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What a busy last couple of weeks!  Between trips to Shop NBC for Far East Market and new show launches for both my Mom and myself and my other trips, it has been nothing short of a jet setting month for me.  As always, it is with a deep sense of gratitude to all of you for allowing us to bring these new shows to life and allow us to do what we love.  In hindsight, I am half wondering where June went, and looking forward to what July will bring.  In the midst of my June schedule, I found myself in Hong Kong the week before last for the jewelry show.  Hong Kong jewelry shows have become the international jewelry community destination.  Weather you are from Tahiti, China, Australia, USA, South America, or anywhere else in the world, this is where we meet in the middle, so to speak.  For many reasons, Hong Kong is one of my favorite places to visit- especially during the June show.  While the March and September show is much more frantic and busy, the June show, by Hong Kong standards is a little smaller and more laid back.  For us, this is the perfect opportunity to spend a little extra time with friends on the other side of the International Date Line that we don’t get to see as often as we would like!  However, here lies the challenge- 3 days of work, meetings from 9-7, and a 15 hour time difference.  Challenge accepted Hong Kong!

Here are some things I have learned about international travel:

1.  Set your watch to local time and do not even try to think about the time at home.

2.  Try to stay in your routine to minimize jet lag.

3.  The first day is always the hardest.

4.  The busier you are, the less you feel the effects of jet lag.

On the second day, I posted on our facebook page, “trying my best to convince my body it is 5:00PM and not 2:00AM.”  At that exact moment, I just broke at least 1 of my rules!  Now, if I could blame just my jet lag for this post, I would, but as always, there is more to the story.

My first day at the show was relatively routine- meetings.  After the show however, I spent some time with some friends of mine from the Philippines, who have been hugely influential in the world of sustainable and responsible pearling.  During this visit, I was introduced to someone whom I had heard about several times before, but had yet to meet.  Someone who has been described to me as “one of the most influential farmers in the history of pearling.”  This is not an entire farm, but 1 man who has dedicated his life to culturing beautiful pearls and has single handedly helped increase the beauty of the pearls which we see today.

During the course of several hours, this farmer said something to me, which inspired this post today.  He said “you may have a hundred farm grafters, but usually only 1 or 2 have the patience, dedication, and care to produce beautiful pearls. To me, showcases the perils of pearl farming on many levels and showcases the difficulty and mind- set a pearl farmer must have.

We often talk about the number of pearls, which come out of the water in any given type of pearl.  At first glance, these numbers seem high, especially for a gem that we consider to be rare and unique from piece to piece.  However, when you take in to account that all pearls are not cultured the same, and that quality varies from piece to piece, we see a much bigger discrepancy in the number of quality pearls which come out of the water, vs. pearls with very little pearl specific character such as natural color, luster, and orient.  To me, this statement that only 1 or 2 farmers out of 100 carries the patience, dedication, and care to produce beautiful pearls perfectly speaks to this notion.  The plain fact is that, even within specific types of pearls such as golden South Sea from various regions, you will see differences in quality and the mind- set in which that individual farm produces.  As a sports lover, I liken this to the way that a team will take on the persona of their manager, who carries out the vision of his or her general manager.  For this exact reason, this is why we choose the farms that we work with.  To bring pearls and gemstones to the market which reflect our care and love of the character of our gemstones!

This introduction lasted well in to the night and resulted in a new friendship for me, and helped reinforce the inaccurate portrayal that all pearls should be “round!”  Any chance to pick the brain of a highly respected pearling veteran is a good night!  While it made for a long day 2 in Hong Kong, it was well worth it.  As pearls go for me, they continually inspire and amaze me.  The colors and natural shapes bring something distinct and organic where it is impossible for any single person to define “perfect” shape or color.  The only commonality in each quality pearl is that they should have thick coatings of nacre to give them their natural character, which must come from a dedicated farmer.  Only you as the individual wearer can define what the perfect pearl is for you, and that is the beauty of the pearl.