The Best Cortez pearls of all: 1995-2007

Technorati Tags: Cortez Pearls,pearl farm,Guaymas,natural colors,erotochromic,Pteria sterna,rainbow lip

Just a couple of days ago I published a photo of a single pearl…but not just of any kind of pearl, but rather of THE BEST PEARL OF 2015 and this beautiful bicolored pearl had a major impact amongst those that follow me on Twitter (@DouglasMcLaurin) and Facebook: in just a couple of days it was seen and shared by about 7 thousand people.

And this made me think back and remember certain pearls of previous pearl harvests that have been just as beautiful and colorful and that I call “Erotochromic”. Of course, they are always unique and different in their beauty. At that moment I told myself: “I have never reported those pearls like I have done this year and there might be more people that could find this information interesting”.

And so I told myself: I have to make a blog post to show others these very special and “Erotochromic” pearls that we have been harvesting for many years. Unfortunately it was not until 2007 when I finally had a good enough digital camera to shoot photos, and this ultimately means I do not have good photos of all these amazing pearls and some simply will reside in my memory.

So here goes part 1 of these Special Erotochromic Cortez Pearl Collection.

“Pinky” - 1995

Let me start with a bit of history: back in 1995 we were already producing our first experimental cultured pearls using our “Rainbow Lip Oyster” or Pteria sterna. I had this small group of 32 oysters and I was lucky enough to produce several pearls from these and there was this particular pearl…oval shaped and just 7 mm in diameter (those days our beads were very small (5 mm). I called it “Pinky” because of its delicate violet overtone…and my particular fondness for “Pink Floyd”.

I consider this petite beauty as our 1st Gem Pearl and I am proud to be its “dad” and not having sold it. “Pinky” is being exhibited at our jewelry store & Pearl Farm in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico and its value transcends its mere economic value: this is the 1ST GEM PEARL produced in Mexico and Latin America and –if we just consider Marine Pearls, as opposed to Freshwater pearls- “Pinky” is also the 1st CULTURED GEM GRADE PEARL GROWN IN THE AMERICAN CONTINENT.

Harvest of 2000

Back in the day we had no idea of “christening” our pearls with a name of their own. We had –of course- heard of famous pearls that had a unique name (“La Peregrina”, “The Big Lemmon”, “Hope Pearl”, etc.) but this was an idea we had yet to fully mature into action, but we already had “Pinky” and “Bebé” (“Baby” this one I will leave for another story…a sad one) with their unique names.

That year we officially had our 1st COMMERCIAL PEARL HARVEST and it was also the year we had our “Perlas del Mar de Cortez” trademark and Logo. That year we had several amazing pearls but I remember these two:

These round pearls barely exceeded 8 mm and 8.8 mm, one was violet with a dark green overtone and the other one had a fantastic dark green-blue color with golden-violet overtones. Both had excellent natural luster and were flawless…where are they today I wonder???

Harvests 2001-2003

Those were chaotic years for me and I did not have any precise records of the harvests. There is a whole story behind this but just so you understand a bit: in 2001 I left this beautiful pearl farming venture behind, said goodbye to all my friends and I started a new career in the touristic industry and then in education. Because of this I did not participate in the production nor harvests nor in certain catastrophic events such as hurricane “Marty” in 2003.

So, from the photographic records of Enrique and Manuel I was able of “rescuing” some amazingly beautiful specimens such as this oval shaped 8 mm “Gem+ NS” grade Cortez Pearl (“NS” stands for “National Selection” or you can simply translate it into another “+”, and this sub-grade is given to the most colorful –or “Erotochromic” pearls), this pearl was harvested in 2003 and was taken with the help of a professional camera (you can see the size of the lens on the pearl’s reflection).

The photo below shows some of the most “Erotochromic” pearls of 2002:

Up until this moment we did not name our best pearls systematically…and there is no obligation to do so yet. It is something that has to “feel right”.

