This document provides an overview of pearls and the pearl industry. It introduces The Pearl Tribune newsletter and explains its purpose is to promote pearls which are currently trendy and popular. It then discusses Jewelmer, the largest producer of golden South Sea pearls, and its founder Jacques Branellec. The company employs over 1,000 people and produces 850,000 pearls annually from its six pearl farms in the Philippines. Jewelmer aims to cultivate pearls sustainably and protect the environment from destructive fishing practices.
1. march, april, may 2011- N°1
all you waNted to kNow about pearls aNd more
The besT AusTrAliAn peArls
MAruTeA, Queen of peArls
sAgA of The golden peArl
Ecology and pearls on TV
Stars love pearls
Pearls by Chaumet, Paris
The quizz
2. EdiTorial nEwS
why this Pearl Tribune ?...
world PrEmiErE in ThE world of SouTh SEa PEarl
“we are honoured to announce the from left to right: nicolas martinon (Pu-
birth of The Pearl Tribune dedicated blisher of The Pearl Tribune), Jacques
...as you have noticed we are inunda- to Sea water cultured Pearls. under Christophe Branellec (Brand manager,
the patronage of three main actors Jewelmer international), Peter Bracher
ted with newsletters about diamonds, Bee my love of our industry: Jewelmer internatio- (Excecutive director, Paspaley group of
new collection by Chaumet nal, robert wan luxury lTd. & Pas- companies), didier Brodbeck (Editor in
colored stones, precious metals and paley Pearling Company PTY lTd. Chief of The Pearl Tribune and founder of
This newsletter will inform and help dreams magazine), Pierre fallourd (TQm
hardly anything about pearls, which commercial market players of retail manager of Jewelmer international), Phi-
today, is one of the few expanding so that they become an intermediary
for the final client. Be informed by the
lippe Bouasse (design, Production and
Quality robert wan luxury lTd), Jacques
markets in the jewelry business. best in order to create more for your Branellec and manuel Cojuanco (founder
own valued customers.” of Jewelmer international)
There are three main reasons—among dozens of others— the South Sea and Tahitian Pearls, our industry would A French Touch For Miss chinA
that sparked the idea for this project. first, pearls never suffer from the consequences. with your help and the in- The election of miss China world took place in october with
had it so good. They are trendy, fun, and very popular formation you provide, we are confident this new media 32 beautiful finalists selected from over 1.8 million candidates.
with women, brands, designers, and the list goes inde- outlet will serve as an invaluable tool for improving our robert wan, number one for Tahitian pearls, immediately accep-
ted the invitation to sponsor the event, also because the Chinese
finitely on. in short, the time to profit from this oppor- visibility on multiple levels. our newsletter is meant to be
market is the most promising for his business. robert wan asked
tunity is now; it is our duty. nonetheless, it is surprising your tribune. i talk to producers, wholesalers, designers,
his french designer Philippe Bouasse, the proud recipient of the
that retailers and consumers are not familiar with South retailers, and the press, and i now invite you to enrich
Tahitian Pearl Trophy, to create a crown for the winner and tia-
Sea Pearls in general, and there is a lot of uncertainty the content of this newsletter by sharing any relevant ras for the two dauphines. The televised event attracted 100 mil-
regarding their origin, quality, and color—are they natu- information. and do not forget that we are not here to lion viewers, a seemingly trivial figure for the Middle Kingdom
ral or dyed? Moreover, the competition is fierce, primarily criticize, complain, or downplay but rather to promote an but nonetheless an excellent audience according to the event’s
from the producers of freshwater pearls. if we did not intrinsically beautiful and luxurious product that is truly organizers. The crown itself features 83 pearls of AAA quality,
give facts and good reasons justifying the high prices of one of nature’s most marvelous gifts. ranging from 11 mm to 17 mm in diameter, all of which were
selected by mr. robert wan himself. in other words, this is the
Didier BRODBECK crème de la crème! no, “Everybody is in Pearls” is not the name
Contact:
Contribution/translation: Nicolas MARTINON
Nicolas MArTiNoN – nmartinon77@gmail.com
Jessica Volz
of the issue… but that’s what it’s like.
