We've already settled it. Chunky pearls are hot. That's what Sonny Sethi said and somehow the chunky moniker stuck. But chunky pearls are big pearls. I see big whites, a few big golds, but what is happening to all the big blacks?!Any pearler hitting the Tahitian pearl auction circuit, or any dealers attempting direct purchases are running into the same thing; there ain't enough large to go around. A good auction, unless hosted by Monsieur Wan who is still growing the large on Marutea Sud, will have around 200 lots of pearls. Maybe 10 will be larger than 11 mm. Maybe 2 will be of
decent grade.
decent grade. Small Tahitian pearls, on the other hand, are everywhere! I've heard several reports of selling that nearly amounts to dumping of these smaller pearls, and by small I mean in the 8-10 mm range. The large pearls, however, drive bidding wars. I guess the patient, forward-thinking farmers of yesteryear are finally having their long-overdue payday.
A remarkably good report was posted today, which detailed some of the reasons we don't see many more large Tahitian pearls. It appears to be coming from a pearl farmer in French Polynesia but the author (Mahama) remains anonymous. Who knows. Maybe it is Merehau!
So anyway! Now we know the problem. What's the solution?!
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The notion that large pearls is just an item of curiosity and the one fits only for museums is ridiculous. Big pearls are collectors item and they will always sell! Why? Bcoz they have thicker nacre and it means their beauty is increased giving the ULTIMATE ORIENT, luster, brilliance and everything else...
I remember watching Discovery Channel's Lonely Planet episode about Tahiti and they visited a pearl farm and the hosts holds a 30mm Tahitian cultured pearl that he said worth $10,000 at the farm and I said to myself I want to buy something like that someday! $10,000 aint really that expensive especially for a pearl of that size! Probably the pearl is worth more now or maybe it has thinner nacre with a large nuclei but regardless if you own a 30mm pearl and show them to your friends. People will be fascinated and they will never forget you.
That is the beauty of large pearls is that they have the same effect as large diamonds but doesn't cost as much. Except only for large natural pearls were they will costs even more.
So I don't get the reason why would pearl farmers don't allow pearl oysters to live longer in order to grow bigger pearls.
But what would you do with a a 30mm pearl? You can still set it on a ring. A pendant. A centerstone for a tiara or crown. A centerpiece on a diamond studded bangle and even earrings.
Hello,
this is Marama. thank you for your words. I will stay anonymous, but I am not Merehau anyway.
What's solution?
Pearl farmers have now understood that bigger pearls are more salable and at much higher prices. So some of them will start again to do some second operation and third operation.
I remember 4 years ago, some big buyer started to ask for very small pearls (around 6mm, 7mm); at this time it was easy for the producers to do smaller sizes… but the cost to produce a 6mm or 7mm or 8mm were the same… so buyers rejected the very small pearls because of the price, farmers have lost money. Returning to some bigger pearls production takes time and more money.
Also, the pearl business is now very bad in Tahiti.
So we have to wait.
Marama
Hello,
this is Marama. thank you for your words. I will stay anonymous, but I am not Merehau anyway.
What's solution?
Pearl farmers have now understood that bigger pearls are more salable and at much higher prices. So some of them will start again to do some second operation and third operation.
I remember 4 years ago, some big buyer started to ask for very small pearls (around 6mm, 7mm); at this time it was easy for the producers to do smaller sizes… but the cost to produce a 6mm or 7mm or 8mm were the same… so buyers rejected the very small pearls because of the price, farmers have lost money. Returning to some bigger pearls production takes time and more money.
Also, the pearl business is now very bad in Tahiti.
So we have to wait.
Marama
Hello Marama,
You are staying anonymous too! Oh, this is so much fun.
But the name ... it is interesting. Isn't it Tahitian for moon or light? Marama is also an old Cook Island Deity. Very interesting indeed!
The business is bad in Tahiti. It is scary-bad. We all hope things will turn around soon but it will take a unified effort.
Is that sort of unity possible in today's market...?
Unity sounds like a monopoly. That can't be possible since other countries also produces black pearls from pinctada margitefera such as Japan and the Philippines. And they have have a different price structure for their goods.
What the industry needed is a unique marketing strategy. Just like what happened to champagne and cognac diamonds once regarded as reject but now worth a lot of money.
Someone has to come up with a brilliant plan. Right now chocolate colored pearls are hot and expensive even though they aren't really as beautiful as their black, golden and white pearl counterparts.
Personally I don't see anything wrong with your so called ugly pearls from Tahiti. As long as they have reasonable nacre thickness of any shape, color and size and it is up to a bench jewelers imagination to make them beautiful.
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