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  1. jshepherd

    Justin Hunter on Pearl Farming and Sustainability

    Hisano interviewed Justin Hunter during her livestream yesterday and he spoke about sustainability. Enjoy!
  2. jshepherd

    Freshwater Pearl Farm Visit - Zhuji and Shanxiahu

    Guild Labs just put out this video showing snippets from our trip. I wasn't able to download it for some reason, so this is a screen recording. This one has some really good information on what is happening in the industry today.
  3. jshepherd

    In Zhuji - a visit to Angeperle

    I've just returned from two weeks in China and a week in Japan. I learned a lot about the current state of the FW industry and the beaded pearl situation. I'll either post about it here on PG, the blog or both. One of the companies I visited shot a video of our visit - I was travelling with...
  4. jshepherd

    Blister Pearls in Shells: Rainbow Lip, Madre Perla, Spiny Oyster & Abalone

    Enjoy a bit of natural blister pearl eye candy! These shells were with us for a few weeks and I decided to take some iPhone shots to post. Enjoy! Beginning with Pteria sterna - rainbow lip!
  5. jshepherd

    An Exceptional Melo Melo Pearl

    I came across this beauty in Hong Kong - a seven-figure pearl! It's a melo melo that measures over 33 mm and weighs 276 carats. No, I didn't take it home :giggle:
  6. jshepherd

    Increasing the purpleness of beaded freshwater pearls

    We are seeing a lot of deep colors come out of China, specifically with the new Edison-style, large beaded pearls. A recent study in the journal Aquaculture dives into how scientists are using genomic selection (GS) to boost the purpleness of the inner shells in triangle sail mussels, aka...
  7. jshepherd

    Giant Edison Pearls are Here

    Edison pearls keep getting bigger and bigger. This is the first time I've been offered strands more than 20 mm.
  8. jshepherd

    PSA - Fake Giant Clam Pearls | Tridacna Gigas

    Over the past few years, we've been inundated with images and claims of supposed giant clam pearls, almost all of which come from the Philippines. This is likely due to a story about a supposed 75-pound pearl (34 kilo) a Filipino fisherman had kept under his bed for a decade. The story was...
  9. jshepherd

    A short interview with Mr. Kiyoshi Yoneguchi of Seiwa Pearl - Lake Kasumi ga Ura

    We spent a bit of time with Mr. Yoneguchi yesterday, the last remaining pearl farmer on Lake Kasumi ga Ura. It's incredible how he manages the entire operation on his own!
  10. jshepherd

    The 20 mm Tahitian ...

    I was in Hong Kong last week and Loic still has the 20 mm Tahitian pearl. He's asking $60,000 (wholesale). It is an amazing pearl! He brought out a crazy-color tray of singles too -
  11. jshepherd

    The Timeless Allure of Pearls

    The Timeless Allure of Pearls Born perfect, forever fashionable By Pierre Akkelian In the midst of a global crisis, the pandemic created unforeseen avenues for certain sectors. While it severely disrupted most businesses, our industry found an unexpected spotlight, with fine jewellery evolving...
  12. jshepherd

    Chinese Actress Ni Ni knocks out Robert Wan Pearl Auction

    A famous Chinese actress/influencer created a Tahitian pearl buying frenzy in Hong Kong last week, unlike anything I've seen in my 2+ decades of pearl buying. Chinese actress Ni Ni, best known for her role in the 2011 film Flowers of War, went on a Pearl-Wearing social media tour while promoting...
  13. jshepherd

    Jewelmer puts spotlight on sustainable pearl jewelry | New Day

    This just appeared in my feed - a great Jewelmer interview with Marion Brannelec de Guzman.
  14. jshepherd

    Hong Kong September 2023

    Who is going to Hong Kong this month for the September show? Hisano and I are leaving next weekend. We are bringing a studio with us to do live events from the show :)
  15. jshepherd

    A lesson in luster with a surprise :)

    This is why luster is so subjective. From just fine to a unicorn!
  16. jshepherd

    RIP Mike Rivers

    Yesterday the pearl world lost one of the greatest. Mike Rivers passed away. Mike was a long-time member of this forum. He knew more about pearls and the pearl industry than just about anyone I've had the pleasure to know. He spent much of his life in the freshwater mussel nuclei industry, and...
  17. jshepherd

    Qatari: Diving for Pearls

    There is a fun video in this article. https://www.euronews.com/2023/02/22/diving-for-pearls-from-qatari-seabeds-to-glittering-display-cases Thousands of years ago pearls were Qatar's first major export commodity. But the industry suffered badly in the last century when it faced competition...
  18. jshepherd

    Tiffany Bird on a Pearl

    Some eye candy! https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/jewelry-and-watches/a42942221/bird-on-a-pearl-tiffany-co/
  19. jshepherd

    Seolhyun in Tasaki Harper's Bazaar Korea

    They are really doing some cool things with pearls! https://www.allkpop.com/article/2023/01/seolhyun-is-pretty-in-pearls-in-new-jewelry-pictorial-for-harpers-bazaar-korea
  20. jshepherd

    JNA Pearl Report 2022-2023

    The JNA Pearl Report just came out! https://news.jewellerynet.com/uploads/ebook/Supplement/Pearl-Report-2022-2023/
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