Harvest 2004

This year was very interesting for us all: I returned to my post and became a “Founding Partner” (for the first time ever the farm was ours) and we had the help of our friend Alberto Tirado who helped shoot some professional looking  photos than those we obtained from our trusty Sony “Mavica” digital camera (it had a 3 1/4” floppy!) that took these amazing 640 x 480 pixel photos (half a Meg!) but its lenses were really good for zooming.

Here I have the best 4 pearls of the Year 2004…

Harvest 2005

Back then I still did not own a good enough digital camera. I had purchased an HP 2 Megapixel digital camera that took good enough outdoor photos but not on close-ups of pearls. Some of the best –and largest- pearls of this particular year appear on this photo. This year we start seeing pearls in sizes larger than 10 mm and up to 14 mm.

Harvest 2006

I finally have a nicer camera. I still own a Cannon digital camera with 8 megapixels with a good enough zoom lens. Here I present you with the most beautiful and colorful photos of the harvest…and many are clearly “Erotochromic”.

What is “Erotochromia”??? Well, I basically came up with this word about a week ago when I was looking at this year’s beautiful “bi-colored” pearl. I have defined it as a “Very pleasant and Intense color with a sensuous expression”. You may say this is just non-sense (you have a right to do so) but to me this is very real: these are pearls with such beauty  that just make my eyes turn white. Photos are simply not enough to show you’re their beauty…which –after all- is totally Dynamic.

For a short moment I believe I should have called them “Chromorgasmic” but thought otherwise.

Harvest 2007

Our harvests have slowly improved with every year: with more experience comes better judgment and even some technological improvements; under the threat of climate change we have tried to adapt to a changing environment by using different aquaculture techniques and methods. Overall, the size of our pearls has increased to an average size of 9 mm(up from 8 mm), and our pearl shapes have become softer too (initially our usual shape was of BAROQUE  shapes -80%-and now we are down to 60% and our Baroques look symmetric) and the luster and skin beauty have also improved.

On the photo above we arranged the pearls in a way that you can appreciate the range of colors we obtained in 2007’s Cortez Pearl Harvest, but you can easily id the most colorful ones.

Closing Remarks: This has been a very quick recap of some of the best Cortez Pearls of for 12 years. These Special Pearls are the ones that helped us trace a route to where we want to arrive…the “goal-setters”. What was our initial passion??? It is still the same as it was years ago: To produce the most beautiful naturally colored cultured pearls in the World, pearls that will cut your breath short…

In my next post you will see more pearls that have their own names and that defined that year in pearls. I hope you have enjoyed this small stroll through our harvests, so until next time

Our Newest Cortez Pearl Jewelry

Technorati Tags: cortez pearls,jewelry,silver,designer,gold,classic designs,sustainable fashion

This has been a very good year for our Cortez Pearl Jewelry store. Not only do we still have the majority of our excellent jewelry designers but we now have even more talented people working on jewelry pieces that I am are sure will light you up!

So, I want to take a bit of time to present you to these new designers. Many of these items are already available at our e-Store, so I also invite you to view additional photos and information –including price- right there. Please don’t say that I did not give you enough time to see these pieces: just yesterday we sold 2 of these! They sell fast.

Cortez Premium Jewelry Line

This new design line is lovingly designed and hand-crafted, with special intent on detailing. Crafted in solid 14K Palladium-Gold in a perfect mix that will ensure that your jewelry will keep its beautiful white color forever (unlike items that just have a coating). This Premium line also incorporates diamonds –on some items- and most importantly: GEM GRADE Cortez Pearls.

This is an entirely CLASSIC line of jewelry, with long-lasting VALUE since its style is not reminiscent of a time or epoch and will outlast any fashion style constraint. If you are looking to handing down an heirloom piece of jewelry in your family, the Premium line will be something that you will find at our e-Store and jewelry store in Guaymas.

Fabra Designs

We are happy to announce that we have a new designer from the State of Zacatecas, a state that has been known for its silversmiths. The items are very modern and just PERFECT for the taste of modern men and women.

