kojimapearl
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
- Messages
- 435
As many of you know, we buy and sell Japan Kasumi pearls which we buy directly from the farmers in Japan. I have posted numerous photos on pearl-guide and on our website, have fielded hundreds of inquiries, and mailed out hundreds of packets of information about these very special pearls. All of this, I am happy to do. I am happy because I love these pearls, I love the honor with which they are produced, I love the look of them. I love that they are from ?beyond the mist?.*
*
Over the course of the last year, I have been contacted by several people world wide asking me questions about pearl strands and necklaces being called Kasumi pearls from Japan on the Mary?s Timeless Treasures site on Ruby Lane.*
*
Each time, I followed the inquirer to the site and detailed why these pearls could NOT be fresh water pearls FROM JAPAN. In fact just last week, I had a lengthy conversation with a gentleman, who was so happy that he had chosen to first research these pearls before buying from her. We spoke at length about the history of Japanese fresh water pearl farming, about the rise of Chinese fresh water bead nucleated pearls, and about how the market has come to understand the difference. We spoke about my (and Fuji?s) involvement with the farmers, over the course of the last TWO DECADES!*
*
For many months, I have chosen to ignore the Mary?s Timeless Treasures scam of selling Chinese fresh water pearls as Japanese Kasumi. I have watched as she copied and pasted our descriptions into her own site. I have chosen to ignore it because I hoped that is was as simple as her simply being uneducated about her own products. I hoped that she was simply being fooled by her own supplier. I also ignored it, because I have my hands full running two established pearl businesses, and did not want to involve myself in her sullied waters, especially if she had never contacted me directly for information.*
*
Now it has come to my attention that not only is she misleading people by writing completely false accounts and descriptions, she is using my company name in her descriptions!
I am now offended. I am offended that she is using the hard work of these farmers at Lake Kasumi ga Ura to her own benefit by lying about the provenance of the pearls she is selling. I am offended that she is using my company name in what I believe to be an obvious attempt to increase her search rankings.*
*
*
The farmers at Lake Kasumi ga Ura are people I have known for a long time, through thick and thin. These are people I have great respect for. These are people who continue to raise pearls against all odds (including but not limited to : environmental catastrophe in the body of water where they farm, working so hard to clean up their environment ensuring clean water not just for their mollusks but for the fishermen and animals who thrive there, traveling to many countries to find other species that may work in their lake, finding a way to hybrid a mollusk to ensure strength and pearl farming possibilities, waiting MANY years before they could again farm pearls, working with the Japanese government to secure their own farms and their environs, finally being recognized by a small portion of the market for their hard work and perseverance, enjoying some years of health for themselves and their way of life, then losing their home to a fire, two years later being hit by Japan?s most devastating earthquake and losing a substantial part of their farm to damage, again rebuilding their house, and all the while continuing to honor their craft as*Chinese fresh water bead nucleated pearls grew not only in size but in a quantity unimaginable! The rise of Chinese pearl production does not keep them from continuing to grow pearls in their tiny lake, it does not change how they do business. This is the magic of these pearls, and the people who farm them. We are not getting rich selling their pearls, we buy them because we honor what they are and the people who farm them (and because we think they are beautiful and precious).*
*
*I am offended that she has not ceased her scam despite many people posting on various forums about the obvious discrepancies in her story. I am sorry that she has not taken the time to learn about pearls.*
*
Here is a link to a thread on Pearl-guide started about Mary?s timeless treasures and her supposed Japan Kasumi pearls :*
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9253
*
Here are just a few of those discrepancies , at the bottom are links to some of her current listings.*

*
Mary?s Timeless Treasures of Dallas, Georgia claims:*
*
*
That she bought all of these pearls in a lot that had been stored since 1990.*
*
Fact: When I started working with Japan Kasumi pearls in 1995 their production was SO small, I don?t think making even ONE strand was a possibility. One of the first pearls I drilled (in that same year) was a Japan Kasumi, when Fuji came home to find that I had put a hole straight through it, he was very angry! That?s how special each and every one of them was.. and is!*
