IN TRUTH.
SOME OF THE MYTHS THAT I WILL ADDRESS IN COMING GUIDES ARE:
BLACK TAIHAITIAN PEARLS...WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? NOT FROM TAIHAITI!
ARE THEY NATURAL OR ARE THEY DYED? THE ANSWER MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE TO SWALLOW FROM THOSE WHO PURCHASED A $50,000 PLUS STRAND OF GORGEOUS BLACK TAIHAITIAN PEARLS!
WHERE DOES YOUR LOCAL JEWELRY GET THEIR INFORMATION, (OR MISINFORMATION), ABOUT THE PEARLS THEY SELL?
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE INFORMATION THEY FREELY DISEMINATE TO POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT NATURAL PEARL NECKLACE IS SOMEHOW TAINTED? SURELY NOT. GOODNESS GRACIOUS!
THE TRUTH ABOUT AKOYA PEARLS, INCLUDING MIKIMOTO PEARLS...ARE THEY REAL PEARLS? (I MAY WRITE THAT ONE WITH A GHOST NAME, OTHERWISE THE NASTY NINJA'S MAY AGAIN APPEAR AND I MAY HURT MY BACK AGAIN... TOSSING THEM OUT THE WINDOWS!)
HOW ARE SOUTH SEA PEARLS MADE? HOW MUCH OF A $120,000 STRAND OF SS PEARLS IS NACRE OR REAL PEARL MATERIAL?
HOW ABOUT FRESHWATER PEARLS? IF THEY ARE THE ONLY REAL CULTURED 100% NACRE PEARLS...HOW CAN THEY BE SO CHEAP COMPARED TO AKOYAS AND SOUTH SEA PEARLS THAT HAVE BEEN THE STORE OF VALUE FOR OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS?
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE AN OYSTER TO PRODUCE A 7 MM AKOYA PEARL?
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE AN OYSTER TO PRODUCE A 7 MM FRESHWATER PEARLS?
JUST A HINT ON FRESHWATER PEARLS...THEY ARE TRULY THE BEST OVERALL VALUE IN THE WORLD TODAY COMPARED TO ANY OTHER TYPE OF PEARLS.
PLEASE DO NOT GET ME WRONG, WE SELL FRESHWATER, AKOYAS, AND EVEN THE BEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE PEARLS IN THE WORLD...NATURAL GOLD PHILIPPINE SOUTH SEA PEARLS! BEAUTY IS STILL IN THE EYE (AND POCKETBOOK) OF THE BEHOLDER. FOR SOME, THE FACT THAT THEY PAID OVER $200,000 FOR A STRAND OF PRIMO 20 MM BLACK TAIHITIANS OR 18 MM GOLDEN PHILIPPINE SOUTH SEA PEARLS MAKES THE PIECE SPECIAL TO THEM.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE REAL ANSWERS... PLEASE VOTE FOR OUR GUIDES. THE FASTER THE VOTES PILE UP, THE MORE QUICKLY I WILL DIVULGE THE SECRETS OF PEARLS THAT FEW KNOW AND EVEN FEWER WILL DARE TO SHARE.
HAVE A GREAT DAY, DAD
Guide created: 12/20/07 (updated 08/28/08)
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