Did Julius Caesar Invade Britian Because of Pearls?

by Kari
(Muscatine, Iowa)

HIstorians speculate that, Yes, pearls may have been one of his main reasons for invading Britain. The Scots resisted the Romans, however, and that's where some of the most valuable pearls were found. (Read more about the Abernathy Pearl affectionatly known as "Little Willy".) Hadrian's wall was constructed for protection against this resistant people....apparently the Scots weren't too excited about Caesar getting their pearls.

Enjoy this Los Angeles Times article and learn more about pearls.

Brock Purple Pearl in the News

by Kari
(Muscatine, Iowa)

Believe it or not....there are quite a number of purple pearls "out there," but few make the daily news. Leslie and George Brock's purple pearl that they found at Dave's Last Resort & Raw Bar in Lakeland, Florida, made headlines at several news stations today and yesterday.

Watch a video of Leslie and George Brock at the restaurant where they found the pearl:
http://www.news12now.com/video/index.php?bcpid=1137883291&bclid=1143359274&bctid=1361619897

What most folks don't realize is that any mollusc can make a pearl....even a sand snail. Of course, not all are valuable, but natural purple pearls are getting lots of attention these days and the price levels for natural purple pearls will be determined partly on what a famous Quahog brooch sells for at the Natural History Museum.

Leslie Brock uploaded this photo and story of their new purple pearl find here on KariPearls.com:
https://www.karipearls.com/purple-pearl-cherrystone-clam-find.html

She has also added her phone number on that page and is interested in any information about CherryStone Clam pearls.

Check out the pearls other folks have found here:
https://www.karipearls.com/finding-a-pearl.html

Stone Crab Pearl

by Kari
(Muscatine, Iowa)

Bay City resident, Kathy Miller, has found what is believed to be a pearl in a stone crab claw.

Kathy says, “It’s about the size of an English pea. I’ve shown it to some people, and they said it’s a really nice pearl. It’s white with orange specks.”

A graduate gemologist, Allen Green, of Bay City said it was a pearl "of a type" and probably the only one of its kind. He said some irritant must have caused the crab to secrete calcium carbonate and make a pearl.

Green was not able to find any other references to such a pearl and calls it a stone crab pearl.

Miller plans to put her pearl on a pendant.

“It’s unbelievable because nobody’s every heard of it,” Miller said. “But I swear I found a pearl in a stone crab claw.”

DPE and Gem-A collaborate to offer new course on natural pearls

DUBAI: Here is some good news for all jewellery lovers, aspiring designers, gem traders and cultural tourists. The Gemological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) is collaborating with the Dubai Pearl Exchange (DPE), a subsidiary of the Dubai Multi Comm odities Centre (DMCC), to develop a comprehensive education programme for Natural Pearls.

The curriculum on natural pearls with 15 subject areas will be conducted in Dubai by the DPE and will provide a combination of detailed pearl knowledge leading to a Completion Certificate presented by DPE and Gem-A.

Recognising the importance of Dubai's pearling heritage, DPE aims to impart knowledge about the beauty and history of natural pearls and their fundamental place in the region's heritage.

Read entire article here.

26 Pearls Found in One Oyster

(Tyre, Lebanon)

A LEBANESE woman working in a restaurant kitchen found 26 pearls in an oyster she was preparing for the table and will submit the find to the Guinness Book of Records.

Amal Salha, 50, said she was helping out her son in his Al Fanar restaurant on the waterfront in the southern port of Tyre, when she made the astonishing find yesterday evening.

"I couldn't believe it," she said.

"I was in the process of opening the shells when I found a number of shining pearls inside one of them," she said. "I was so startled I screamed.

Read entire article here

The above link opens up a new window.

One of the Most Celebrated Pearls

by Rob Kircher
(Panama)

If you like a good saga look no further then the one that began in 1513 when an African slave reportedly discovered a magnificent pearl while diving off the coast the isle of Santa Margarita, one of the Las Perlas Islands in the Gulf of Panama, and in turn was granted his freedom by Don Pedro de Temez, the administer of the Spanish Colony in Panama.
It has been known by many titles for well over 500 years, such as the “Wanderer”, “Pilgrim” and the “Incomparable”, but it is most widely recognized by a very different name. See if you can guess its identity.
Imagine a natural pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg (55.95 carats to be exact) that not only is one of the most celebrated pearls in the world, but also has one of the most intriguing histories of any world-class jewel.

Read entire article here.

Natural pearls are a true gift from nature

The natural pearl has captivated generations like no other stone. It is an elegant and beautiful jewel on its own, a true gift from nature.