didier BroDBecK – didier.brodbeck@gmail.com
aimée CharrEST
www.the-pearl-tribune.com CoVEr STorY
Born in France in 1941, DiDier BroDBecK received his mBa from inSEad in fontainebleau, outside of Paris. drawn towards the
creative, Brodbeck began his career in advertising, working with agencies Ted Bates, Benton & Bowles and J walter Thompson. during
this twenty-year span, Brodbeck specialized in luxury brands, including rolex, de Beers, Guerlain perfume, Bordeaux wines and champa-
gne. a long-time journalist and writer, didier Brodbeck is the author of a dozen books on watches, pearls, diamonds, and counterfeited
goods, including le diamant dans tout son éclat, Bijoux, Chic et Toc – The real Book of fakes, faux ou Vrais – The Counterfeiting of
Brands and most recently The miracle of the Gold Pearl. as publisher, didier Brodbeck created heure magazine (men’s watches), Tendan-
ces (an “art de vivre” magazine) and A World of Dreams, the first French magazine dedicated to watches and jewelry. Brodbeck also serves
as a consultant for the luxury goods industry.
niColaS marTinon is the former General manager of one of the European leading company in cultured pearls (maison Schmittgall;
Paris). His experience in the trade of the pearl is unique. He gained an experience for 20 years, traveling the world in search of the best
partnership and allowed his company to quickly reach top ranks in Europe. all these years allowed him to weave single network with Arte y JoyA n° 186 trends And Colors n° 291 le BiJoutier n° 780 dreams n° 54 Solitaire n° 47
leading international experts. Attending the most famous jewelry shows and auctions such as Hong Kong, Tokyo & Kobe, Basel, Papeete... The Erotica of Pearl Golden opportunities 50 th Anniversary Tahiti Pearl Special Pearl issue The Pearl rush
p.2 live his passion & work with constant guidelines as respect each other and our environment. p 58-71 p 54-55 p 25-37 p 57-84 p 100-125 p.3
3. SaGa
The golden pearl, treasure of the Philippines
for thirty years now, Jewelmer has we had to see the pearl ourselves to better understand
what makes it so valuable. The highly esteemed golden
become the largest company produ-
pearl commands an even higher price than its Tahitian
cing Golden South Sea Pearls. The
and Japanese counterparts primarily because of its ra-
company was co-founded by a french rity. it is no coincidence that in 1996, Fidel V. ramos, the
perliculture specialist and a filipino President of the republic of the Philippines, officially
national and now employs over a declared the Philippine Pearl, known as the South Sea
thousand people. The golden pearl, Pearl, as the country’s national gem. This gem is consi-
dered a miracle of nature, and its natural golden color
which continues to intrigue us and
is fascinating. once extracted from its shell, the only Jacques Branellec is synonymous to the “golden pearl”. Exclusively established in the Philippines, Jewelmer re-
remains difficult to produce, has yet
treatment necessary for this gem, is rinsing it with salt Today, Jewelmer produces 850,000 pearls annually, and tail stores can be found in luxury hotels and shopping
to be discovered in Europe. water. is now considered the world’s largest producer of South malls. Their workshop in manila, who is responsible for
The mantle of this bivalve shell, the gold lipped pinc- Sea Pearls, exceeding australia’s production. The par- the fabrication of their jewelry, employs 40 goldsmiths
tada maxima, gives the pearl its rich color. depending tners own and operate 6 pearl farms, covering more and artisans, among which were children of divers from
on where it was cultivated, the shell produces pearls of than 30,000 hectares of marine concession. The group the pearl farms. They were trained in a jewelry school
various colors, from silvery white to golden yellow. a comprises over a thousand people, distributed among started by the company. A collaboration of five designers
pearl is an organic crystal formed with nacreous layers the pearl farms, head office, retail shops and its works- – filipino, french and italian – design for Jewelmer and
of conchiolin and calcium carbonate. The intensity of hop. fifteen retail stores have been opened in the Phi- are submitted to a design Committee headed by the
the orient is determined by the thickness and regularity lippines; the first of which is located in the prestigious Commercial director, Pierre fallourd. But soon, one of
of the aragonite crystal layering. manila Peninsula hotel, where the french journalists Jacques’ daughters, Gaelle Branellec, joined the com-
it took over ten years for Jewelmer to be able were accommodated during their entire stay. pany and became the head of the creative department.
