Designer Spotlight on Jorge Adeler, Adeler Jewelers

IPDC 2012-13 Winner from Adeler

Well known for their pearl collection, Jorge Adeler, proprietor and master designer of Adeler Jewelers, unearths some of the seas most beautiful and majestic pearls and brings them to life through his one of kind designs. Jorge travels to far reaches of the world from the Philippines, Japan, China and the South Pacific to uncover the perfect pearl. His trips then influence his design and how the piece takes shape.

His involvement with discovering the pearls is intimate and detailed; his last trip to Flower Island in Palawan, Philippines he learned 360 interactions that are involved in the culturing pearl process; beginning with the birth of the oyster larva and fast forwarding six years to the extraction of the magical South Sea Pearl. His adventures to capture these pearls range from pearl diving for the Pinctada Maxima-the largest pearl bearing oyster in the world-to harvesting at modern pearl farms.

It's because of this dedication that Jorge continues to win awards for his designs. Winner at the International Pearl Design Competition he went home with The President's Trophy and The Brilliance Award and Orient Award. Two years running he won four second place and two third place competitions at the JCK Jewelers Choice Awards.

From Japanese Akoya to Tahitian Black and South Sea Pearls, Jorge encrusts them in 18 K gold with gemstone accents. Out of the oyster and onto the strand, one by one, two by two, each pearl begins to form into a piece of art joined together by diamonds and semi precious stones, just waiting to be claimed by its owner. Whether worn seductive and sultry or elegant and refined Jorge's pearls can take on any demeanor and style and offer something for any occasion.

#WordlessWednesday - Spotlight On The Metal Edge of Etienne Perret

#WordlessWednesday is reserved for the few elite DesignLines that have that distinct look - when you see a piece you know immediately who designed it.  When Jewelry is this beautiful - words get in the way! 




Spotlight on Etienne Perret...
With over 40 years experience, Etienne Perret is one of the world’s premier designers of color diamond jewelry. He is best known for his colored diamond bridal designs in 18kt gold, platinum and now ultra-durable & stylish Ceramique gem ceramic.

http://etienneperret.com/

Cultured Pearl Assoc. International Pearl Design Contest

The Cultured Pearl Association International  Pearl  Design Competition 2012-2013 

You are invited to enter the 3rd Annual International Design Contest, where your self expression for the PEARL is celebrated in the art form of jewelry.

The contest officially launched June 1, 2012 and runs to the September 3, 2012 deadline.  

Winners will be announced on November 1, 2012. 

Winning entries will be on display during the AGTA and JCK shows in 2013.

Celebrating one of the worlds most prized and mysterious gems, this contest invites artistic expression inclusive of ALL pearl varieties.  

Winners will receive award designation along with prestigious recognition from this world wide event. 

 For complete contest details visit www.cpaa.org   or call 888-31-Pearl  

The Cultured Pearl Association of America, Inc is a non profit group founded in 1957, comprised of the finest manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and suppliers of Cultured Pearls in the  United States .

Our intention is to "cultivate" awareness, interest, demand and successful marketability of Cultured Pearls for the retail community and the consumer level. Through promotion, education, public relations and unwavering commitment we aim to inspire an authentic passion for all Cultured Pearl varieties.

#JewelWKLV - AGTA Gemfair Las Vegas

Equatorian Imports features Red Beryl
and  stunning Cats-Eye Tourmaline!
Booth  - #AGTA404

AGTA Gemfair Las Vegas


This one is for all my GEMMY Friends!!!  You know I stopped in as soon as the doors opened - this is the show that I am so excited to see!   You have gone on Gemfair trips with me in Tucson before...but I have to say the Las Vegas venue is just as big with so many vendors!!!  ....and busy - busy - busy!


There were some vendors that were still setting up - an issue throughout the event on the 30th & 31st - flights from the Pennsylvania and Texas areas were either being cancelled or delayed...but they were there for the Opening!  ...can'r keep a good Gem down!


This show has everything you have come to expect from an AGTA show and more!  


I think that there are a couple good thing that have come from our economic issues - first and foremost...it is GREAT to see the attention on hand cut and faceted gem cutters...and in this show " Made in the USA"  is getting special attention!  Just a few of the represented brands are  Jewels from the Woods - AGTA222; John Dyer - AGTA1204 and Tom Trozzo - AGTA506 (Photo is from Tom Trozzo - just under 500 carats of hand-cut Amethyst!)





...and secondly, the use of gems that were never before in the Luxury or Fine Jeweler's Lexicon!  these goodies can include (pun intended) diamond slices - rose cut (flat back) diamonds and colored stones - quartz with everything but the kitchen sink in it and druzy everywhere!