A natural pearl begins life as a foreign object lodged inside the oyster. Nacre, a smooth, hard, crystalline substance, forms in layers around the object. Over time, the ultimate result is the precious stone called a pearl.

Most pearls sold today are cultured products of pearl farmers. The difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls is that man carefully implants the irritant and nature creates a miracle.

Stories about the discovery of pearls are many. For centuries it was believed that oysters rose to the water's surface in the morning, opened their shells to absorb a few dew drops that became pearls -- but only at certain times of the year.

Read entire article here.

Thieves Destroy rare Pearl Beds in Scotland

by Caroline Davies

Pearl thieves raiding Scotland's freshwater mussel beds are threatening to bring the endangered shellfish to the brink of extinction, police have warned.

Scotland is home to approximately 60% of the world's population of freshwater mussels. But their future is under threat. Pearl mussels were once a major industry in Scotland, and they have been extremely sought after throughout Scottish history.

Local pearls are among the crown jewels in the vaults of Edinburgh castle, and legend has it that the pearls were one of the reasons Julius Caesar thought of invading Britain.

But over-exploitation has resulted in stocks being almost wiped out. Given their critical status, freshwater pearl mussels were given full protection in 1998. The molluscs are seen as being an important part of Scotland's biodiversity. But today, apart from illegal fishing, they are also threatened by pollution and declining salmon stocks.

Read entire article here.

Large Imperfect Pearls Added to Vatican Cross

VATICAN CITY — One of the gems of the Vatican's priceless religious art collection — a 6th century reliquary containing the purported fragments of the cross on which Jesus was crucified — has gotten a new look after being restored to its Byzantine-era glory, experts say.

Most significantly, the restoration corrected a botched 19th century restoration that threatened to corrode the piece. And it replaced the brightly colored gems that were added in previous centuries with the large, imperfect pearls that are emblematic of Byzantine-era imperial masterpieces, said restorer Sante Guido.

A circle of 12 pearls now surrounds the relic, and pearls around the cross' edge now alternate with emeralds and sapphires — the two other gems most often associated with Byzantine emperors, he said.

n addition to the relic inside, the cross itself is an important piece of early Christian art: it's a rare example of an imperial gift and expression of the emperor's Christian faith. Across the piece is written in Latin: "With the wood with which Christ conquered man's enemy, Justin gives his help to Rome and his wife offers the ornamentation."

Read entire article here.

EGL Authenticates One of World's Largest Pearls

by nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/con
(New York)

New York—A five-pound blister pearl found in the waters off the Philippines has been authenticated as one of the largest, most valuable pearls ever to be discovered and documented, according to EGL USA.

The brain-shaped specimen—a giant, non-nacreous natural blister pearl—was found in the giant clam Tridacna Gigas and measures over six inches in length.

A team of EGL USA expert gemologists, led by Nicholas Del Re, analyzed the pearl using a combination of advanced technologies including digital radiography, close magnification and data provided by a handheld X-ray fluorescence unit.

Quahog pearl ‘theoretically possible but extremely rare’

by SHERRY MARTELL
(The Truro Daily News)

TATAMAGOUCHE — It’s not unusual for Carmen Miller to grab a raw quahog fresh off the beach, shuck it open and eat it. But something out of the ordinary did happen recently when the Tatamagouche man did just that.

“I wanted a snack so I opened a couple up and the second one I had, my tooth hit something hard in it,” he said.

“I didn’t know what it was at first, but it was this.”
Miller held up the rare natural wonder he had almost swallowed, a purple-coloured pearl about the size of a dime.

Read entire article and see photo here.

Kuwaiti Pearl Divers Sing the Fidjeri

by Cindy
(DiveNews.com)

The 18th Memorial Pearl Diving Trip held its traditional closing ceremony at the Kuwait Sports Sea Club (KSSC). The families of the young divers involved in this year's dive excursion met at the club to welcome their sons home. The women, especially the older ones, welcomed the seafarers with a high-pitched chant, known in Kuwait as 'Yebab'. Some brought flowers.


The divers sang traditional pearl diving songs, (the fidjeri) as a folk group played the traditional Kuwaiti drums. The divers then opened the oysters they had harvested during their eight-day pearl diving trip. This event is known as the 'Flaq' in Kuwait.

The divers after collecting the pearls presented them to the representative of the Amir-the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah. Finally, the Kuwaiti flag was lowered, folded and given to the representative of HH the Amir, signaling the end of the diving season, known as 'Al-Ghaus' in the local dialect...


Read entire article here.