She gained experience while working with a famous
to produce a rich golden color, with extensive
italian jeweler in Place Vendôme. Jacques-Christophe
research and expertise in grafting.
Branellec, a very talented young man who inherited his
and yet, they are still challenged every year on their
father’s passion for the pearl business, also joined the
quest to produce the perfect pearl. a lot of factors come
company. Together with Pierre, they represent the com-
in during the nacre’s growth around the nucleus. and
pany in different international tradeshows where Jewel-
so, the birth of a golden pearl is considered as a gift of
mer’s presence is very visible: Basel, Hong Kong, Tokyo,
nature to men to take care of. among these men, one
Kobe, and Las Vegas. The company further strengthe-
has worked relentlessly for decades, in order to over-
ned its strong international presence with Jewelmer
come the challenge of pearl culturing. a native of Brit-
france headed by Barthelemy hatt. he organizes talks
tany, france he decided to sail around the world, and
with professional audiences and supervises activities in
eventually made his final halt in the Philippines. Now,
p.4 jewelry shops to promote the golden pearls. distribu- p.5
4. pirates, and against the widespread practice of dynamite
and cyanide fishing, which is extremely destructive for
P in P
the environment. for pearl farming, it is absolutely cru-
cial to cultivate pearls in pristine waters so as to main-
eople earls
tain stability in the ecosystem.
The constant culturing of pearls in an area will even-
They love them, they wear them
tually deplete its environment. To avoid this from hap-
pening, Jewelmer decided to relocate and open new si-
tes, so as to venture into breeding oysters in hatcheries. it
takes approximately six years to produce a harvest, resul-
ting from highly complex processes and requires everyo-
ne to be vigilant at all times. Jacques Branellec explains:
Michelle OBAMA
“The production of a single pearl requires 323 opera- «Same look, same
tions, and if one of these goes wrong, the perfection of a smile, same Pearls
around her neck. The
pearl will be affected.” Jewelmer transformed itself from first Lady is so chic!»
merely extracting of shells, to a sustainable development chArlène
company through the production of its own oysters using WiTTsTOck
«The winds of change
biotechnology. it opened doors for laboratory production
are blowing across the
tion to france’s top retailers yields very encouraging ned. The orient reflection can go from pink to green. of microalgae for the growth of oyster larvae. This labora- Mediterranean... Monaco
‘crowns’ its new princess,
results thanks to the promotional efforts which inclu- A color classification of about a dozen variations was tory, protected from light, is where the baby shells start to Charlene Wittstock, 33,
des sales staff training, pearl events, and a very strong established to better monitor the production analysis. who chose a necklace
develop their nacre as they cling to nets. To achieve this,
of cultured Tahitian pearls
presence in consumer media. «france is a springboard apart from the shell itself, some of these factors can this entails feeding the larvae a specific kind of plankton, (from Maison Repossi). A
toward Europe,» explains Pierre fallourd. it serves as also contribute to the production of a wider range of every two hours, everyday for nine days. Then, only 3% of
WhO is she ? little sweetness...»
