Here in Australia, due to our very successful South Sea pearl industry, there is indeed the existence of a “pearl culture”. Retailers and consumers alike are open to pearls as a contemporary gem – a situation that does not exist in many other parts of the world.
The beauty and success of the Australian South Sea pearl has, perhaps, led to a perception by retailers and consumers that these are the only “true pearl” – negating the magnificent gems that are being grown by the top freshwater pearl producers.
Chinese freshwater pearls are now frequently grown by bead nucleation – the same technique used in the South Sea and Akoya pearl industries.
Earlier attempts at this technique resulted in long, comet-shaped “tails” on the pearls (leading to the term “fireball pearls”).
But now these pearls are frequently gently baroque-shaped, or indeed, in the case of the very new “Edison” pearls, almost round in shape. The quality of the lustre of these newer pearls has also changed markedly – now a bright, metallic lustre is almost the norm, and the broad natural colour range works beautifully on most skin tones. Sizes of up to 16mm or 17mm are also common. Continual research and development by the top two or three producers in the world will no doubt lead to further improvement in these pearls over the next few years.
Retailers need to capitalise on these changes. There is a market for high quality freshwater pearls among Australian consumers. Still markedly cheaper than their South Sea cousins, yet with a beauty that enables them to be used in classic and contemporary styles, and also in bespoke designer pieces, the more recent Chinese freshwater pearls can provide retail jewellers with a very profitable alternative to the current offerings.
So, why is the industry so generally uninformed about these pearls? Why, even among our own trade, is the perception of freshwater pearls stuck in the mid-‘90s era of misshapen, dull, ringed, and generally uninspiring pearls?
Well, as a supplier, part of the blame firstly lies within our own offerings. Disappointingly, sometimes we manage to provide retailers with exactly what they expect in freshwater pearls in an effort to meet their customers’ price expectations.
However, as suppliers, we are the ones who are in closest contact with the pearl producers and should be arming our retailers with product that reflects current trends and techniques. Also, we should be ensuring that the retail and manufacturing jewellers have the information, education, and confidence to support working with, and selling these more highly-priced gems.
Retailers, on their part, would benefit enormously from utilising the knowledge and resources of the suppliers, and of conducting their own research into the industry – easily done in this age of online forums and supplier websites.
Secondly, industry education needs to keep up! Recently, I completed the Pearl Diploma offered as an online course by the Gemmological Institute of America. To my knowledge, this is the only pearl-specific qualification offered by any of the major gemmological associations around the world.
The tiny part of this course which focused on freshwater pearls was biased towards the miniscule production of American freshwater pearls. Given that 99.9 per cent of the annual freshwater pearl harvest occurs in China, this was indeed baffling!
Content of all gemmology courses must be reviewed and revised frequently, providing each generation of jewellers with the very best of knowledge in current industry practices (perhaps the advice and opinions of the major freshwater suppliers could be sought and included).
I encourage retailers to contact pearl suppliers and scrutinise their product offerings. Ask questions, feel the product, and tell us what you need to be better equipped to sell these newer freshwater pearls to your customers.
Then, and only then, will Australian jewellery consumers come to value and seek these finer pearls, and come to appreciate them as true gems.
Name: Nerida Harris
Business: Pearl Perfection
Position: Owner
Location: Chatswood NSW
Years in industry: 7