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Wonderful, Nora! Congratulations - I am sure you sounded educated and articulate in whichever language you used!

Hi Mausketeer - check the colours in these freshly harvested pearls in the series of photos https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/pearling-industry-news/4745-pearling-industry-breakthrough.html - golds, blues, lavenders and pinks. They are all there naturally... Your strand is gorgeous - enjoy it!

I saw coin pearls cultured by Latandresse when I did the GIA lab class in HK earlier this year. They were quite lustrous, and with the same gorgeous overtones that we see on Chinese cultured coin pearls - the ones I saw didn't have such thick nacre as the one pictured, although obviously this...

Michael Hill Jewellers and no clasp? That seems a little odd. I concur with Caitlin's assessment above regarding value. It doesn't say that it isn't a pretty necklace, just not a particularly valuable one. I say just wear it and enjoy it!

It is a bit hard for any of us to say without a closer photo. It would be good to know what the clasp looks like, and what it is made of, too... It would be also helpful for us to know a little of the strand's story - when, where was it originally purchased?

Can't vouch for the effects of heavy metal from bras or pearls either, but do have to say that I had a very very sick little pet galah (a type of cockatoo) recently from exposure to (not ingestion of) heavy metals... thankfully recovered now, but not without some serious veterinary work...

Pattye, I agree - not exactly a marketing catchphrase to my ear! BUT, the pearls are gorgeous, no longer fireballs, and Grace deserve to do very well with them....

Broken Bay Pearls is indeed producing beautiful pearls. Denis was kind enough to chase me up persistently last year and invite me to see their operations and watch the harvest. I was delighted when Bernadette was able to get to Sydney (pretty much for the day!) to join me! Brisbane Water is...

Well we are all awaiting the pictures.... Mike, thank you for organizing the skype hookups. I couldn't participate in the morning sessions as the time differences were a little unfriendly, but it was WONDERFUL to be part of it for a few moments here and there. I do feel like I have a pearl...

Sounds perfect. Seriously, it is a much more 'central' location and after hearing about the Jeremy/Josh/Mike trip there recently, I can't wait to go!!

Hmm, interesting on so many fronts.... The one I will dwell on here though is the recent posts here from someone who had been sold 'natural' pearls by local fishermen when the pearls were clearly very inexpensive CFWP... 43% of the world's market? Also interesting..

Thanks Mike - I do have the latest skype also, so should be easy enough to do. Can we do a trial on Thurs or Fri with a couple of people...?

I was thinking of that too sometime today - how can we do this? I was thinking maybe at the show and tell so that there could perhaps be a few computers tuned in to SKYPE to different members - I am sure Wendy might be interested too? That way we could show some of our pieces as well...

Sorry, I am not going to be able to get there. I had hoped that it could happen, but I still have way too much preparation to do before my biggest trade fair of the year in Melbourne over the first week of August. i just can't risk not putting my heart and soul into ensuring that everything is...

Pattye - I have lost a pair of cutters on a flight thinking they would be fine as they had such a short blade - sadly no, and Qantas just added them to the scrap metal collection! I am still hoping to be there - haven't booked flights etc as yet as I am just back from HK...

And a tennis court... now that would be heaps of fun!

Hi Dianne, and welcome. I would probably place a bet that your pearls are imported Chinese freshwater pearls - the colours, size, shape, texture and quantity you have would indicate that it is extremely unlikely that they are naturals. They are pretty, but honestly I don't think I would go...

OK, timing for the conference was perfect in Aus - 8pm - but still I wandered in and out of it - just too much else happening in the household! Nora - the GSS trade was well and truly represented by Jacques Branellac from Jewelmer. The Filipino farms are definitely the commercial centre of GSS...

Beautiful collection - and enviable! Thank you for the photos. I am guessing you have good appraisals etc on your pieces, but there is a lovely member here - Sueki - who doesn't post so often at the moment who would be able to assist you if ever wanted opinions/advice regarding the vintage...

Ah unless the strand is very new (last few years, as Pattye rightly says) they would indeed be South Seas. I have had way too many experiences in seeing good freshwaters being sold as 'ocean pearls' to trust the seller necessarily is sure themselves. Once in a very high end retail store in HK...