«Here is the first official
a marketing learning ground with broad product offe- pearl colors: like the minerals, salinity, plankton or the these may be used for breeding. in Taytay, three to four snapshot of Meryl Streep
as the ‘Iron Lady.’ The
rings ranging from classic settings in gold to some more condition of the water”. million bivalves are constantly being cultured, and each shooting of the film
elaborate designs set in gold and diamonds. manuel based on the life of
Protecting the pearls and the environment: of these are followed through each stage. The opening of
Margaret Thatcher started
Cojuangco announced his plans of opening Jewelmer after the crafting procedure, the oysters, placed inside the hatchery and production sites reinforces Jewelmer in January. In this picture,
we are reminded that the
stores outside the Philippines in the near future, which baskets, are returned back in the waters, 10 feet under environmental policies. “We were the first to mobilize ‘Iron Lady’ is wearing a
is currently carrying out 70% of the sales. To produce a South Sea cultured pearl
so as to protect them from predators. it takes two to against dynamite and cyanide fishing. We also are aware
necklace and perhaps
perfect strand, it has to be sorted out from more than three years to produce a pearl. during this period, the that we maintain the biodiversity throughout the entire pearl earrings as well.
250 000 pearls. in its head office in Makati, there is
Madame Meryl Streep is lAdy gAgA
oysters are turned every day to achieve the roundness of region. we annually produce more oysters than what we truly a first-class artist.» «Lady GAGA
a room specifically designed to allow natural light to have taken out from the sea in decades. in areas where dripping with pearls...»
a gem, and the baskets are cleaned every month. a mira-
come in for the selection of pearls. five or six neckla- cle of nature, produced in the sea waters in any weather our farms are, the fish population rose by 5 to 6 times”.
ces are regularly being matched. Philippine pearl sizes condition. The company also has to protect itself from Carine LOEILLET. Managing Editor
range from 8-17 mm, with an average size of about 11.5 Orion Magazine (paris – France).
mm. The pearl size mostly sold by the company, ranges
4 OscArs fOr A king
from 9 to 10mm in diameter. Noblesse oblige!. Helena Bonham Carter, who plays
Jacques Branellec,
“Grading of pearls has different stages”, as explained founder of Jewelmer the queen (mother) Elizabeth in « The King’s Speech »
international, by Tom Hooper, displays its discreet charm and
by Pierre fallourd. “first, we sort them by their sha- sorting a recent crop. sensuality with these simple strings of pearls. Hat from
Jeanny Beaven, the chief costume designer for ha-
pes, quality, color and finally their size. it even takes a ving so successfully translate the elegance of the first
inside the labora-
second or a third time to grade the pearls according to tory, where Jewelmer lady of England in the thirties.
Nathalie COupEz
breeds the golden lip
p.6
their quality, which is the most difficult to be determi- oyster spats. p.7
5. hauTE JoaillEriE
Chaumet says it with pearls….
at once airy and poetic, a symbol of
strength and of tenderness, the
bee takes us to the heart of
Chaumet’s savoir-faire, thanks to the
new Bee my love collection.
an emblem of napoleon i and a motif subsequently ne setters, and polishers--all who perpetuate Chaumet’s
adopted by his official jeweler, the bee, together with tradition of excellence in the workshops at 12, Place
the «attrape-moi si... tu m’aimes» collection and slo- Vendôme.
gan, has resurfaced as a Chaumet icon embodying the
game of love and emotions, along with the power of the Chaumet’s commitment: «Save the Bees»
hive. as a tribute to these winged inspirations, Chaumet Still, just as precious to Chaumet are the real-life
has reused the honeycomb structure of the hive in its pollinators and makers of honey themselves, which it
creation of thirty pieces of jewelry and haute Joaillerie supports in conjunction with the Terre d’abeilles as-
featuring the bee: tiaras, necklaces, watches, pendant sociation’s «Save the Bees» campaign. Chaumet proves
earrings, rings, and brooches. in order to incorporate an ecological commitment and exceptional expertise in
the bee in a stylistic fashion, Chaumet called upon all luxury jewelry can work together; after all, they use the
the necessary persons of talent: designers, jewelers, sto- same language--the language of sentiment.