The jewelry is made using pure 0.925 Silver and leather (in some instances), they are solid and substantial, with an elegant, modern and minimalist design.

Elegant Filigree by Eva Souto

Eva Souto has provided us with the most beautiful and dainty filigree pieces we have ever seen. Her 0.925 Sterling Silver jewelry designs have a touch that combines modernity and tradition, which in a way is something very Mexican: it keeps up with the best of our heritage but that it also takes leaps towards modernity.

It is an absolute PLEASURE to examine the delicate and elaborate hand-work of Eva’s silversmiths, and then combined with our colorful Cortez keshi and cultured pearls…they just unravel into a very exclusive line of jewelry that you will not be able to find just everywhere else.

My next blog entry will have more information about the new designs from Carlos Cabral, Alejandra, Tania María and Kathe Mai, so stay tuned!

Have a great week!

7th Annual pearl ruckus

Technorati Tags: Pearl Ruckus,Little h Jewelry,Kamoka Pearls,Blaire Beavers,Kojima Pearl,Sarah Cannizaro,Josh Humbert,Jeremy Shepherd,HisanoShepherd,Pearl Mansion

Yes! I can hardly believe it has been 7 incredible years of Pearl Ruckuses, and each year they get better and better. But, what is a “Pearl Ruckus”??? Basically put it is a special gathering of friends, pearl collectors, pearl buyers & resellers, designers and pearl farmers…but in the end it is really a gathering of pearl lovers in a fantastic Mansion-like setting.

You may remember some of my previous Pearl Ruckus series of blog entries before, but in case you haven’t I do have to emphasize that this very special gathering is the result of the work done at the Pearl-Guide.com website, basically the World’s Largest Pearl Information Source, and this site is a labor of love of many people that LOVE pearls, including: Jeremy and Hisano Shepherd of PearlParadise.com fame, Caitlin Williams (Caitlin) and Blaire Beavers (GemGeek) (as the site’s admins) and of Newberry, Pattye, Mikkey and many more brave pearlers that share and spread the Pearly Gospel

So, here are my 3 HIGHLIGHTS for this Year’s Ruckus and #1 is actually very, very easy:

#1. Little h Video

Jeremy and the team at PearlParadise.com created a short video of Hisano sharing her inspiration and design process for her little h, Pearl Geode and Finestrino collections. It is a delightful video and the jewelry pieces are some of my favorites!

https://youtu.be/JUuw_VwNxsU

#2. Kojima Pearl’s Amazing Cortez Mabe Pearl Necklace

Stunning. I obviously prefer my pearls above all others (but if you follow this blog you know I am also a fan of Kamoka and Kasumigaura pearls)…last year we came up with a pair of beautiful Mabe Pearl necklaces set in Sterling Silver that were all the rage (one of them is owned by U.S. Senator Gabrielle Giffords) but this year I did not have anything similar to offer…but what a pleasant surprise when Sarah and Mounir came up with this AMAZING Cortez mabe pearl necklace…simply stunning!

Sarah and Mounir have become an amazing designing team…just ready to rock the pearl world! For more information you can head to Kojima Pearl’s website.

#3. The Pearl People

The Pearl Ruckus is ultimately about PEARLS…but without PEOPLE to admire, love and wear pearls we have nothing! So in the end it is all about People that Love Pearls.

And at the Mansion we spend almost an entire weekend immersed in pearls, pearl jewelry, incredible food, music and making friends. If you ever feel like you could become a “Pearl Ruckrusader” (just made up this word) please join us at the Pearl-Guide.com forum and start meeting the people! Maybe next year you can join us too!

And besides the friends, the talks, the music and the food –and everything surrounded by pearls of course- there were many other interesting things including the “Pearl Talks”:

Josh Humbert of Kamoka Pearls gave us a great slideshow presentation. Josh is not only an extraordinaire pearl farmer but also a most accomplished NatGeo photographer. Wish I could share the photos here…but they are his to share so if you want to see some of his work just contact him via Tweeter at @KamokaJosh.

