Chinese paradox

[Cyril Roger Brossard]

As seen here.
July 2012
Translate with google...

La Chine, nation historique de la culture de la perle, est capable dans ce domaine du meilleur comme du pire.
L’on trouve en effet ais?ment sur un c?l?bre site de vente aux ench?res des perles teint?es artificiellement (avec des sels d’argent) et vendues sous les frauduleuses et prestigieuses appellations ? perle de Tahiti ?, ? perle naturelle de culture ?, ou encore ? perles de couleur Tahiti ?.
Jeux de mots, fausses appellations, tout est fait ici pour tromper le consommateur, attir? par des prix bas (souvent major?s toutefois par des co?ts d’exp?dition prohibitifs).
La diaspora chinoise inonde ainsi le monde de ses perles avec assez peu de transparence : au Qatar, elles seront vendues en tant que perles japonaises ou en Indon?sie comme des ? perles de l’?le de Lombok ?.
Et les chiffres sont vertigineux : une (sur)production s’?levant ? 1500 tonnes par an et mettant en p?ril le monde perlier et la perliculture chinoise elle-m?me. Le paradoxe est l? : la chine perli?re, a vouloir inonder le monde ? tout prix et sans transparence, court au suicide, tout comme le Japon dans les ann?es 1970, qui produisait des perles dont la couche de nacre ?tait trop mince et laissait entrevoir le noyau au bout de quelques ann?es.
La pi?tre qualit?, la coloration, les fausses appellations font oublier que la Chine a r?ussi une perc?e ?tonnante en produisant des perles de haute qualit?.

En 2008 et 2009, l ‘effondrement des cours, les ventes en bernes et une surproduction des perles d’eau douce chinoises ont marqu? les ann?es noires de la perle de culture.
Depuis 2010, les survivants ? une offre excessive et une demande en chute sont ceux qui g?n?ralement ont toujours d?fendu une qualit? irr?prochable.
Morosit? ?conomique
Ainsi l’on assiste en Chine aujourd’hui ? la fermeture de milliers de fermes perli?res dont le principal objectif ?tait la productivit? au d?triment de la qualit?.
La morosit? ?conomique va donc entra?ner un bon nombre de fermes au fond d’un oc?an de dettes. Les professionnels d’un autre c?t?, tentent de s’entendre sur une charte de qualit? commune qui pourrait ?maner d’une sorte de ? haute autorit? de la perle de culture ?. Un tel document permettrait de rassurer le client et de l’informer. Mais cela reste cependant une utopie.
Certification de perles
Beaucoup r?vent de faire pour la perle ce qui a ?t? instaur? par le diamant : une certification simple, fond?e sur ce qui a ?t? d?sign? par les ? 4C ? : clarity, cut, colour, carat. Mais pour la perle, l’affaire est plus complexe. Contrairement au diamant qui ?mane toujours de la m?me esp?ce min?rale, la perle peut provenir de dizaines de mollusques diff?rents.
Une charte de qualit? est alors envisageable, comme elle existe pour le saumon ou le poulet de Bresse. Un label ? perle de culture ?, qui appos? sur les ?crins, garantirait une qualit? de base. Le label serait attribu? ? une ferme par une autorit? ? cr?er.
Mais tout cela est tr?s difficile ? mettre en place et rel?ve encore presque de l’utopie. Il est certain que le march? de la perle de qualit? est toujours porteur, quelle que soit sont origine, et il est impensable de penser qu’un tel produit puisse se vendre ? bas prix. Les perles et les colliers ? quelques dollars sont une aberration, qui finira par dispara?tre.
La perle de culture doit redevenir ce qu’elle a toujours ?t? : un objet ?tonnant, d’exception, produit de l’intelligence humaine et d’une collaboration avec la nature. Il n’existe pas de diamant ? un dollar. Il en va de m?me pour la perle.






China, the nation's historic pearl culture is capable in this area of the best and the worst.
It is indeed easy on a famous auction site to find pearls artificially dyed (with silver salts) and sold under the fraudulent and prestigious appellations "Tahitian Pearl", " natural pearl culture "or " Tahitian pearl color . "
Puns, misnomers, everything is done here to deceive consumers, attracted by low prices (often, however, increased by prohibitive shipping costs).
The Chinese diaspora is flooding the world with her pearls with little transparency: Qatar, will be sold as Japanese pearls or Indonesia as " Pearl of the island of Lombok . "



And the numbers are staggering: one (over) production amounting to 1500 tonnes per year and threatening the world pearl and China itself. The paradox is this: the Chinese Pearl’s desire to flood the world at any cost and without transparency, is nearing suicide, just like Japan in the 1970s, which produced pearls with nacre layer was too thin that exposed the core within a few years.
Poor quality, coloring, misnomers made us forget that China has managed an amazing breakthrough in producing high quality pearls.


