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Going directly to China was never supposed to be easy; that is why there are so many layers to wholesale buying. The truth is, if your volume in the U.S. isn't large enough and you require credit terms, you are better off buying domestically. If you have decent volume, exploring Hong Kong is...

We learned that color changes over time is determined by how much processing was done to the pearls after harvest. At the early stages of FWP Edison, farmers treated these natural colors like they would with white pearls. Optical brightening, high heat polishing, etc etc. Doing all of that is...

The evolution of the Edison pearl continues to surprise even the most seasoned gemstone enthusiasts, marking a genuine breakthrough in natural pigmentation. While we have long admired the soft lavenders and high-sheen "metallic" pinks of previous harvests, a new era has arrived characterized by...

Slightly offround, but really good for what it is. I don't believe midcentury FWP would be that round.

Consumers don't know better, and I'm here to educate people. I've shown gem quality fwp bead nucleated to customers asking for 3mm 4mm 5mm akoya pearls. None of them could tell the difference in a professional tradeshow. I've disclosed everything properly telling my customers these are bead...

Look what showed up from Amazon @Renee Newman

That is the correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code for worked cultured pearls, graded and temporarily strung for convenience of transport.1 Here is the breakdown of the effective tariff rate for this specific product coming from China following the October 30, 2025, Busan summit...

AGTA is not willing to talk anything about pearls because 95% of it's members sell color stones. They don't want to risk tariff negotiations on color stones for the few pearl dealers who are members. Saying the word China (largest FWP producers) is a big NO NO because they don't want to piss...

I was actually on that same trip. Here's some info. This mussel shell serves as a natural timeline of growth. Each red “X” marks an estimated age stage along the shell’s growth lines—from top to bottom: The first mark near the hinge shows a baby mussel about 1 month old. The second mark...

That cert is like getting an EGL cert. Kind of useless to be honest.

Good luck ;)

Japanese pearl farming is in a very complex situation right now. Many of the traditional skills have not been passed down to the next generation, and there is little interest among younger people in continuing the craft. At the same time, market trends are now heavily influenced by Chinese...

I appreciate Tatsu's perspective, but I would respectfully disagree that certificates like Hanadama have become meaningless. Saying that would undermine the work of institutions like PSL, PEPCA, and others who dedicate themselves to pearl classification. Instead, I think it's more accurate to...

The Japanese pearl industry is significantly more traditional compared to China. In contrast, China produces an immense volume, estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 tons annually, making machine assistance essential for sorting such large quantities of pearls. However, I don't foresee companies like...

Just returned from the 2025 Shanxiahu World Pearl Conference (SWPC), where leaders from around the world gathered to discuss the future of pearls. From cutting-edge farming techniques to market trends and AI driven processing centers, it was an eye-opening experience that reinforced just how...

No need to go full on brand name. But you can talk to @jshepherd and they can do a video call with you on high quality MK comparables.

ahh, another one of those...

It is entirely possible to get darker color purple. Fading usually occurs on younger mussels that produce these pearls. If mussels are 3-4 years old, the color seems to be better. Also nacre shows less imperfections such as birthmarks. It's rarer to see this type of quality on Etsy as the site...

Senior member of the pearl association eh? What's their etsy page? Where was the item shipped from?

Looks like GP was higher in price due to the fact that the pairs shown in the pictures were all certed Hanadama. Some of the strands with cards attached to them are also certed material.