Here we have Josh and his life-mate Celeste Brash. Good friends of mine.

Blaire Beavers gave a great talk and walk through memory lane…first by reminding all how the name for this event was coined…yes, my good friend Michael Rivers came up with this inventive name and it sure has stuck. All 6 previous events were considered…so many years, so many great moments! We had to laugh and smile at the photos of the pearl tiara wearing comrades and the retelling of the “Purloined Pearls” story, or draw our breath inwards at the wholesome beauty of many beautiful pearl necklaces and jewelry pieces.

Douglas McLaurin (that’s me!) also gave a short talk on Cortez Pearls…this year I tried a less serious approach and resorted to much more humor than before. I don’t know if the audience agreed with me but I hope they had as much fun listening to my “La Peregrina” pearl section as much as  I had making it.

I also took a bit of time to talk about this year’s Cortez Pearl Harvest: it was not as good as last year’s (every year results in a different harvest due to environmental conditions, as you would also expect for wine, cheeses, grains, etc.) but it was a very good one nonetheless. We harvested almost 4 kilos of Cortez Pearls (roughly 4,000 pearls) in sizes between 8 and 13 mm, the average size for this year being 9 mm. The pearls were also rounder than any other previous harvest and very lustrous, with a better “skin” (less flaws and imperfections) but the colors –for my personal taste- were less intense.

If I had a way to describe the overall look of this year’s harvest it would be: Silvery Gray with Blue Overtones. There were –of course- the traditional stunners…but I missed finding Red and Blue pearls, there were more coppery-golden ones this year too.

Jewelry Highlights

Oh yes! My good friends had Pearl Jewelry on everyday and would change their jewelry based on clothing, mood or even environmental conditions Such a fun crowd to be with. Here are some of the highlights:

A very beautiful Cortez Mabe Pearl pendant in Gold with Rubies (owner: Rhonda).

Another beautiful & stylish piece in gold with Cortez Cultured pearl and many Cortez Keshi pearls, designed by Sarah & Mounir at Kojima Pearl. (Owner: Catherine).

Another favorite of mine are Hisano’s amazing Geode Pearl jewelry…just stunning, and the colors are just to vibrant!

And there are many, many more stunning pieces but I just did not have the time nor adequate light to shoot all those pics I should have had!  But I will close up this entry with just one more photo and description…

My friend Sheri Jurnecka has come up with a dazzling array of uniquely shaped squiggly octo-jewerly designs and she has used all types of pearls on them: blacks, golden, freshwater and Cortez Pearls of course. Hope you enjoy this beautiful cephalopod family photo!

Until next time…Cheers!!!

Reporte de La 7ma edición del Pearl ruckus

Así es, ya han sido 7 increíbles años y reuniones del ya célebre “Pearl Ruckus” y cada año se vuelven mejores. Pero bueno, tal vez te preguntes…¿Qué es un Pearl Ruckus? Y aunque no existe una traducción perfecta la respuesta sería: Es una reunión especial de amigos, coleccionistas de perlas, compradores, re-vendedores, diseñadores de joyería y productores de Perlas. Pero para decirlo de una forma más corta: se trata de una Reunión de Amantes de las Perlas en una fantástica Mansión.

Tal vez puedas recordar algunas de las entradas previas sobre el Pearl Ruckus, pero si no recuerdas haberlas leído te voy a recordar que este evento especial es el resultado del trabajo realizado en el foro internacional de perlas Pearl-Guide.com (sólo en Inglés), y este sitio está siendo sostenido con el trabajo y amor de un grupo pequeño de individuos que aman su trabajo y entre quienes destacan: Jeremy y Hisano Shepherd de PearlParadise.com, Caitlin Williams (Caitlin) y Blaire Beavers (GemGeek) (administradoras del sitio) y de Wendy,Newberry, Pattye, Mikkey y muchas personas más que esparcen el “aperlado evangelio” al mundo que está sediento de noticias y conocimiento de las perlas.