Kuwait City Water Towers on Seafront, Kuwait, Kuwait
Photographic Print

Keribar, Izzet


Buy at AllPosters.com

Natural Pearls -- Better Investment than Gold

by LAYLA HAROON
(City Times)

Since time immemorial, pearls have been endowed with unparalleled elegance. Being cognizant of this, Christie’s calls forth one of the most significant collections of pearls ever to have appeared on the market at its forthcoming Contemporary Jewels and Watches sale in Dubai.


The 30 lot strong selection of ‘gem’ quality pearls, valued, researched and sought by specialist David Warren, are distinctly noteworthy due to their superb shape, beautiful colour and large size — the three major factors that influence collectors preference.

“Natural pearls and oil have distinct similarities,” says Warren, who is the Director of Jewellery Christie’s. “Both are dwindling resources that have great significance to people of the Gulf region and in each case it is hard to imagine the long term value falling. It is fitting that Christie’s will bring some of the rarest pearls back to the region that they originally came from, giving local collectors a wonderful chance to buy some of the finest gemstones in the world.”

Read entire article here.

Scots pearl poachers face £1.3m fine over mussel deaths

by James Moncur
(Scotland)

PEARL poachers who killed 130 protected mussels in a Scots river could be fined £1.3million if they're caught.

The possible penalty for each dead mussel is £10,000.

The poachers' crime was uncovered last week on the South Esk river near Brechin, Angus. Experts found that a third of the freshwater mussels on a stretch of the river had been illegally fished and prised open.

Read entire article here.

Enjoy this page about the Scottish Abernathy Pearl which I photographed in Perth, Scotland.

1,360 Natural Pearls for Queen Elizabeth

1,360 Natural Pearls for Queen Elizabeth

A Russian artist in Siberia has spent a small personal fortune on over a thousand pearls for a religious painting he has made for Queen Elizabeth.

Clad in embroidered robes, Adam and Eve sit in thrones on a suspended Garden of Eden in Anatoly Pastyrev's painting, which is crowned by a Russian Orthodox icon and pearl encrusted throughout.

"The British monarchy in particular has been the bastion of modern civilization, which has centuries-old traditions coming from Christianity," Pastyrev said at his home in the taiga forest near Krasnoyarsk, about 3,300 km east of Moscow.

Pastyrev now wants to give the painting, called Glorification of the Lord, to the British monarch as a tribute to her title as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

The bulldozer operator turned-artist spent months working on the painting, which has 1,360 natural pearls he bought in Moscow for the sum of 500,000 rubles ($17,700).

Read more about 1,360 natural pearls for Queen Elizabeth.

Russian Freshwater Pearls

Russian freshwater pearls...

"Female costumes embroidered with freshwater pearls and bone-carvers’ work also testify to northern Russian artisans’ high artistic taste," says Ludmila Simakova.

“In clear northern rivers there were plenty of pearl oysters wherein pearls are born," the expert says. "These pearls are not very large and are grayish in colour. These freshwater pearls were used to decorate women’s headdresses and church utensils. Practically every woman had kokoshniks, or headdresses, decorated with pearls.

Russian Pearl Headdress

Speaking about folk crafts," Ludmila Simakova continues," in the 18th century bone carving began to develop in the large village of Kholmogory where Lomonosov was born. The famous Kholmogory carved walrus bone items are from Lomonosov’s native land. They are particularly beautiful, distinguished by the special elegance of the openwork pattern. Walrus bone was used for making trinket boxes and mirror frames. These objects were delivered to the Czar’s court and exported abroad. They were one of the popular souvenirs that West European merchants bought for their sweethearts.”

Read entire article with contained this information about Russian freshwater pearls.

Natural Mississippi River Pearls used in Ten Thousand Things

Natural Mississippi River Pearls used in Ten Thousand Things

The Inside Source: What are some of the most unusual materials you've worked with?

David Rees: Some of our favorite materials are also among the most rare: Colored amber in blue, green and red, found in the Dominican Republic. American natural pearls from the Mississippi River. Black opal disc beads with amazing colors mined in Australia. Our favorite favorite would be the original Paraiba Tourmaline, which has since become extinct. When we started, it was more plentiful, but now it is gone. The color is unlike any stone you have ever seen. It's a blue like the most beautiful ocean.

To discriminating jewelry fans, top jewelry designers David Rees and Ron Anderson of New York based Ten Thousand Things are rock (and precious stone and pearl) stars. Since their first jewelry designs -- among them, four small pearls on a delicate ear wire worn by Kate Moss in her first Calvin Klein ad -- Rees and Anderson have never veered into trend-driven territory, but have instead designed original, heirloom-worthy, achingly gorgeous pieces. The duo's use of unique materials and their trademark techniques, including delicate silver and gold beading on chains used in necklaces and earrings, have kept high profile customers like Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman and Susan Sarandon coming back for more.

