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Sorry Pattye, I have been combing Strack's Lake Biwa pages for another project for several days- it's a great story. The old stock was replenished with the Chinese output from the minute the lake died, in the 1980s. Before 1980"s it was all mixed Chinese and Japanese stock, after 1980's 100%...

I understand the level of ethics here and hold to it. I am also pragmatic. I am afraid I sound stern, but I do not feel stern- just a bit formal. I am just to happy share what I know. Its just that Strack said on page 420 that "japan marketed the Chinese production around the world until the...

I checked the GIA course which being more up to date, confirms that the Chinese akoya market virtually died in the storms of 2007. Pearlinterest: There are still some Lake Biwas pearls being produced, just not as much as in the heyday. Let me state my point about the use of the name Biwa this...

I am updating info. ;) My hardcover sources are 10-12 years out of date. China was a big, unknown supplier for decades. Maybe it was the weather that destroyed the industry. I remember when a lot of akoya farms in China failed in the last ten years due to storms and maybe red tides.

When I said "narrow", I meant they only want people to talk about their own and each other's pearls. Period. Pearl-Guide.com has a very broad, even sweeping, approach to pearls. We have lots of one to one sharing here- we have a whole forum for that, plus personal sharing is encouraged in many...

We love it when people defect from narrowly focused sites and come here for their unbiased correct, information!

I am having trouble posting this, but I think you are right in principle, it is just that Japan obscured the issue by selling tons of Chinese pearls as biwas. So now, it is a commercial term for a bead store quality pearl and the pearl mongers know how to market. They like the term Biwa.

Hi. Coincidentally, I was researching Lakes Biwa and Kasumiguara yesterday. You are absolutely right, about about the confusion of what Lake Biwa pearls are. According to Elisabeth Strack pp405-407.. Beginning in the 70's Japan bought all of China's earliest production of rice crispies for...

This has been a VERY helpful and interesting thread. I gave it a 5 star rating and made it a sticky. Thanks to all who contributed. A wealth of information!

Ahhh.......to be 60 again........:rolleyes: A wonderful birthday and happy wearing of that lovely necklace!

Thanks! 90 euros and 40 euros for cpaa members

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It sure looked like Gabby Gifford was wearing one during the State of the Union address toinight.

I just looked that big antique pearl up. It is only 14mm. So, you do have a rarity. I don't know what the record size for a quahog pearl is, but that one is in the running.

We have had quahog pearls here before. I absolutely love them and did a bit of research when a huge one came on the market 10 or so years ago.They are somewhat fragile. They can't be drilled, so must be set gently. A ring is the riskiest setting because rings get more knocks than pendants or...

OhWow! I am so excited, I wrote in your post!. I can't help with accommodations- they are all busy during the gem show, but many have room. Jeremy, I think we will all be there- Five of us.

In every view, it looks like a partially open mollusk to me..... While I think you should show it around to experts, I doubt you will ever be offered enough to be worth giving it up. You are highly unlikely to find another such treasure, so why not keep it? I second Kathy Keshi. Do look at...

You may contact Pacific coast pearls LINK. Tish and Wes Rankin know more about California abalone than anyone else I know, and have the hugest collection. What can one do with such a pearl in the way of jewelry - or another idea?

Your pearls do look like some of my small natural Persian Gulf pearls. So far your nuclei are quite variable so that bodes well for natural, (yes, Dave?). It looks like a restringing may have replaced a few pearls- but candling should tell that story. Take your time, but candle them all. For one...

That necklace does a good job of looking natural. It also looks like a very lustrous Chinese freshwater from the outside. I am no expert on what you see when you candle, but there sure are a lot of different innards to the pearls you showed. I hope to learn what the candling shows. What kind...