Pearl Guide News

Late last year Jeremy Shepherd of Pearl Paradise held a drawing to send a lucky person to Bali, Indonesia to visit a pearl farm. The winner had to be a member of Pearl-Guide and to have completed the Pearls as One on-line course. Atlas Pearls and Perfumes sponsored the winner for five days in Bali.

I was the lucky winner of the drawing. I am Pearl-Guide member Red. I decided to take along my husband Dan as my travelling companion. We recently completed our trip to Bali and the visit to...

Our dear forum leader Caitlin Williams passed away last week. She loved Pearl-Guide, our members, and especially enjoyed attending the annual Pearl Guide Ruckus - a kind of sleepover party for pearl lovers.

Caitlin was incredibly special. Smart, funny, irreverent, talented and best of all, loveable. Here are some photos of Caitlin from Ruckuses past.


(This photo was from the last ruckus in 2016)

The first Ruckus, or "International Consequential Pearl Guide Convention", ICPGC, was held...

If you can't visit the Tucson Gem Shows, you can live vicariously through this roundup of pearls and people. You won't even need the most important accessory in Tucson -- a good pair of walking shoes!

First stop was the NAJA booth to see author Renee Newman and pick up the terrific new edition of her Pearl book. Renee's books are full of wonderful photos and her clear writing style makes gems easy to understand and appreciate. For those who want to branch out, the Exotic Gems series is...

For those who love gems and pearls, this book is a must-have addition to your library. The chapter on natural pearls is brand new and includes this photo of a conch pearl from a Monili bracelet that was featured in a previous Pearl Guide News article.


Photo: Blaire Beavers

I wrote a book review for the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. Having said what I felt about this book from the standpoint of a gemologist and appraiser, I then had a very hard time writing a different review...

When pearl farmers open a mollusk to culture a pearl, they sometimes discover a pearl that has occurred naturally. While some insist that any pearl found in a farming operation is cultured, natural pearls do form in mollusks before they are opened for the first time.

This is not the same as keshi, small baroque pearls that form after mollusks have been grafted. These small treasures can't be counted as natural.



This Pteria sterna, or "Rainbow Lip" oyster is held in a grafting clamp...

Pala International has the best gem and mineral news. They make a major contribution to the education and enjoyment of thousands of people. So, if you haven't already seen it, our member, Ana Vasiliu, has a natural pearl blog there, that is a joy to read.



See her latest, which mentions member Stephen Metzler, our champion of the Nautilus pearl HERE.

Our friends at Pala International know natural pearls and have given Ana a place of honor to share her knowledge. She is not just a...