More about Natural Mississippi River Pearls used in Ten Thousand Things

Natural Mississippi River Pearls

Cultured 'Keshi' Pearls Threaten Natural Pearl Market

Cultured 'Keshi' Pearls Threaten Natural Pearl Market

The Keshi type of pearl threatens the natural pearl trade in Bahrain and the world, and these pearls are available in large quantity and the quality is far better than natural, since the internal structural composition of Keshi and natural pearls are similar, making it difficult to distinguish between them and causing problems for most of the pearl testing laboratories around the world. Since the Laboratory of Bahrain is one of the world's busiest laboratories in terms of receiving different quantities and varieties of pearls, including the Keshi type of cultured pearl, Bahrain laboratory has taken the responsibility to protect the natural pearl market from this threat, it was one of the first laboratories to notice the problem, and to attribute significant importance to solving the dilemma, which has created a situation where on many occasions the Laboratory has been forced to refuse the issuance of testing certificates for this type of cultured pearl.

Due to the importance of this problem, that has been threatening the natural pearl-trade for the past few years, the Bahrain Pearl and Gem Testing Laboratory addressed this issue in the recent meetings of CIBJO that took place on 19 - 22 February 2010 in Munich, Republic of Germany, with the main objectives of setting clear and unified foundations and standards for cultured pearl testing and identifying methodologies.

The proposal was well received by all the world-class laboratories' officials, due to the importance of the presented topic in the natural pearls markets in Bahrain and the world. These efforts resulted CIBJO being convincing to form a committee of Directors and experts representing all the international laboratories specialized in pearl testing, for developing scientific-based Keshi cultured pearl testing and identification methods. As a result, it was agreed to hold the first meeting of Committee in Bahrain, because of its international reputation in the sale and trading of natural pearls. This is also recognition by CIBJO of the advanced technical level of Bahrain Pearl and Gem Testing Laboratory, which is considered as one of the best laboratories in the world for the capabilities and competencies it has in the fields of pearl testing. The meeting also gives the Laboratory an international reputation in this area, as well as international recognition of its Pearl Testing certificates, particularly in the auction of natural pearls.

Entire article about cultured "keshi" pearls threaten natural pearl market


Natural Bahrain pearl jewelry for sale

Kari at Bahrain Pearl lab with director, Ali Safar

Natural 60-carat Saltwater Pearl to be Sold in Dubai

Natural 60-carat Saltwater Pearl to be Sold in Dubai

One of the world's largest natural saltwater pearls, along with a selection of gems collected from around the globe, will hit the auction block this month at the Dubai Jewels sale.

The baroque drop-shaped pearl - measuring nearly 60 carats - could fetch as much as US$250,000 (Dh910,000), according to the auction house Christie's. The grey pearl is set in a diamond mount as a pendant on a 42cm diamond chain and was once part of the collection of Valda Virginia Vaughn Scott, the daughter of an English diplomat.

David Warren, the director of jewellery for the auction house in Dubai, said the 100 lots up for auction were selected with a Middle East audience in mind, especially considering the region's rich pearling history.

"There are lots of older families here that collect natural pearls, and we do keep that in mind when we're making our selections," Mr Warren said. "Pearls are something that are very close to hearts here."

An eight-strand graduated natural pearl necklace with a late Victorian-era diamond clasp worth as much as $280,000 will also be for sale.

Mr Warren said sales have been strong in the Middle East, partially because of the popularity of pearls. Christie's has held sales in the Gulf since 2006, and last year's Dubai auction took in $13.5 million.

This sale, which will be held at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel on April 20, is expected to bring in between $5m and $6.5m.

More about Natural 60-carat Saltwater Pearl to be Sold in Dubai

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Natural Pearl Values Increase

Natural pearl values increase...

This increase was driven by substantial growth in the natural pearls segment, where volumes increased by 50 percent and values tripled.

Trade of natural pearls in Dubai has witnessed a monetary growth of over ten times in recent years, driven by imports through Australia and India last year, in addition to re-exports to new markets including Bahrain, Hong Kong and Switzerland.

The cultured pearl trade in Dubai has been driven through imports from Australia, China and Hong Kong last year, along with re-exports to a variety of diverse markets such as Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Lebanon and Switzerland.


