18-10-2017
Cibjo has just released a special report on pearls highlighting the concern over a worry trend that marketers in social media “are implying and sometimes stating directly that cultured pearls are natural”.
Drafted by Kenneth Scarratt (photo), president of Cibjo’s pearl commission, the report said “the deceptive practice is being carried out by those who choose to omit the word “cultured” to describe the product. In the case of coloured freshwater pearls, they are sometimes being described as “natural pearls”.
"When challenged, the individuals making such incorrect statements admit that what they are referring to is the 'natural colour' of these cultured pearls, rather than their growth origin. However, this hardly excuses the unprofessional marketing tactics being employed. It seems that ignorance - and I write this in the truest sense of its meaning - abounds within certain segments of the cultured pearl sales community," Scarratt said.
The Pearl Commission Special Report also describes a new initiative taken by the government of Bahrain to grant limited pearl fishing licenses to underwater divers, and discusses a pink cultured pearl being produced in Japan that uses a coral bead as a substrate for nacre growth.
Click here for the full copy of the report. (Photo courtesy: Cibjo)
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