Aquí tengo mi Selección de los 3 Eventos más Importantes del Ruckus 2015:

#1. El Video de “Little h”

Mi buen amigo Jeremy Shepherd y su equipo de trabajo en PearlParadise.com crearon un video corto sobre la diseñadora Hisano Takei de Shepherd, donde ella platica sobre el proceso de producción e inspiración de sus nuevas líneas de joyería de perlas. Su marca es “Little H” y las dos primeras líneas son “Geoda Perla” y “Finestrino”. Es un video muy profesional y hecho con el corazón…y estas líneas de joyería me gustaron desde la primer ocasión en que las vi (en el Pearl Ruckus 2014).

httpv://youtu.be/JUuw_VwNxsU

 

#2. El Asombrosamente Bello Collar de Perlas Mabe del Mar de Cortez de Kojima Pearl.

Se trata de una pieza que es simplemente increíble. Obviamente prefiero a mis Perlas del Mar de Cortez por encima de cualquier otro tipo de perla, aunque si sigues este blog debes de saber que también me gustan muchos las perlas Kamoka y Kasumi. El caso es que en el 2014 llevé un hermoso collar de perlas Mabé al Ruckus (muy similar al que adquirió la Senadora del estado de Arizona: Gabrielle Giffords) pero este año no tuve nada similar para ofrecer.

Pero ¡qué agradable sorpresa me llevé cuando Sarah y Mounir llevaron un INCREÍBLE collar de Perlas Mabé Mexicanas para mostrar…simplemente, un trabajo espectacular en Oro en el que resalta el gran colorido y belleza de nuestras perlas.

Sarah y Mounir se han convertido en una pareja muy talentosa y están listos para tomar al mundo del diseño de perlas por los cuernos. Si quieren más información de sus diseños, no dejen de visitar: Kojima Pearl página oficial.

 

#3. La “Tribu de Perleros”

El Ruckus es principalmnete una reunión sobre PERLAS…pero sin personas para admirar, amar y usar estas gemas…¿de qué sirven las perlas? Así que en última instancia esta es una reunión de Personas que Aman las Perlas.

Y en la “Mansión Perlera” pasamos casi todo un fin de semana inmersos entre perlas, joyería con perlas, exquisita comida, buena música y estrechando lazos de amistad. Si alguna vez sientes como que te gustaría ser parte de este selecto grupo de “Rucruzados” (acabo de inventar esta palabra, simplemente se me ocurrió) te invito a unirte al foro de Pearl-Guide.com (solo en inglés) y que conozcas a l@s foristas.  Tal vez, el año entrante tu también puedas ser parte de este muy selecto grupo de invitados

Y además de los amigos, las pláticas, la música y la comida –y todo abundantemente sazonado con perlas de todos colores, formas y tamaños- hubo varias otras cosas interesantes en el Pearl Ruckus, entre ellas las “Pláticas Perleras”:

Mi amigo Josh Humbert (en esta foto acompañado de su guapa y talentosa esposa Celeste Brash) de Kamoka Pearls nos dió una presentación de fotos muy, muy buena. Josh no solamente es un granjero de perlas extraordinario, sino que además es un gran fotógrafo de la revista National Geographic, entre otras. Me encantaría compartirles las fotos pero no me es posible en este momento. Si quieren conocer algo más de su trabajo con fotografía o con perlas pueden contactar a Josh por su cuenta de Twitter: @KamokaJosh.

Blaire Beavers nos dió una genial plática que nos llevó a través de los recuerdos…empezamos con la develación de cómo fue que se acuñó el nombre de “Pearl Ruckus”.  Todo comenzó con mi amigo Michael Rivers –su compañía es la que nos provee con núcleos parala producción de perlas- quién se le ocurrió este nombre para un evento que ya es tradicional.

