Cook Islands Pearling Developments

[Slraep]

I didn't realize the Cooks were giving Tahiti that serious a run for their black pearl money. Fiji? Fiji? Don't know if I should feel so sorry for the Cooks pearl farmer any more I think it is the fallen status of the Tahitian black pearl more than anything else, that is causing these problems. You just can't spin-market enough to hide the fact that every corner jeweller now has as pretty much as many Tahitians as akoyas.

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/04/07/eu-funds-study-to-help-ailing-black-pearl-industry

"The European Union has earmarked some US$5.8 million as part of a plan to reform and boost French Polynesia's ailing black pearl industry, Maritime Resource Minister Keitapu Maamaatuaiahutapu announced late last week. The scheme is part of the EU's 9th EDF (European Development Fund), which initially covered the 2002-2007 period, Maamaatuaiahutapu told reporters. The project, which is scheduled to run over a three-year period from 2008 to 2010), involves on-site training by roving experts for black pearl farmers, with a particular focus on quality control and productivity. Another facet of the project concerns a survey on the state of the international market opportunities for French Polynesian black pearls. Once completed, the survey would give rise to recommendations on how the industry, which has been facing tough competition from neighboring Cook Islands and even Fiji, should rethink its international marketing strategy"

Slraep

 

[SteveM]

I didn't realize the Cooks were giving Tahiti that serious a run for their black pearl money. Fiji? Fiji?

Looks like they believe in ghosts in FP…and managed to scare an EU minister or two as well.

$5.8 million to FP should actually raise our concerns for the poor Cook Islands farmer, who additionally is hampered in his quest for outside investment by his own government's proscription against foreign ownership of real estate.

 

[Pearling Technologies]

Going back to comments made earlier in this thread re marketing and origin of pearls. We have worked with a local scientist who previously developed a method to fingerprint gold. This was done to reduce the amount of theft and to pin point the origin of any gold parcel. His work assisted police in certain theft cases.

During the past few years or so, he turned his attention to pearls. Given that pearls are easily stolen, traded, etc, he theorised that by fingerprinting pearls, then producers, wholesalers, etc would be able to identify a source of a pearl and thus assess its credibility or honesty of supply.

Kind of a double edge sword though. If pearls could be fingerprinted, then potentially great for producers to ID their own products, strands, pieces, etc but perhaps not so good for some wholesalers who may need to mix pearls, parcels, etc to create something special - honestly or not.

I tend to agree however. Marketing for the sake of marketing not so good; marketing and promoting a unique selling feature and backing it up with the goods, then much better.

 

[SteveM]

Given that pearls are easily stolen, traded, etc, he theorised that by fingerprinting pearls, then producers, wholesalers, etc would be able to identify a source of a pearl and thus assess its credibility or honesty of supply.

Kind of a double edge sword though. If pearls could be fingerprinted, then potentially great for producers to ID their own products, strands, pieces, etc but perhaps not so good for some wholesalers who may need to mix pearls, parcels, etc to create something special - honestly or not.

I tend to agree however. Marketing for the sake of marketing not so good; marketing and promoting a unique selling feature and backing it up with the goods, then much better.

Thanks! Douglas McLaurin posted this fascinating electron microscope image of aragonite platelet sutures on the thread 'Iridescence' a while back (in case some newer readers are wondering about this fingerprint business?).

Regarding marketable identity, surely anything that cannot be appreciated by the naked eye would not be a factor. And quality would be important, as thicker nacre layers should be more apt to highlight whatever regional/local differences there may be.

 

[Pearling Technologies]

The fingerprinting developed for gold and subsequently being looked at for pearls is slightly different. Perhaps fingerprinting is not the right term.

The method developed places a unique 'fingerprint' or marker on either the nucleus or the pearl. This unique mark is actually a microscopic combination of elements that is etched on to the surface that can be read by certain equipment and thus identified. Due to the unique combination of elements, you could just about identify every single farmers prodoct throughout the world.

Using this technology on a daily basis is a little off until reading units are more readily available.

 

[SteveM]

The fingerprinting developed for gold and subsequently being looked at for pearls is slightly different. Perhaps fingerprinting is not the right term.

