Limited amount of nucleated freshwater pearls debut at Hong Kong trade show

For the first time a fair quantity of Chinese nucleated freshwater pearls were available for sale at a major trade fair.  Some freshwater pearl suppliers in China put on display nucleated freshwater pearls in a wide range of quality from 10 to13mm at the Hong Kong Jewellery and Watch Fair in June 2004.

"According to the pearl farmers, these pearls had been cultivated for between two and three years. The coating was approximately 1mm in thickness. In most cases, two years of cultivation produces nucleated pearls with nacre of around 1mm. For the moment, it is difficult to produce nucleated pearls with thicker nacre as many oysters die after two to three years of cultivation. Price for the high quality pieces of 11mm was about US$40 to US$50 a piece and the rest were of between US$15 to US$35 a piece," she said. Ms Wong is responsible for sourcing top-quality Chinese freshwater pearls for all Golay branches.

According to manager of group activities at Golay Buchel & Co (H.K.) Ltd in Hong Kong, Winnie Wong, all of the nucleated freshwater pearls came from Zhuji City in Zhejiang Province in China. "The pearls were round on one side and had a small tail on the other and ranged from 10 to 13mm. Some loose pieces seemed to fine luster. The pearls were available as loose ones or in strands. Some pearls showed unique orange and purple overtones that only freshwater pearls have.
 

The total production of the nucleated freshwater pearls in 2004 was estimated to be about 500 kilograms, Ms Wong said. "The suppliers pointed out that only 1 percent of the nucleated pearls, or around 5 kilograms, were of good quality. Some farmers have acknowledged that mortality rate of shells has remained high. Therefore they have remained uncertain about future production and do not guarantee regular supply. Some might cease production of nucleated freshwater pearls altogether."