Blaire nos recordó con fotos y pláticas los 6 eventos pasados. Nos reímos y carcajeamos al recordar momentos como cuando Sarah trajo una Tiara de perlas y tomamos turnos en modelarla, o cuando recordó la historia de las “Perlas Robadas” (esta historia me la piden contar cada año y cada año se pone más buena la historia ), y también recordamos esas piezas únicas que nos tocó ver y tocar en años pasados.

Finalmente, Douglas McLaurin (¡yo!) di una plática corta sobre las Perlas del Mar de Cortez pero este año intenté dar una pláticamenos formal y más divertida. No se si mi público estuvo de acuerdo conmigo, pero creo que se divirtieron bastante con mi plática sobre la famosa perla “La Peregrina”.

También tomé un poco de tiempo para hablar de la Cosecha de perlas del 2015: no fue tan buena como la del 2014 ya que la cantidad de perlas fué menor, pero fué una muy buena cosecha: se obtuvieron casi 4 kilos de perlas (cerca de 4 mil perlas) en tallas entre los 8 y 13 mm de diámetro, con la talla promedio en los 9 mm. Las perlas de esta cosecha tuvieron formas más redondeadas que en otras cosechas previas y salieron con un muy buen lustre natural, con una mejor “piel” o superficie (con menos imperfecciones y fallas) pero los colores –para mi gusto- fueron menos intensos.

Si tuviese que describir la apariencia general de la cosecha de perlas de este año les diría que es Gris Plata con sobretono azulado. Por supuesto que tuvimos bastantes perlas de sobretonos tornasolados, pero siento que me hicieron falta más perlas rojizas, azules y verde esmeralda, y que las grises y cobrizas fueron muchas más.

Exquisitas Piezas de Joyería

Así es, simplemente no pueden faltar esas piezas especiales que recuerdas y admiras. Mis buenas amigas trajeron sus mejores perlas y cambiaban de joyería de acuerdo a su cambio de ropa, la hora del día y hasta las condiciones del clima. Fue un placer pasar tiempo admirando sus perlas. Estas son algunas de las piezas que me tocó ver.

Un bellísimo dije de oro con rubíes, con una lustrosísima y colorida Perla Ampolla del Mar de Cortez (dueña: Rhonda).

Otra bella pieza y de gran estilo es este collar de oro con Perlas keshi y una Perla del Mar de Cortez. Esta pieza fue diseñada por Sarah y Mounir de Kojima Pearl Co. (Dueña: Catherine)

Otras piezas que me gustaron mucho (desde el año pasado) son las bellas “Geodas” de Hisano. Estas nuevas piezas son simplemente increíbles, con colores que vibran y encienden pasiones.

Y hubo muchas más piezas que eran también bellas y especiales pero no siempre tuve la luz adecuada para tomar las fotos (y mi teléfono celular a estado perdiendo su capacidad de carga desgraciadamente) así que cerraré este segmento con solo una foto y comentario adicional:

Mi amiga la diseñadora Sheri Jurnecka ha procreado una gran familia de joyería basada en su gran amor por los inteligentes y viscosos cefalópodos. Su “Pulpo-yería” tiene todo tipo de diseños en bronce, plata y oro con perlas de todo el Orbe: perlas Kamoka, Kasumis, Chinas y del Mar de Cortez por supuesto Espero que disfruten esta bella foto familiar que incluye a la “Mamá de los Pulpitos”.

Technorati Tags: Pearl ruckus,HisanoShepherd,Jeremy Shepherd,Finestrino,Blaire Beavers,Josh Humbert,Sarah Cannizaro

Hasta la próxima entrega…mis saludos.

The Weirdest & Funniest Pearl Farm in the World

And this is basically the way we were designated by National Geographic in their “World’s Weirdest” TV Series, under the “Funniest Farms” banner. The program aired back in February 14th of 2014 in NatGeo’s TV network but we were totally oblivious since the program has not been dubbed nor sub-titled and has never aired in Spanish speaking countries. So we just kind of forgot that we had been visited by Nick Patterson and Pete Allibone of WAG.TV productions back in December of 2012 to film our pearl farming operation (you can go back an read all about it here), but then about a month ago we heard from some of our visitors that they had seen the episode were our farm was featured!