The method developed places a unique 'fingerprint' or marker on either the nucleus or the pearl. This unique mark is actually a microscopic combination of elements that is etched on to the surface that can be read by certain equipment and thus identified. Due to the unique combination of elements, you could just about identify every single farmers prodoct throughout the world.

Using this technology on a daily basis is a little off until reading units are more readily available.

Yes, fingerprinting in this case appears to enter into unintended areas of conjecture.

Salmon fry leaving Seattle for the Pacific are 'marked' electronically and traced through to their spawning. Sounds like this is the idea.

At the risk of turning a secure and mundane method into complete chaos, a study of aragonite sutures would be far more meaningful to this forum!

 

[CLICLASP]

Hello everyone there,

It's a long time now, that I am looking for more facts and specifications and less claims about Cook islands and Tahiti pearls,

I mean (and I forgot a lot)
- nacre thickness, (0,8 mm in Tahiti, how thick in CI ?)
- grading system differences
- how many times are the oyster grafted?
- which harvest is the best (the first, the second?) versus CI, Tahiti
- minimum legal specifications for marketing the CI pearls
- and so

(I have red carefully the 8 pages of the post, sorry if I missed it, but what a job ) )

While playing " my pearls are better than yours " game, everyone is loosing

I have CI pearls I got from that Cy in Rarotonga mentioned in that post. They are fantastic, my Tahiti too, my sea of Cortez too,

If nacre thickness is lower in CI, is quality lower ? Will pearls be worn out earlier? or not?

I think we need more facts,
though beauty is a question of emotion ... it is cultural, personal taste, educational and ... a little bit of marketing

Thanks for more infos ... on the facts, if available

 

[SteveM]

I am looking for more facts and specifications and less claims about Cook islands and Tahiti pearls,

Yes, we are all waiting for a definitive grading system to be developed by the Cook Islands Pearl Authority. Meanwhile, as this thread has exhaustively proposed, it is the individual farm that must compete on its own merits in the international marketplace. If I were that farmer, I would not wait for the CIPA!

 

[CLICLASP]

Let's go further about quality
Tahiti farmers claim to produce pearls with a 0,8 mm nacre thick cover and CI is said to have "only" 0,3 mm.

Can a CI pearl farmer confirm lower thickness?
If I were that farmer, I would provide and claim for equal or higher quality to compete...

About colors, I saw some differences that collectors are very found of and that's why I bought my Rarotongo pearls for a very dark tone.

Anyway I had been so surprised to come across white Tahiti keshis ounce, that I brought the question on to the forum.
Jeremy said white pearls happen in Tahiti and are then exported to Australia, and reverse !!
So colors and origin .... very difficult question .
Unless buying at pearl farm to be sure, ounce on wholesale market no guarantee, I guess.

Same for origin of diamond, it is said that only Golconde mine ones can claim for being specific... all mined out ...

 

[Nerida]

Yes, we are all waiting for a definitive grading system to be developed by the Cook Islands Pearl Authority. Meanwhile, as this thread has exhaustively proposed, it is the individual farm that must compete on its own merits in the international marketplace. If I were that farmer, I would not wait for the CIPA!

Nor would I!! I would be out there establishing my own name ASAP...

 

[Josh]

Hi Cliclasp, George and Steve,
Cliclasp, I agree with you when you say that beautiful pearls come from everywhere. I think the Cook Islanders would do well to regulate their industry as we had to do here in Tahiti. The .8mm was a good starting point but the industry is definitely crying out for more regulation than that though. So maybe that as a first start then have a look at what the Sea of Cortez guys are doing from a marketing point of view.
As for colors, the range we get here is expansive from the darkest dark to the lightest white and every imaginable color in between. The southern most islands are known more for their pastels while the northern most atolls are famous for their rich darker colors. I'll stick my neck out and say that the Cooks probably have very similar if not the same diversity in their pearls.
Oysters here are grafted twice usually but a third graft is not uncommon. As much as five successive grafts have been performed on the same oyster (on my farm a few others).
The best quality is in the first graft without a doubt. The most expensive of course being in the later grafts with the rapidly increasing pearl size and increasing roundness.