(Photos: Left from Lakhi Gems - Cognac and Rose Cut Diamonds and Below: from Rare Earth Mining #AGTA427 - Druzy coated in Precious Metals)



There are of course the traditional Gems with the big three (Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire) heavily represented and the non - traditional Rare stones - Paraiba and Mozambique Tourmaline shown from Pala International  in Booth #AGTA514.

Pearls are showing NO sign of letting up - a classic that is VERY much on trend today!  ...and with over a dozen pearl vendors on the floor there is something for every shopper.  Betty Sue King of King's Ransom Pearls says that the hot items for her are her strands of "Comet" Pearls, her "Magic Metallics" and just look at the color in the baroques in front of her...King's Ransom is in Booth #AGTA411

#JewelWKLV - Trend Alert - Critter Jewelry!

#JCKJewelryWeek - Whether they are jewel encrusted or wrapped around giant Pearls and translucent Gems - Critter Jewelry is in every aisle at the LUXURY at JCK show in Las Vegas!!!


I corralled A few of my favorites...

Mark Schneider Designs - Luxury at JCK - Booth #LUX1232 

Mark Schneider Designs - Luxury at JCK - Booth #LUX1232

Gamma Creations - Luxury - Booth #LUX133

Emiko Pearls Int'l - LUXURY at JCK - Booth #LUX1506

Emiko Pearls Int'l - LUXURY at JCK - Booth #LUX1506

Jewel Encrusted Russian Enamel by Ilgiz F. at LUXURY at JCK - Booth #LUX1903

Integrity Pearls Lives Again!

A few months ago Jewelry Makers got a notice from the popular Integrity Pearls owner Doug Anderson that he was moving on and the he would be closing Integrity Pearls.  The news was met with sadness of losing a friend...and cries of where will we find this quality at these prices!


Well today the following message came:

INTEGRITY PEARLS IS BACK!

A little while ago, I sadly informed our many valued customers that, because of my new full-time role directing an international charitable organization, I would no longer be able to continue with Integrity Pearls, providing "quality pearls at great prices." There was an avalanche of disappointed yet supportive email messages... including one that really caught my attention, from Sharon McConnell.

Sharon has been a long-time customer - in many ways typical of most of our customers - using our pearls to create awesome jewelry for her small business. She expressed a keen interest in taking over theIntegrity Pearls business and continuing to offer the same quality and service. As we communicated, it was clear that this was a perfect fit. In fact, I am totally convinced that in her hands, Integrity Pearls will become better than ever!

I have invested many long hours and days working with Sharon, turning over every aspect of the business, sharing my secrets about first-class customer service, pearl quality and value pricing... and telling all my stories about how wonderful our customers are.

So it is without hesitation that I present to you...

Integrity Pearls reborn!

And from the new proprietor:

MESSAGE from SHARON...

 

Thank you, Doug, for that wonderful introduction, and greetings to all my fellow Beaders and Designers! I want to personally thank all our great customers for your past loyalty and support. As the new owner of Integrity Pearls I will do my best to continue the high standards of Quality - Value - Beauty for all your pearl needs.

I have been designing, making, and selling my own jewelry for many years, so I understand how important it is to have a consistent source of beautiful pearls for your designs. My pledge is that Integrity Pearlswill be here for you, as your best source of pearls; providing quality you can count on!

 

We are just days away from re-opening the new Web Store, so be watching for the next email with all the exciting details, including an OPENING DAY SALE!

We really look forward to the Opening Day Sale!

Friend Integrity on Facebook

Japan pearls in peril amid recession, competition

Check out the full story from Reuters.

Japan's akoya pearl industry, which began in the 1890s when Kokichi Mikimoto created the world's first cultured pearls, is facing collapse due to plunging sales and stiff competition from China.

In the small fishing town of Wagu on central Japan's Ago bay, about half of the 45 growers are about to close down their pearl beds after prices halved this year, sending them even deeper into the red.

"It's the end if you lose your passion for the work you do -- and I'm losing it," said Akihiro Takeuchi, 43, one cultivator of Japan's renowned akoya cultured pearls.

"We can't live like this. It's really unprofitable ... Akoya may die out completely in this town in a few years."

Saltwater akoya oyster pearls have long been a benchmark of quality in the industry, with domestic production peaking at 88.5 billion yen ($900 million) in 1990.

http://www.reuters.com/article/GlobalLuxury09/idUSTRE5571WJ20090608

2,000-year-old Gold Earring Found in Jerusalem

By Shawna Ohm, Associated Press Writer
posted: 10 November 2008 10:05 am ET

This undated photo made available by the Israeli Antiquities Authority on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008 shows what archaeologists say is a 2,000-year-old gold earring discovered beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem's old city. The Israel Antiquities Authority says the earring is inlaid with pearls and emeralds and was made around the time of Christ, between the first century B.C. and the beginning of the fourth century A.D. Credit: AP Photo/IAA, HO