In 2008 and 2009, the collapse of the subdued sales and overproduction of Chinese freshwater pearls have affected the cultured pearl.
Since 2010, the survivors of oversupply and falling demand are those who have always defended generally impeccable quality.
Economic gloom
Thus we see in China today the closure of thousands of pearl farms whose main goal was productivity at the expense of quality.
Economic gloom will therefore cause a number of farms in the bottom of an ocean of debt. Professionals on the other hand, attempt to agree on a common quality charter that could come from a sort of "supreme authority of the cultured pearl." Such a document would reassure the customer and inform. But it remains a utopia.
Certification of pearls
Many dream of making the pearl that has been established by the diamond certification simple, based on what has been designated by the " 4C ": clarity, cut, color, carat . But for the pearl, the matter is more complex. Unlike diamond, which always comes in the same mineral species, the bead may be from tens of mollusc species.
A quality charter is then possible, as it is for salmon or chicken from Bresse. Label " cultured pearl ", which affixed boxes, ensure a basic quality. The label is awarded to a firm by an authority yet to be created.



But it is very difficult to implement and is still almost utopian. It is certain that the pearl market is still buoyant, regardless of origin are, and it is inconceivable to think that such a product can be sold at low prices. Beads and necklaces for a few bucks are an aberration, which eventually will disappear.
Cultured pearl has become what it has always been: an amazing object, exceptional product of human intelligence and collaboration with nature. There is no diamond valued to a dollar. It is the same for the pearl.


Nothing follows.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

You doubled the http:// part of the link, otherwise I figured it out and followed it.

The article certainly gets to the point.

Thanks for sharing that, as well as your other informative contibutions.

 

[CLICLASP]

Bonjour Cyril et merci,
it would be interesing - for education purpose - to have photos of those fraudulent dyed pearls, because this is the place for education.

A lot of interesting facts are stated in this issue, but I disagree with some of the conclusions.
My main critic is to keep pearls for the elite, Chinese made pearls for everyone, while the diamond market keep prices artificially high, nice pearls are still available for few money, and why should beauty be expensive ?
Some SS pearls are overrated; I am a collector of pearls, I have so many including natural pearls of many species,
and when you compare a white FW and a white SS of same quality - not comparing appels and pears - only money makes the difference, and SS pearls business works hard on the marketing to justify this.
As a matter of fact, setting up a standard of evaluation started already, as you know, but not coordination so far.
I personnaly stick on the 5 "S" that is the best IMHO to educate customer (shape, shade, size, surface, shine) whatever the pearl is from, and it works.

All comments welcome.

 

[CLICLASP]

My contribution on the subject is here
http://www.madeinjoaillerie.fr/guide/la-perle-a-travers-le-monde-perles-fines-et-perles-de-culture/

 

[CLICLASP]

Once again, a lot of considerations in this issue are very intersting, I am only discussing the conclusion

Though quality of photo can be discusssed, here are

a 1000 $ strand close to a 100 $ strand, guess which is which ...
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1248&p=28349#post28349

a 50 years old River Tay pearl brooch, close to an about 100$ FW pearl strand with a 12 mm SS pearl alone, maybe 300 $
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4300&page=2&p=69928#post69928

 

[lisa c]

I'm grateful that they're still affordable. I'm grateful to the Chinese that such a uniquely beautiful thing can be mine, that I'm able to own real pearls as opposed to beads with nail-polish-like coatings.

Until the advent of Chinese pearls, I'd assumed pearls would forever be out of my reach. Instead, I have the thrill of seeing beautiful pearls on my wrist every day, and that lightens my heart.

Thank you Anna, for your Egalitarian views.

 

[Cyril Roger Brossard]

My contribution on the subject is here
http://www.madeinjoaillerie.fr/guide/la-perle-a-travers-le-monde-perles-fines-et-perles-de-culture/

For those who are not versed in Moliere's language the text translated with google:
La Perle Around the World, Fine Pearls and Cultured Pearls
The luster of a pearl is this mixture of light that slips over the edge of the surface: its luster, and the light from within, generated by the thickness and regularity of the layers of nacre: the Orient. The combination of these two qualities is called the "water" of the pearl and gives the impression of radiation to specific beads that seem so "as live".