Technorati Tags: NatGeo TV,Cortez Pearl,Pearl farm,Guaymas,Sonora,Mexico

I started looking for the program and almost immediately hit a wall: not available in YouTube and when I found it in both Amazon’s video service and on Xbox Video I was really happy! until I noticed it would not allow me to buy it because it is not available in “My Region” (whatever this means while on the Internet). This was a total let down…so I got in contact with good old Nick (who was placidly tanning himself somewhere in the Caribbean) and he sent me a link to watch the whole show. Finally, after only 18 months, we could finally see the end product of that long and interesting work day with these absolute TV professionals. The results were amazing.

Since I cannot share the entire video for obvious reasons, I decided to make a very short (40 seconds) video of the episode on the pearl farm. It obviously lacks everything but gives you an idea of what to expect, so I do hope you will enjoy watching it.

 

Personal Thoughts

I really enjoyed the show. Found it has a disturbingly interesting way to entertain, amuse and befuddle you with words like “feces”, “testicles” or witty comments such as “…if the oyster dies, I can always eat it!” when I was operating an oyster. But above these…the imagery: Pete had a great chance to film that day when they visited us. A cold-front was coming in and we had a major fog-bank in the bay, which led to one of the best and most beautiful time-lapses I have seen of this area. Simply stunning.

The end result was entirely eclectic: a mixture of seriousness and humor, of marvelous photography of Bacochibampo Bay amidst the fog and of the pearl seeding operation, of the pearl farm and of the pearl harvest. Basically: the whole enchilada.

It was truly a very professional job and we are very grateful to Nick, Pete, the crew at WAG.TV and NatGeo for their visit and for showing the world our curiously weird and little pearl farm in the Sea of Cortez.

Do you want to know our Pearl Farm??? What are you waiting for!!! Guaymas and San Carlos are a marvelous place to vacation and you can also visit one of the World’s Funniest and Weirdest Pearl Farms in the World…right here in Sonora, Mexico.

Una de las Granjas más Curiosas y Raras del Mundo

Y así fue como nos designaron en National Geographic y por ello nos incluyeron dentro de su programa especial “World’s Funniest Weird Farms” o “Las Granjas más Curiosas y Raras del Mundo” y que –por desgracia- nunca fue doblado al castellano, razón por la cuál nunca salió al aire en el mundo hispano-parlante.

 

Tal vez algunos de u

Tal vez ustedes recuerden que en Diciembre del 2012 tuvimos la visita de Nick Patterson y Pete Allibone de la empresa productora de programas de WAG.TV, y que esta empresa Británica es proveedora de programas para los canales de National Geographic (NatGeo TV) y Discovery Networks. En ese momento nos dijeron que el programa iba a ser comprado por NatGeo y finalmente salió al aire el 14 de Febrero del 2014.

Curiosamente, la información de este programa fue utilizado por algunas páginas web, pero ninguna de estas listas nos incluía a nosotros. Eso si no lo entiendo…o bueno, si lo entiendo: solo somos una granja de perlas de más en el mundo, solo que somos la única granja de perlas comercial en el Continente Americano, también somos la única granja de perlas del mundo que utiliza la ostra de “Labios Arcoíris” (Pteria sterna) y somos una de las 4 empresas consideradas como Granja de Perlas Sustentables y la única que produce Perlas de Comercio Justo…obviamente, nada extraño ni muy especial.

Les comparto un video corto que hicimos de la sección donde venía nuestra granja de perlas dentro del programa de NatGeo. Por cuestiones legales no podemos compartir el video completo con ustedes así que esto es lo que si podemos compartir con ustedes. Esperamos les guste y que quieran ver el programa completo.