p.9
8. S.o.S. how much do you know about pearls?
Save our Seas 1) What do we call the type of oyster that gory are: a Palawan
creates Tahitian cultured pearls? b Balawan
a Bizarre
SPSf, lGus, the PCGa, and PCG have of lGus of Taytay Palawan, PCGa, PCG, PCGa , PCG, and SPSf continue to monitor
a Pinctada collada b rococo c Erawan
joined forces to aid a stranded indonesian and SPSf spotted the tugboat anchored in the situation closely because they fear a po-
b Pinctada maxima c Baroque d obiwan
vessel. The Save Palawan Seas foundation a nearby island, apparently having left the tential environmental calamity if the barge
c Pinctada grata d Complicated 18) The most beautiful French Polynesian
(SPSf) in cooperation with local govern- barge and coal near Binatican island, also were to be damaged and its cargo dumped
d Pinctada margaritifera pearls come from one of robert wan’s
ment units, private citizens of the Philippine a part of the marine sanctuary. unburned onto the surrounding coral beds. To date, 10) The pearls that are not nucleated are:
farms, located on which atoll?
2) Chinese pearls come from which shell? a Titi
Coast Guard auxiliary, and the Philippine coal, when present in marine environments a salvage team has gone to the site of the
a moorea
Coast Guard have been attempting to aid grounded barge to assess the situation. it a Scallops b Tiki
b marutea
the stranded indonesian barge ivan Batam appears that there has been some damage to b mussels c Piti
c Taratoa
since it first entered a the barge that would require minor repairs c Clams d Keshi
d Bora bora
marine Sanctuary off the coast of Taytay, Pa- before it could be towed. Time is of the es- d oysters 11) The annual production of chinese
19) Which country declared the gold pearl
lawan, on Tuesday, December 30, 2010. Agus sence, as it is feared that further delay would 3) The bead that you insert in the oyster co- fresh water pearls in millions of units is:
a national treasure in 1996?
Priyanto, Captain of the vessel towing cause greater damage to the barge’s hull be- mes from the waters of which american river: (connect the pairs)
a The Philippines
over 8,000 metric tons of coal, reported that cause the vessel is continuously battered by a The missouri river Chinese a e 10
b australia
they ran out of fuel en route to Batangas and both currents and rocks, factors that could b The mississipi Tahitian b f 100
c Japan
had entered the waters of the marine sanc- cause the coal to spill, endangering the sur- c The rio Grande akoya (Japan) c g 500
d Polynesia
tuary to seek shelter from the rough waters. rounding marine life. d The hudson South Sea d h +1000
fearing the adverse effects of prolonged ex- 20) Tahitian pearl which are then treated
4) This term has a Latin Name 12) The average sizes of pearls measured
by chemicals or decolouring
posure of coal on marine life, the foundation Save Palawan Seas foundation is a non-pro- a noyellus in millimeters are (connect the pairs):
sold diesel to the vessel. ivan Batam left the fit organization that works alongside LGUs a By Belgian oysters
b novellus Chinese a e 3–9
sanctuary and docked in a nearby island ins- and the Philippine Coast Guard to vigilantly b By Polynesian oysters, which are
c nucleus Tahitian b f 11 – 13
tead of waiting for the arrival of more fuel in sufficient quantities, can cause abrasion, monitor the environmental situation in the then treated (by heat or coloring)
d nebulus akoya (Japan) c g 8 – 10
from Manila. on January 2, 2011, the barge smothering, alteration of sediment texture region. ahrens, michael J and morrisey, c By Swiss oysters
5) how many years does one need to culti- australian d h 6 – 10
was spotted temporarily grounded near and stability, reduced availability of light, Donald J. 2005. oceanography and Marine d By african oysters from the Gulf
vate a Pinctada maxima before it’s ready to 13) Which country recently issued a bank of Guinea, fair trade
the Southwest of maytigued island due to and clogging of respiratory and feeding or- Biology. Boca raton: CrC Press. be grafted?
note showing a pearl inside a shell?