 

[pattye]

Hi Josh,

Elaine Wootten has a gorgeous necklace from you she calls tutti-frutti because of all the intense, varied colors. The pearls are in the 10-11mm size as I recall. Would those pearls be most likely first graft? Perhaps you remember the piece? As I recall, the pearls were round, not baroque. Thanks in advance for your reply!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[jshepherd]

Jeremy said white pearls happen in Tahiti and are then exported to Australia, and reverse !!

I am trying to find this quote in context somewhere and cannot seem to dig it up. I remember this comment specifically from Z., but not posting it myself.

 

[pattye]

I don't specifically remember that quote, but in the GIA pearl grading course I took earlier this year the instructor said that white pearls do sometimes occur in Tahitians and are sold as SS, and the reverse also.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Slraep]

I am trying to find this quote in context somewhere and cannot seem to dig it up. I remember this comment specifically from Z., but not posting it myself.

Yes, it's definitely some questionable drivel from Z.

I have a private post where Z imagines she is the lucky recipient of smuggled "giant" white Tahitian keshis gleened by migrant Indonesian pearl farm workers in French Polynesia. Of course, she sent me a pic of white baroque CFWPs.

Slraep

 

[Pearlgully]

About eight years ago, I purchased a strand of white South Sea baroque pearls; not baroque in the true sense but symetrical in shape. I asked the dealer where they were from and she said Tahiti. Although, I've known that white pearls can come from the French Polynesian islands (I saw them when I was there), I've wondered whether the dealer knew what she was talking about. Does anyone know if there is a way to tell where the pearls are from? Is a lab able to determine this? I hope they really are white Tahitians; to me that would be very special.

(This probably isn't the correct thread for this post so Caitin, please move it if you see fit.)

Gail

 

[Pearling Technologies]

Here's some information straight from the oyster's mouth (so to speak)

1. Average nacre thickness in Cooks 1.2mm
2. Average grafts per oyster - 2
3. Typically first is best for lustre and second for size. Second also has higher % of rounds.

They have the Marine and Island Council Pearl Farming specs to go by which dictates how long before harvest, by which technician, dates, etc.

Also from the oysters mouth.....
"Tahiti has been bombarding the world with their new system of marketing/exporting their pearls of only grades ABC and no D's or LQ's. Amazing how grades D become C and LQ also become C grades. I have seen them at the USA jem shows and even HK"

Don't shoot the messenger!!

 

[SteveM]

Here's some information straight from the oyster's mouth (so to speak)

1. Average nacre thickness in Cooks 1.2mm
2. Average grafts per oyster - 2
3. Typically first is best for lustre and second for size. Second also has higher % of rounds.

They have the Marine and Island Council Pearl Farming specs to go by which dictates how long before harvest, by which technician, dates, etc.

Also from the oysters mouth.....
"Tahiti has been bombarding the world with their new system of marketing/exporting their pearls of only grades ABC and no D's or LQ's. Amazing how grades D become C and LQ also become C grades. I have seen them at the USA jem shows and even HK"

Don't shoot the messenger!!

Introduces a new wrinkle to the arguments in this thread, that the relative obscurity of the Cooks offers a quality advantage in like manner to the old Avis car commercial ('we try harder')?rewarding the more adventurous wholesalers willing to make the effort. And effort it is, given the once-weekly (when not cancelled) 5-hour flight to Manihiki in a sweaty 12-passenger prop plane costing $1400 pp roundtrip from Rarotonga! (I've not done it, but have every intention to.)

 

[Pearling Technologies]

I have heard however that the problem with the Cook pearls is that on average they are too small and colours too much on the gray scale. If they can rectify these issues and focus on larger, better quality and more colourful pearls, then they will have more market presence.

I had actually started a PhD in pearl marketing, the issue of colour and branding aspects during my Indonesian sabbatical although time got away from me!!

 

[SteveM]

If they can?focus on larger, better quality and more colourful pearls, then they will have more market presence.

Yes, quality first, individuality only if it is a legitimate result. That should be the primary message of this rather rambling thread.