The white pearls and gold pearls of the South Seas.
But what a beautiful pearl?
According to an Australian pearl producer: "a pearl must seem pretty spontaneously without anyone tells you why."
As if to complicate the assessment, there is no single grid for pearls, each producing country establishes its own notation, but it is useful to refer to the 5 S gem - like diamond 4 C's:
• Shine: shine, shine, shine (most important factor)
• Shade: color
• Shape: shape (round, pear, circled button, baroque, etc.).
• Size: size (mm once the weight)
• Surface: quality of "skin" (growth marks)
The world is (sometimes) well done, this is when the pearls of the Persian Gulf began to run out, the cultured pearl from Japan made its appearance on the market in the 1920s.
Then the Chinese have become artisans of its democratization, with nearly 2000 tons / year produced by molds, cultured freshwater.
White-lipped oyster or gold (Australia, South Seas), blacklip (Tahiti), iridescent pink pearl mussels (China), this is the pearl of the mollusk grafted giving their tone pearls. The animal naturally secretes nacre around the nucleus of grafted human intervention, and will only discover the pearl’s shape, size, color and brilliance after 2, 3 years minimum.
Baroque pearls
If a perfect pearl is a rarity and a feat of nature, baroque pearls offer the charm of their irregular shape. Because each is unique, the Romans called them "unios", revealing a beauty beyond perfection.
Les Perles keshis
The "keshi" pearls are coreless, tiny seed pearls or plump as "blown" fully formed shell, which gives them a high luster and appearance "wild".



Round black pearls from Tahiti and pears.

Keshis Australia, Tahiti and Japan.
Pearls in the world
While Australia, the South Seas, Japan and Tahiti (in fact islands around Tahiti) are looking for pearls more perfect and large, China is experimenting with techniques leading to highly irregular beads and spectacular, the purpose still being the shine "metallic" color "exotic."
Paradox of pearl "imperfect" a recent hybrid mollusk China and Japan produces pearls as wrinkled surface, to shine iridescent colors of candy: the beads Kasumi.
The rare pearls of the Gulf of Mexico, "Sea of Cortez", have dark tones with hints of arcs-en-ciel (rainbow effect)(these are the pearls of the necklace Marie Antoinette).
Cultured pearl and price
Mineral created by an animal on human intervention, that's what a cultured pearl.
They need unpolluted water to live, and are the only gemstone which undergoes no processing after harvest.
Prices range from € 10 a necklace of China (flea market) to 800 000 USD - or more - for a necklace of perfect pearls from Australia in 14 mm ...
Our advice to wear your pearls
White, gold, black or pink, round or baroque, but how to wear it? As we like to!
Although wise, rank donned with knots or more sports on a rubber, leather strap or a steel wire or gold.
The black pearl of Tahiti, comes to male cufflinks, bracelet or leather strap. Shaped button, this is the ideal gemstone ring, a large amount for a small price (compared to precious stones ...). Pear, it is ideally suited for earrings paired or unpaired ... why not?
Wear it alone or with opals to combine the beauty of the moon to lightning flaming pearl of opals .
To give to each, each "taste of the pearl."



Baroque pearls and pears from China.

Perles hybrides kasumi.

This article was written by:
Anna Tabakhova
Anna Tabakhova cultivated since childhood taste of unusual minerals, a passion that navigates the geology and gemology she implements in her jewelry, a passion she loves sharing with one and one wearing them ...

 

[Cyril Roger Brossard]

Bonjour Cyril et merci,
...My main critic is to keep pearls for the elite, Chinese made pearls for everyone, while the diamond market keep prices artificially high, nice pearls are still available for few money, and why should beauty be expensive ?
Some SS pearls are overrated; I am a collector of pearls, I have so many including natural pearls of many species,
and when you compare a white FW and a white SS of same quality - not comparing appels and pears - only money makes the difference, and SS pearls business works hard on the marketing to justify this.
As a matter of fact, setting up a standard of evaluation started already, as you know, but not coordination so far.
I personnaly stick on the 5 "S" that is the best IMHO to educate customer (shape, shade, size, surface, shine) whatever the pearl is from, and it works.

All comments welcome.

You are welcome.

Wouldn't that be correlated with the production cost? I do believe after seeing the pictures in this thread that China is able to produce pearls for a fraction of the cost in Australia.
Minimum wages, quality of equipment, perennial goal of the producer, all of this is may be added to the price tag of a pearl.


As you mentioned, in the end, quality should indeed be the common denominator.

 

[pattye]

Thank you Anna and Cyril, I am rating this thread "excellent"!

 

[Cyril Roger Brossard]

Thank you Anna and Cyril, I am rating this thread "excellent"!

Thank you Pattye, Anna's contribution indeed complement the first article.

 

[Sutrisno]

I totally agree that pearls should be appreciated as is. Be it Fw, tahiti and what have you. The individual quality of the pearl in question is more important rather than type. However cyryll's point about production costs is also very valid. In china fw export is not even taxed, it is subsidised. A pearl farmer i spoke to once 7 years ago even let me in on the 'secret' produce at 900rmb sell at 900rmb. But report at 1000rmb, and claim taxes on 1000rmb. I heard the government stopped the tax subsidy due to the insane levels of tax fraud collabration between farmers, wholesalers and retailers.