The first time we had enough pearls to lay out a strand was approximately 1999, and it was a VERY big deal. It sold, and that was an even BIGGER deal!*
*
She claims that the pearls in her strands range in size from 16.2mm- 23mm
*
Fact: These sizes are in such small quantities from this Japan Kasumi even today that we struggle to produce even a few strands per year with only the center pearl reaching such a size. It is simply impossible that these are* ?vintage? Japan Kasumi pearls because prior to 1995 (when I was introduced to them).. even a 12mm fresh water pearl was a very rare occurrence.*
*
She claims that her pearls are from Japan Lake Kasumi ga Ura, and yet they sell for MUCH less than we can buy them from the farmers directly IN JAPAN.*
*
Fact: Japan Kasumi pearls are not inexpensive, they are rare. They are not for everyone, and with the sizes and quality being achieved from their Chinese counterparts there is no question, if money is what matters most? but I guarantee that there is NO WAY she paid less that $543 for a strand of Japan Kasumi pearls, and certainly not in the late 1990?s.*
*
She claims to have sold Prized Colors Kasumi Black Cherry / Pistachio pearls from Japan.*
Fact: Japan Kasumi pearls are NEVER treated. They are rubbed in salt after harvest to clean off the organic material from the host mollusk. No one in their right mind would ever dye them black/cherry/pistachio. Nor do black/pistachio colors EVER come naturally in ANY species of fresh water pearl.*
*
*
http://www.rubylane.com/item/600588-257-2149/Gorgeous-Kasumi-23mm-16-2mm-Raspberry
http://www.rubylane.com/item/600588-257-2154/50x25-for-Valentines-x21-Prized-Colors
http://www.rubylane.com/item/600588-257-2087/Prized-Colors-Kasumi-20-75x22-Black
Mary?s timeless treasures has, at very least, learned to paraphrase, and is no longer quoting Fuji or myself verbatim, but if you read the ?about the pearls? pages on either kojimapearl.com or pacificpearls.us* you will see what I mean about the language and the phrasing. She is NOT the only dealer calling Chinese fresh water pearls ?Kasumi pearls?.. the internet is full of that. There are many people who continue to copy and paste our photos and content with out consent.* What bothers me is that she is claiming their provenance and using that name in deceit.
*
Be warned, stay on Pearl-Guide, be informed, before you make a purchase (of any type of pearl)!!!!
*
It is one thing to get the name wrong.. In this case I can no longer believe that this is an honest mistake. Mary?s Timeless treasures is not the first to try to scam the pearl buyers of this world, but she has crossed a line, she is hurting our businesses, she is offending the honor of the hard working farmers. She is wasting my time, and the time of the people who contact me to ask if she should be trusted. She is selling Chinese fresh water pearls and it is a scam. *
*
All of this said : we are not the ONLY people who sell Japan Kasumi pearls, (we do wholesale them to a handful of jewelers and designers world wide) and I am happy to recommend other dealers that I am confident are honest business people. I cannot and will not attempt to try to control the misinformation. I can only try my best to educate people. I try my best to do so. I am happy to share our photographs and experience with almost anyone who asks.*
I would really appreciate it if people would file formal complaints to Ruby Lane in an attempt to stop this in it?s tracks. This has gone too far! *
Here is a link to make a formal complaint :*
http://www.rubylane.com/info/aboutus
Sincerely, Sarah Canizzaro
*
Over the course of the last year, I have been contacted by several people world wide asking me questions about pearl strands and necklaces being called Kasumi pearls from Japan on the Mary?s Timeless Treasures site on Ruby Lane.*
*
Each time, I followed the inquirer to the site and detailed why these pearls could NOT be fresh water pearls FROM JAPAN. In fact just last week, I had a lengthy conversation with a gentleman, who was so happy that he had chosen to first research these pearls before buying from her. We spoke at length about the history of Japanese fresh water pearl farming, about the rise of Chinese fresh water bead nucleated pearls, and about how the market has come to understand the difference. We spoke about my (and Fuji?s) involvement with the farmers, over the course of the last TWO DECADES!*
*
For many months, I have chosen to ignore the Mary?s Timeless Treasures scam of selling Chinese fresh water pearls as Japanese Kasumi. I have watched as she copied and pasted our descriptions into her own site. I have chosen to ignore it because I hoped that is was as simple as her simply being uneducated about her own products. I hoped that she was simply being fooled by her own supplier. I also ignored it, because I have my hands full running two established pearl businesses, and did not want to involve myself in her sullied waters, especially if she had never contacted me directly for information.*
*
Now it has come to my attention that not only is she misleading people by writing completely false accounts and descriptions, she is using my company name in her descriptions!