Since its launch in 2007, DPE has contributed significantly to the trading of pearls in the emirate. Aiming to create an active marketplace in Dubai through a member-based trading platform, DPE launched the Dubai Pearl Tender. The tender facilitated private pearl sales offering buyers some of the world’s most rare and sought-after gem quality natural and cultured pearls. The DPE platform has grown steadily since its inception, resulting in an exponential growth in pearl trade during 2008, and a subsequent increase in 2009. DPE’s first-ever Dubai Pearl Tender generated sales of over AED 3.5 million in wholesale value. The tender also saw some single pieces achieving sale prices over AED 150,000.

Article about natural pearl values increase is from Dubai Chronicle

Natural Pearl Buyers Beware!

Natural Pearl Buyers Beware!

DOHA: Some pearl sellers in the Gold Souq area are taking customers for a ride as they are passing off imported cultured pearls for the highly valued Qatari pearls to unsuspecting and gullible buyers, specially tourists.

“Customers should be very careful in distinguishing the cultured ones from genuine pearls so that they are not duped,” said a trader.

In particular, they cautioned Westerners to be careful while looking for natural Qatari pearls as some traders could exploit their gullibility – selling them cultured pearls from other countries.

“Many Westerners come looking for natural Qatari pearls. Some sellers take advantage of their interest and sell them cultured pearls, which are imported from other countries,” said a pearl seller in the gold souq for more than a decade.

The Qatari pearls are few and expensive. Most of these pearls are kept as exhibits or as collections. A natural Qatari pearl could cost approximately between QR5,000 and QR30,000 and is only available with some pearl collectors and handful of traders.

“There are only a few traders who sell natural Qatari pearls. Some old pearl divers have shops in the Souq Waqif,” said a shopkeeper.

“People here don’t go pearl diving now, so what is available in the market are the old ones and they are very few,” said a prominent pearl trader at the gold souq.

More about natural pearl buyers beware.

Buy authentic, certified, natural Persian Gulf pearls here.

Read more news on Qatari pearls.

Tornado in Qatar?

Should Keshi Pearls be Considered Natural Pearls?

Should Keshi pearls be considered natural pearls?

The Swiss Gemmological Insititute SSEF has received large quantities of saltwater pearls for certification in recent weeks. SSEF's director, Dr. Michael S. Krzemnicki, said these pearls are generally characterized by an almost perfect appearance and are often accompanied by reports describing them as natural pearls. However, their appearance has raised doubt amongst many natural pearl dealers.

The pearls were tested with the most advanced forms of technology, including X-ray radiography, X-ray luminescence, X-ray micro tomography and radiocarbon age dating, and many were actually identified as beadless cultured pearls. Although they do not show one distinct feature that explicitly characterizes them as cultured, it is a combination of internal and external structures that enable the conclusive identification of this material.

The arrival of large quantities of these new saltwater pearls, whose quality is far better than that of many natural pearls, represents a great danger to the natural pearl market. Following the sudden increase of this material on the market, the SSEF has taken a number of measures to protect the natural pearl trade. The SSEF has adapted its pearl certification policy and is collaboratively promoting transparent standards at an international level.

An important step is the use of more rigorous and specified definitions for natural and cultured pearls. A natural pearl is a pearl that formed in a wild oyster (mussel) and is living in its natural habitat. It formed without any human intervention. Any pearl stemming from a pearl cultivation farm is a cultured pearl.

Find the full article on topic of should keshi pearls be considered natural pearls on the SSEF's website.


So, what do you think? Should keshi pearls which are by-products of the culturing process, be considered natural pearls? Or, do you agree with SSEF that the natural pearl trade should be safe guarded by keshi pearls not being certified as natural pearls?

Natural Pearls Add Value to Jewelry Lines

Natural Pearls Add Value to Jewelry Lines

As a result, natural pearls, which are far more expensive because they're fished from oysters living in the ocean rather than in farms, are getting hyped as being prettier and more precious than cultured ones, the New York Times reports.

But do they really look any different? Jewelers say yes, obviously: “Natural pearls have a much quieter luster, which is really appealing," jeweler Viren Bhagat told the New York Times. But enough cultured-pearl-makers have successfully deceived jewelers and been mistakenly certified as "natural" to suggest that in many cases it's almost impossible to tell the difference. Unlike fake gemstones, cultured pearls are still technically "real": They're all pried from the goopy insides of mollusks and can be manipulated to resemble natural ones with relative ease.

Perhaps most important, people are always willing to pay for something that no one else has, and natural pearls are legitimately rare. “It goes to show the appreciation buyers have for things that are no longer produced,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie's head of jewelry to the Americas, who recently sold a batch of natural pearls for $7.1 million. Most natural pearls are either antique or fished by a few closely regulated companies off the coast of Australia.

More about natural pearls add value to jewelry lines.

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