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli archeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gold earring beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem's old city, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday.
The discovery dates back to the time of Christ, during the Roman period, said Doron Ben-Ami, director of excavation at the site. The piece was found in a Byzantine structure built several centuries after the jeweled earring was made, showing it was likely passed down through generations, he said.
The find is luxurious: A large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold.
"It must have belonged to someone of the elite in Jerusalem," Ben-Ami said. "Such a precious item, it couldn't be one of just ordinary people."
In a statement released Monday, the authority said the piece of jewelry was "astonishingly well-preserved." Finds from the Roman period are rare in Jerusalem, Ben-Ami said, because the city was destroyed by the Roman Empire in the first century A.D.
Shimon Gibson, an American archaeologist who was not involved in the dig, said the find was truly amazing, less because of its Roman origins than for its precious nature.
"Jewelry is hardly preserved in archaeological context in Jerusalem," he said, because precious metals were often sold or melted down during the many historic takeovers of the city.
"It adds to the visual history of Jerusalem," Gibson added, saying it brings attention to the life of women in antiquity.
Though Gibson dates the piece slightly later than the antiquities authority, to sometime between the second and fourth centuries A.D., he said its quality and beauty were impressive.
Ben-Ami added that he expects more small, luxury items to turn up in future excavations.
Earrings similar to this one have been found at archaeological sites throughout Europe, Ben-Ami said, where the Roman Empire also flourished. The authority said the earring appeared to be crafted using a technique similar to that depicted in portraits from Roman-era Egypt.

Mikimoto - The Original

http://www.mikimotoamerica.com

In 1893, Kokichi Mikimoto successfully created the world’s first cultured pearl, THE ORIGINAL, launching today’s cultured pearl industry and making pearls available to women everywhere.

This classic piece of jewelry, THE ORIGINAL Akoya strand, has been reproduced the world over, evolving from a trademark of nobility to an icon of style.

Mikimoto. THE ORIGINAL. The first, and simply the world’s finest cultured pearls.

Nurturing the Dream
With their mysterious yet pure and honest glimmer, pearls have won the hearts of countless people through the ages. After the mid 1800s, just before the Meiji Period, Japan became deeply involved with foreign trade and its natural pearls, already regarded as precious, became more treasured than ever before. At the same time, the pearl oysters around Mikimoto's hometown of Ise-Shima were being over-harvested to a crisis point. He threw himself into the task of seeding oysters and creating pearls, and for decades, he spent every waking hour on research and experiments.Pearls had always been a chance product of nature and initial efforts to delve into their mysteries did not yield immediate results. Factors such as red tides and low water temperatures lead to repeated failures. Regardless of the many complications imposed by nature, Kokichi pledged to commit every fiber of his being to the task and he had the stubborn confidence to turn mighty nature into his ally. The day he had been waiting for finally came on July 11, 1893. In the company of his wife Ume, he raised one of the bamboo oyster baskets out of the water, opened one of the oysters, and there, inside the shell, he discovered a shining pearl. This was the first time in history that a human being had ever created a pearl.

Growing the Dream
Once he had succeeded in culturing a pearl, Kokichi's urge to research grew even stronger. He had always been enchanted by the mysterious glow of the legendary black lipped pearls and silver lipped pearls, and he made up his mind to try culturing them.In 1914, Kokichi opened a culturing site for Black South Sea pearl oysters on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. Overcoming the often daunting forces of nature, including continual typhoons, in 1931 he turned his fantasy into reality with the production of a giant pearl, 10mm in diameter.He also dispatched a team of researchers to the South Pacific island of Palau, where they had considerable success in culturing pearls.While trying to meet the challenge of producing black lipped and silver lipped cultured pearls, he encouraged the development of local pearl industries on previously underdeveloped islands. He contributed so significantly to the development of these islands that the name 'Mikimoto' is spoken of with reverence even to this day.

Creating a Style
Hoping to enhance understanding of pearls by making them more accessible, Kokichi founded the world's first store specializing pearl jewelry in Tokyo's Ginza district. In 1906, he moved the store to a new building in Ginza 4-chome. The Mikimoto Pearl Store, a two-story Western-style building made of white stone, was a remarkably new type of establishment, offering Kokichi's keen sense of contemporary fashion in the form of beautiful, high-quality items.

Stylish young men in finely tailored high-collared three-piece suits waited on the customers and each month the store featured new displays conceived by expert designers. Kokichi put the utmost effort into decorating the showcases with jewelry representing the highest quality and most refined styles. The Mikimoto Pearl Store, a product of Kokichi's study of Western aesthetics and his own unique sense of style, soon attracted worldwide attention. Kokichi steadily continued pursuing his dreams.

Check out Mikimoto TODAY:

http://www.mikimotoamerica.com/mm5/merchant.mvc

For some great pearl info:

http://www.mikimotoamerica.com/catalog/catalog.html