choppy waters. after being given more fuel, gans in marine life (ahrens and morrisey, a 1
they left the site the following day. members 2005). Members of LGUs of Taytay, Palawan, a Japan
b 2
b indonesia iF YoU HAVe ANSWereD 15/20 or
c 3
c Philippines morE CorrECTlY, ConGraTula-
d 4
featured on arte french tv channel : ecology and pearl 6) After the grafting how much time is
d Emirates
14) Austrialian pearls are harvested in:
TionS! You will BE iSSuEd a diPlo-
needed for South Sea pearl oysters to ma aTTESTinG To Your SuCCESS-
produce a quality pearl? a freshwater
the delicate nature of Pinctada maxima oysters and the traumatic ful ComPlETion of PErliCulTurE
a 1 year b lagoons
effects spurned by environmental changes. “here, the absence of oys- TrAiNiNG. iF YoU Are BeLoW 15 YoU
b 2 years c on the edge of beaches
ters is a terrible sign for the overall health of the seafloor,” explains
c 3 years d in the middle of the sea BETTEr SuBSCriBE To ThE PEarl
Jacques Branellec, the man who co-founded Jewelmer with manuel
d 4 years 15) The reflection of light or luster from TriBunE...
Conjuangco. in addition, the harvesting of these special oysters that
the heart of the pearl from its layers of
are heavily protected by their guardians has promoted a reduction 7) The pearl mollusks that can receive up
aragonite is known as:
iT’S frEE !
in cyanide fishing polluting the local waters. The fish have returned to 30 grafts are:
a Shine
and the fishermen, who are permitted to fish directly below the ca- a Chinese mussels b Gloss www.the-pearl-tribune.com
ges, rejoice. The islands—Jewelmer properties—have remained a ha- b australian oysters c orient
The film Palawan, the Pearl empire, produced by Thérèse engles, ven for plants and animals alike, fostering a proper balance within a c Polynesian oysters d Brillance
aired on the arte channel in mid-february and certainly deserves contained ecosystem. nonetheless, the big problem still remains: the d filipino oysters
16) South Sea pearls from the gold-lipped
45 minutes of attention. The French-Filipino company Jewelmer, progressive warming of the oceans threatens the Pinctada maxima 8) in the film oceans 11, Julia roberts was Pinctada maxima produce pearls of which
the world’s leading producer of golden pearls, whose secrets are well oysters, sparking concern about their future. Pragmatist Jacques Bra- wearing a red dress and a necklace of… color?
guarded, has decided to open two of its seven farms as a means of nellec hopes for a miracle and asks the salaried workers, who are very
a akoya pearls a Burgundy red
promoting awareness about the plight of these mollusks. The beauty Catholic, to pray that the day will soon come when the water tempe-
b fine pearls b Sauvignon white
of the landscape and the role of the oysters play are beautifully cap- ratures will return to their normal range.
c Burma pearls c Spumanti answers
tured through the lens of Patrick Brandt’s camera, and the ensemble Nathalie COupEz d Tahitian pearls d Champagne
14) d – 15) c – 16) d – 17) a – 18) b – 19) a – 20) b
For more information follow this link:
of images illustrates the different steps in the production and harves-
c – 10) d – 11) dg be cf dh– 12) ae bg ch df – 13) c –
www.arte.tv/fr/recherche/3639200.html 9) They are different types of pearls that 17) one of the principal islands where
p.14 ting processes. Yet still more distinct is the cry out to the public about Translated by Jessica Volz - jessavolz@aol.com exist, those that ranked in the other cate- South Sea gold pearls come from is:
1) d – 2) b – 3) b – 4) c – 5) b – 6) b – 7) a – 8) a – 9) p.15
9. If time is money, pearls are too
Pesos and pearls. The Philippine’s National Gem claims a place in the Filipino wallet. In an unprecedented
move, the Central Bank of the Philippines included the Philippine gold pearl in the latest incarnation of the
Peso banknotes. Unveiled in December 2010, the reverse side of the new 1000-peso bill sees the South Sea
pearl resting upon the Pinctada maxima oyster. It is the largest denomination of the Philippine peso.
Pearls are all the rage today--just one more reason why you should consider harnessing their powers to
benefit your business.