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   Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
[13/11/2010 9:56 am]
As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms.

That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down.

Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.

There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution.

It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.

   Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
[13/11/2010 9:54 am]
Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.

Pearls

Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.

Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.

Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.

A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.

   Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
[06/11/2010 10:52 am]
Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.

Pearls

Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.

Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.

Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.

A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.

   on Monday, led higher by exporters
[05/11/2009 8:47 am]

on Monday, led higher by exporters such as Honda Motor Co on a weaker yen, while Kawasaki Heavy jumped on

a report of a high-speed rail project in China.

Banking shares including Japan’s top lender Mitsubishi UFJ

Financial Group rose on short-covering, market players

said, while Japan Airlines gained after a report that a

state-backed body will pearl jewelry oversee its turnaround.

‘The market is optimistic about Japanese earnings as the

reporting season heads into full swing,’ said Kenichi Hirano,

operating officer at Tachibana Securities.

‘The Nikkei’s important technicals –its 75-day and 25-day

moving averages– stand around 10,250 and that is also forming a

very strong support line.’

The benchmark Nikkei added 50.79 points to 10,333.78,

after starting the day slightly lower, tracking a fall on Wall

Street.

The broader Topix gained 0.5 percent to 906.76.

The dollar was trading around 92 yen in early Asia

trade. Many Japanese exporters have set their currency rate

assumptions at 90-95 yen for the year to March.

The Nikkei gained 0.2 percent last week, with investors

reluctant to actively take positions ahead of Japanese corporate

earnings and a raft of economic indicators in Japan and the

United States this week.

On Thursday, Japan will announce its industrial output data

for September and the U.S. government is set to report its first

estimate on third-quarter gross domestic product.

Honda advanced 2.5 percent to 2,875 yen, while Sony Corp climbed 3 percent to 2,750 yen. Advantest Corp

added 1.5 percent to 2,405 yen.

Banking stocks recouped some ground, with Mitsubishi UFJ

gaining 1.5 percent to 467 yen. Mizuho Financial Group

rose 1.2 percent to 175 yen.

JAL shares gained 1.8 percent to 116 yen, after opening

lower.

The Nikkei business daily said the Japanese government plans

to put a state-backed turnaround body in biwa pearl charge of the overhaul

of the struggling airline, underlining the government’s deeper

involvement in the process.

(Reporting by Aiko Hayashi; Editing by Joseph Radford)

((aiko.hayashi@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging:

aiko.hayashi.reuters.com@reuters.net; +81 3 6441 1802))

((If you have a query or comment on this story send an email to

news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))

Keywords: MARKETS JAPAN STOCKS Reuters Terminal users can see other related news and rates by double-clicking on: All Nikkei indices All shares listed on Nikkei-225 N225 index TOPIX index Nikkei Japan 1000 TOPIX sector data Nikkei 300 index TOPIX futures data Osaka N225 data Chicago N225 data Top 30 by volume Top 30 by value Total volume Total value 1st section sector RICs All TSE weighted avg Top 30 gainers by pct Top 30 losers by pct Top 30 net gainers Top 30 net losers Active Japanese stocks Japan economic indicators ASIA-PACIFIC STOCK MARKETS: Pan-Asia Japan S.Korea S.E. Asia Hong Kong Taiwan Australia/NZ India China OTHER MARKETS: Wall Street Gold Currency Eurostocks Oil JP bonds ADR Report LME metals US bonds Stocks News US Stocks News Europe DIARIES & DATA: IPO diary & data Asia earnings diary U.S. earnings diary European diary Japan diary Wall Street Week Ahead Eurostocks Week Ahead TOP NEWS: For top Asian company news: Top News Japan U.S. company news Europe company news Forex news Global Economy news All Equity news Tech, Media, Telecoms Banking news Politics/General news Asia Macro data A multimedia version of Reuters Top News is available at: http://topnews.session.rservices.com LIVE PRICES & DATA: World stocks Currencies Dow Jones/NASDAQ Debt FTSE 100 LME price overview Yen/dollar

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   Capmark Financial Group
[05/11/2009 8:45 am]

Capmark Financial Group, one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate lenders, has filed for bankruptcy protection amid mounting bad debt.

Capmark has been hurt by rising losses on mortgage loans. In its Chapter 11 filing Sunday in Delaware bankruptcy court, the company listed total debt of $21 billion and assets of $20.1 billion. It seeks to reorganize under court protection, reducing its debt while continuing to pearl jewelry operate its businesses.

Many U.S. banks have been hurt by rising losses on commercial real estate loans. With millions of jobs lost and office space remaining empty during the recession, developers have been forced to default on loans. Analysts predict that commercial real estate defaults will rise rapidly.

“We view this reorganization process as an unfortunate but necessary response to recent unprecedented conditions in financial and commercial real estate markets, which presented a significant challenge for Capmark and similarly situated finance companies,” said Capmark President and CEO Jay Levine, in a statement. “By constraining the availability of capital, these difficult market conditions had a negative effect on all our core businesses.”

Last month, Horsham, Pa.-based Capmark posted a $1.6 billion quarterly loss, as it set aside $345.8 million to cover loan losses during the quarter ended June 30. The company had been in talks with lenders and bondholders to restructure its debt so that it could stay in business.

Capmark in September agreed to an option to sell its North American servicing and mortgage businesses to Berkadia III LLC - a joint venture of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Leucadia National Corp.

Now that Capmark has been forced to file for bankruptcy protection, it will receive $415 million in cash and a $75 million note in the deal, minus any losses on a portfolio of mortgages. Had the transaction been completed outside of bankruptcy court, Capmark would have received $375 million in cash at the biwa pearl closing. Berkadia would have held $40 million to cover indemnity claims and pay the $75 million note.

Capmark was created in 2006 after a private equity group led by KKR & Co., Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners bought the commercial real estate business of lender GMAC LLC. According to the bankruptcy filing, the group owns 75.4 percent of the company. GMAC owns 21.3 percent, with most of the remaining shares owned by employees and directors.

Messages left for KKR, Goldman Sachs and Five Mile were not immediately returned on Sunday.

In a statement, Capmark said its Capmark Bank subsidiary is not part of the Chapter 11 filing. The bank, which recently received $600 million in new equity from Capmark Financial, will continue to serve its customers.

As of Friday, Capmark and its units involved in the filing had more than $500 million of cash and cash equivalents available to fund operations. Capmark said it believes it has enough liquidity at this time to allow it to pay vendors for goods and services and to pay salaries and continue benefits to akoya pearl its employees, and has filed motions with the court to allow it to do so.

“The Chapter 11 process will give Capmark the opportunity to restructure our balance sheet while continuing to focus on maximizing value for our principal stakeholders,” said Mohsin Meghji, the company’s chief restructuring officer, in a statement.

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