I am now offended. I am offended that she is using the hard work of these farmers at Lake Kasumi ga Ura to her own benefit by lying about the provenance of the pearls she is selling. I am offended that she is using my company name in what I believe to be an obvious attempt to increase her search rankings.*
*
*
The farmers at Lake Kasumi ga Ura are people I have known for a long time, through thick and thin. These are people I have great respect for. These are people who continue to raise pearls against all odds (including but not limited to : environmental catastrophe in the body of water where they farm, working so hard to clean up their environment ensuring clean water not just for their mollusks but for the fishermen and animals who thrive there, traveling to many countries to find other species that may work in their lake, finding a way to hybrid a mollusk to ensure strength and pearl farming possibilities, waiting MANY years before they could again farm pearls, working with the Japanese government to secure their own farms and their environs, finally being recognized by a small portion of the market for their hard work and perseverance, enjoying some years of health for themselves and their way of life, then losing their home to a fire, two years later being hit by Japan?s most devastating earthquake and losing a substantial part of their farm to damage, again rebuilding their house, and all the while continuing to honor their craft as*Chinese fresh water bead nucleated pearls grew not only in size but in a quantity unimaginable! The rise of Chinese pearl production does not keep them from continuing to grow pearls in their tiny lake, it does not change how they do business. This is the magic of these pearls, and the people who farm them. We are not getting rich selling their pearls, we buy them because we honor what they are and the people who farm them (and because we think they are beautiful and precious).*
*
*I am offended that she has not ceased her scam despite many people posting on various forums about the obvious discrepancies in her story. I am sorry that she has not taken the time to learn about pearls.*
*
Here is a link to a thread on Pearl-guide started about Mary?s timeless treasures and her supposed Japan Kasumi pearls :*
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9253
*
Here are just a few of those discrepancies , at the bottom are links to some of her current listings.*

*
Mary?s Timeless Treasures of Dallas, Georgia claims:*
*
*
That she bought all of these pearls in a lot that had been stored since 1990.*
*
Fact: When I started working with Japan Kasumi pearls in 1995 their production was SO small, I don?t think making even ONE strand was a possibility. One of the first pearls I drilled (in that same year) was a Japan Kasumi, when Fuji came home to find that I had put a hole straight through it, he was very angry! That?s how special each and every one of them was.. and is!*
The first time we had enough pearls to lay out a strand was approximately 1999, and it was a VERY big deal. It sold, and that was an even BIGGER deal!*
*
She claims that the pearls in her strands range in size from 16.2mm- 23mm
*
Fact: These sizes are in such small quantities from this Japan Kasumi even today that we struggle to produce even a few strands per year with only the center pearl reaching such a size. It is simply impossible that these are* ?vintage? Japan Kasumi pearls because prior to 1995 (when I was introduced to them).. even a 12mm fresh water pearl was a very rare occurrence.*
*
She claims that her pearls are from Japan Lake Kasumi ga Ura, and yet they sell for MUCH less than we can buy them from the farmers directly IN JAPAN.*
*
Fact: Japan Kasumi pearls are not inexpensive, they are rare. They are not for everyone, and with the sizes and quality being achieved from their Chinese counterparts there is no question, if money is what matters most? but I guarantee that there is NO WAY she paid less that $543 for a strand of Japan Kasumi pearls, and certainly not in the late 1990?s.*
*
She claims to have sold Prized Colors Kasumi Black Cherry / Pistachio pearls from Japan.*
Fact: Japan Kasumi pearls are NEVER treated. They are rubbed in salt after harvest to clean off the organic material from the host mollusk. No one in their right mind would ever dye them black/cherry/pistachio. Nor do black/pistachio colors EVER come naturally in ANY species of fresh water pearl.*
*
*
http://www.rubylane.com/item/600588-257-2149/Gorgeous-Kasumi-23mm-16-2mm-Raspberry
http://www.rubylane.com/item/600588-257-2154/50x25-for-Valentines-x21-Prized-Colors
http://www.rubylane.com/item/600588-257-2087/Prized-Colors-Kasumi-20-75x22-Black
Mary?s timeless treasures has, at very least, learned to paraphrase, and is no longer quoting Fuji or myself verbatim, but if you read the ?about the pearls? pages on either kojimapearl.com or pacificpearls.us* you will see what I mean about the language and the phrasing. She is NOT the only dealer calling Chinese fresh water pearls ?Kasumi pearls?.. the internet is full of that. There are many people who continue to copy and paste our photos and content with out consent.* What bothers me is that she is claiming their provenance and using that name in deceit.
*
Be warned, stay on Pearl-Guide, be informed, before you make a purchase (of any type of pearl)!!!!
*
It is one thing to get the name wrong.. In this case I can no longer believe that this is an honest mistake. Mary?s Timeless treasures is not the first to try to scam the pearl buyers of this world, but she has crossed a line, she is hurting our businesses, she is offending the honor of the hard working farmers. She is wasting my time, and the time of the people who contact me to ask if she should be trusted. She is selling Chinese fresh water pearls and it is a scam. *
*
All of this said : we are not the ONLY people who sell Japan Kasumi pearls, (we do wholesale them to a handful of jewelers and designers world wide) and I am happy to recommend other dealers that I am confident are honest business people. I cannot and will not attempt to try to control the misinformation. I can only try my best to educate people. I try my best to do so. I am happy to share our photographs and experience with almost anyone who asks.*
I would really appreciate it if people would file formal complaints to Ruby Lane in an attempt to stop this in it?s tracks. This has gone too far! *
Here is a link to make a formal complaint :*
http://www.rubylane.com/info/aboutus
Sincerely, Sarah Canizzaro
