Welcome! We are passionate about pearls and committed to helping you increase your share of this market.
It is our belief an enhanced knowledge of the cultured pearl product category results in greater sales and an increased passion for pearls.
Soufflé Pearls
A new product showed up on the market. This product is quite unique. The center of the pearl is mud.
When drilled the mud leaches out leaving a hollow light weight pearl. I feel the next step should be to back fill the pearl with resin to give it weight and stability.
This process is the same as is done in stabilizing Mabe Pearls.
How They are created.
“First a coin pearl is grown in the mussel and, after it is harvested, there is a pearl sack.
Previously, the choices would be to insert a bead nucleus for a ‘fireball’ pearl or put it back in the water with no nucleus in hopes of a keshi.
With this process, nucleators take pond muck, form a dried hard mass and insert that as a nucleus.
As the pearl forms, water seeps into the area with the nucleus and dissolves the muck.
When the pearl is drilled, the muck drains, leaving negative interior space.
The walls of these new hollow pearls are actually quite stable at about 3 mm thick, adding that only one or two pearls can grow per shell, with cultivating time of about two years.
Sizes range from 13 mm to 20 mm plus.
Soufflé pearls were a big draw at the AGTA show in Tucson this year. Moments after the show opened,
the gem press lined up to have a look at the newest entry in the high-end Chinese freshwater cultured pearl market.
Displaying beautiful colors and ranging in size from 13 to 20 millimeters, the pearls garnered the immediate attention of buyers.
Talk among pearl industry insiders exploded in the days leading up to the show because these attractive pearls hide a dirty secret-muck!
Pond muck has been dried into spherical shapes and used for nucleation.
After a cultured pearl is harvested, a dried muck bead is inserted in the existing pearl sac, creating a new kind of freshwater pearl.
US Cultured Pearls Market to Exceed $1.6 Billion by 2015
According to New Report by
Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
The US market for cultured pearls is projected to exceed $1.6 billion by
the year 2015. The weakening dollar is creating opportunities for other
countries to buy top-quality pearls in each category.
The US market is witnessing an
increase in the number of international buyers, leading to a scarcity of
superior-quality pearls. International clients are taking full advantage of
the lowered exchange rates due to the fall in the US currency
The demand for natural and cultured pearls is expected to grow at a flat rate in the US, as stated by the new market research report on natural and cultured pearls market.
Low consumer awareness about the different types and qualities of available pearls negatively impacts the business of pearl producers.
Various global organizations including Cultured Pearl Association, Australia's Licensed Pearl Producers,
World Pearl organization, and Japan Pearl Promotion Society fund are undertaking initiatives to inform consumers about the wide variety of pearls available and the appeal of pearl jewelry.
|
Imperial continues to develop its presence on Facebook
Join us
Past Pearl Education Articles Unusual Pearls Pearl Farming around The World Pearl Forums
Protect Your Pearls
So, whether you
are protecting a recent cultured pearl purchase or prolonging the beauty of
those your grandmother gave you, it is important to observe a few guidelines on
the care of your cultured pearls.
Nacre, the beautiful and translucent outer layer of the cultured pearl, is the
organic substance secreted by the oyster or mussel. The smoothness and thickness
of this surface are two factors that help determine the cultured pearl's value.
Chemicals — even vinegar — can erode this surface. Some others to watch out for
are shampoos, soaps, hairspray, perfume and cologne. A good rule of thumb, is to
avoid showering and shampooing with pearls on, and to put your pearls on last
when dressing to go out.
It is also preferable to store your cultured pearls away from gold and silver
jewelry or cut stones, any of which can scratch the pearl's surface. There are a
few jewelers that will attempt to polish and repair cultured pearls; but aside
from this being an unavoidable expense, this thins the layer of nacre, and is
unlikely to restore a cultured pearl to its original beauty. In short, the care
of cultured pearls should be mainly preventative.
Nothing cuts short the enjoyment of fine jewelry more quickly than losing it.
Chances of this happening to your cultured pearls can be dramatically reduced by
restringing them occasionally. Perspiration and friction work together to weaken
the string. It will also become dirty, darkening the appearance of the cultured
pearls, sometimes permanently. If you wear your cultured pearls once a week, it
is suggested you restring them yearly.
Look closely at your cultured pearls to determine if there is a knot between
each pearl. If not, you might request this at subsequent restringings, as it
insures that only one cultured pearl could be lost if the strand breaks. It also
prevents the cultured pearls from rubbing against one another.
Following these few and simple suggestions will insure the beauty and enjoyment
of your cultured pearls for a lifetime of wear — and perhaps throughout the
lifetime of your grandchildren as well.
