Guess?

I find it very interesting. Considering you spent 6 months on it trying to sort and arrange it in esthethically pleasing combinations, is it significantly more labor intensive than say the traditional round strands? Was it sorted out in China or did you bring the raw stuff back to LA before they had time to do funny treatments to it (I mean, you never know what they do in China - close scrutiny is the best policy)? For the time and effort and the eventual quantity product it doesn't seem likely for it to become a regular item sometime soon, which adds to the novelty for NCNs like us. Seems more like a niche market item. The profit margin certainly doesn't look as good as with the traditional strands, especially when you probably spend the same time and effort as the more expensive South Seas and Tahitians and get better profit from that.

I have seen baroques on ebay that have gone cheap (< US$100), but of lesser quality (luster/surface blemishing) and the colors are definitely not as vivid. Even then the quantities are not great, maybe 1-2 items out of a couple hundred that pop up occasionally on the very few ebay stores selling decent pearls. Commercial quality beads go very cheaply in China as well, so I'm assuming those on ebay were better strands, or flukes, from a huge quantity of commercial grade rather than hand-picked like these ones. Those are presentable as costume jewellery, but not collectibles.

Any ETA on your Akoyas - would it be this year? I'm just thinking if your Akoyas get marketed soon I'm gonna push back all the SS and Tahitians that I want to next year until I have enough cash.
 
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Incorrigible #107!

Just added http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=1371, listed as multi-color but described as lavender on the actual order page. Looks like multicolor, and I trust we will enjoy the subtle colors upon receipt. This will complement an earlier white strand purchase, and double the pleasure we hope to receive.

High regards to Jeremy and PP for not applying speculative margins to this offering—I'm sure as a public relations exercise it will pay off in spades!

Steve
Seattle
 
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Caitlin, I agree. These are some of the nicer pearls I've seen around too and I'm not usually a pearl necklace person. I'm kind of small framed and full strands can over power me ( if that makes any sense), so I usually prefer pendants and earrings. But for these I'll make them work one way or another.
I can't wait to get them in the mail!
 
Akoyas...
I have just sent that particular strand to the GIA Lab. Gems and Gemology is doing a report on the Chinese akoya industry and that piece will be shown in the article.
Regarding the ETA, I have been discussing this with my partner in Xuwen. I know there are a lot more loose pearls like those I used to make that strand. I combed through about 10 kilo of loose to select matching pieces. He is now doing the same thing and will get back to me on the final count. It will not be large, however, so it will be private offer only. I imagine they will be here in June - a perfect month for a new pearl!

Raisondetre,
Yes, this project has been much, much more time consuming than others - to say the least. The margins do not reflect that, I know. But they were primarily put together for the people on this forum, not for the general public. That is why you won't find them linked anywhere on our Site. Also, I asked about 10 forum members their opinions on pricing, and let them price the pieces themselves, more or less. Thank Cailtin, Boo, Youngster, Pattye, Jerin, Perle, etc, etc. ;)

No, I did not process the raw materials here. That would have been too much. A good friend of mine in Zhuji did the work. This friend is also responsible for most of the freshadama we sell, so trust is not an issue there.

I do think these pieces are going to remain a niche. They are a lot of fun, though. We may make straight white strands available to the public as a monthly special in another month or so, but that will probably be it. It is now on to the next project!
 
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Oh Caitlin! I almost ordered #116 myself. That's a beauty. Enjoy it!
 
Jeremy,
I didn't realize that you had a bunch of white strands, enough for a monthly special. Does that mean that it might be possible to get a pair of larger white pearls for drop earrings?
 
June is not even a month away :)! This really is going to be a special treat :)!
 
Jeremy,

There are more white free form freshwater pearls? How do they look compared to the free form akoyas? If you do put them on PP montly special, would it be possible to indicate the overtone in addition to body color? From the pictures of the lavender, pink, and multis (especially the pinks) I had a hard time figuring out color and overtones and how they might look in actual.

Now I really don't know which I should save for.....:)

Thanks,
pernula
 
Jeremy,

I am terribly relieved to know Jordan wasn't matching pearls every day after school----:D

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time
 
Yeah, Akoyas are my special weakness. Can't wait to see those strands when they become available. Bu June, wow, that is close. How bad we all are, we haven't even received our current orders and are looking forward to the next. LOL What addicts we are!
 
I figure if I push the Freshadamas back another month I can squeeze in some white freshwater free-forms and Akoyas ... Besides the baroques you do have the usual ball-bearing Akoyas don't you?

Oh no, the white 9-10 mm Freshadama set is out of stock!!! Would you be getting anymore in, and will they be down-sized (I'm sure you specify it anyways, but interested to know if I should go higher)? Not that I can afford it for another couple months but still.

I hate the time difference. Noone's awake when I am ...
 
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It is almost 5am here on the West Coast, and I am awake!

Yes, 9-10's are out. But they are not out for good, and they will not be downsized. That is something we are going to fight.

In order to procure more of the 9-10's I plan on sending Mia and one other person to Zhuji for a week. Her job will be to collect loose gem in that size range and drill them for freshadama. We are tentatively looking at June.

Yes, we have some white baroques. I did not know they were in route until they arrived yesterday. Just a few of them, however. They look nothing like the freeform Akoya. Shape is just like the other freshwater, but the color is white.

Pattye,
It is all I can do to just get him to do homework! Pearl drilling is a summer job!
 
We need pics of the new baroques!

I think I'm bugging Kirsten crazy with all the emails I've sent. I just got a tracking notice which I think is my second order of the free-form. Don't think my first order with the customized earrings will arrive before Mother's Day though. Can't wait to get my hands on it! Mom will be glad to see the free-forms. The other order's for me anyways.

At the rate it's going I'm going to end up making monthly orders from PP everytime you have something new. Sigh.

Thank goodness I just got called back to see a patient - that's 7-hours of overtime pay. More pearls for me!
 
We may make straight white strands available to the public as a monthly special in another month or so, but that will probably be it.
Click to expand...

...or you could always offer them to us first :D. Perhaps the group could have its own unique monthly specials, but I suppose that would be too unfair to the general public and therefore impossible?


Susan
 
I got lost. What's coming in June? White baroque freshwater or akoya? Or is it the strands of blue coming in June?
 
We will probably keep the akoya on private offer simply because they will be so limited. But we are tossing around the idea of putting the whites and any remaining color strands up as the June item.
 
Jeremy,
I hope you have enough strands of the special akoya pearls to go around. My birthday is in June and my husband always buys me a strand of pearls. I have 2 South Sea strands, 2 Tahitian strands, several Freshwater strands, including a multi-color strand from this last special offering. Sadly, the Akoya has always not been high on my list until I saw these pearls. In the famous words of another forum member " I must possess".....
 
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It's here! I was just about to go on-line and check my order status when instead I went and checked the mail and there was that lovely box from PP sitting in my mailbox! :D It's just great. Exactly what I'd hoped for! I LOVE IT!
 
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