Desafortunadamente, si desean ver o adquirir el programa, sólo lo podrán hacer desde un país Anglo-parlante y lo pueden hacer rentando o comprando el video completo del programa desde Amazon.com y XBox Video. Tal vez incluso buscando en la guía de TV lo podrías encontrar…pero no en México ni en el resto del mundo de habla Española.

Comentarios sobre el Programa

Me gustó mucho el programa en general. El enfoque es totalmente hacia lo divertido y lo chusco, no es un programa de seriedad…el enfoque es hacia causar el asombro y una combinación de asco/horror que no encuentro fácil de describir. Obviamente el guion no lo escribí yo sino Nick Patterson y había un especial interés en palabras como “excremento”, y “testículos”, así como las tomas de la operación de implante que realmente salieron muy bien (creo que soy un actor nato) pero que son cosas que yo nunca hubiese dicho tal como: “Bueno, si la ostra muere…al menos me la puedo comer”.

El resultado final fue totalmente ecléctico: una mezcla de comentarios chuscos y serios, de tomas maravillosas de la bahía en medio de la neblina y de la operación de implante, del cultivo y cosecha de la perla.

Technorati Tags: NatGeo TV,Guaymas,Sonora,Mexico,Granja de perlas

Realmente un trabajo de gran profesionalismo. Estamos muy agradecidos con Nick, Pete, WAG.TV y NatGeo por habernos visitado y darles a conocer nuestra curiosamente rara Granja de Perlas en el Mar de Cortez.

¿Quieres conocer esta Granja? ¡Qué esperas! Guaymas y San Carlos son maravillosos para venir a vacacionar y puedes visitar una de las Granjas más Curiosas y Raras del Mundo…aquí en Sonora.

Para más información visiten esta página.

Hasta la próxima.

Las Extrañas “Perlas Vampiro”

Este año tenemos un grupo muy especial de Perlas Ampolla que son totalmente fuera de lo común... ¿por qué este grupo de perlas es tan especial??? Bueno, dejen les explico:

1. ¡Muchas de estas Perlas son ENORMES! Como ya estás enterado, nuestras ostras perleras de  "labios arco iris" (Pteria sterna) no son una variedad de ostra de gran tamaño, más bien son organismos de talla media... justo entre las enormes ostras de "labios negro/plata/oro" (Pinctada margaritifera y Pinctada maxima) del Indo Pacífico y la pequeña y cosmopolita ostra "Akoya” (Pinctada imbricata=fucata). El tamaño promedio de nuestras Perlas Mabe de Cortez es de 14 mm de diámetro. En cambio, la perla más grande de este selecto grupo alcanza los 5x4 cm (50x40 mm).

2.Estas Perlas Mabe son de formas súper-barrocas, o simplemente dicho: de formas de totalmente naturales. Nuestras Perlas Mabe nunca son idénticas y son en su mayoría de formas libres pero inclinada hacia los ovales y las gotas.

3.Su rareza: este grupo es muy inusual y raro... sólo 21 perlas de una cosecha de más 2 mil que cosecharon en el 2014. Sí, básicamente sólo 1.05% de la cosecha del año pasado!

4.Su origen: ahora, este es el último punto por aclarar ¿Por qué es tan importante su origen? porque este grupo especial de perlas está compuesto de 100% Perlas Ampolla de origen Natural que –por primera vez- se procesaron en Perla Mabe por nosotros.

¿¿¿Son realmente naturales???

Sí. Y hay una historia especial para contarles.

En 2012, cuando estábamos “implantando” nuestras ostras, empezamos a notar algo raro en ellas...caracoles. Había cientos de estos caracoles que nunca habíamos visto antes. Había tantos en las jaulas de las ostras y empezamos a notar a algunos de estos caracoles ¡dentro de las mismísimas ostras!

Caracol Adulto que creemos esta metiéndose en Pteria sterna (1)

Al mismo tiempo recibimos un grupo de malacólogos de Florida y les platicamos acerca de esta observación, conservamos algunos de estos ejemplares y Manuel y yo empezamos a buscar el nombre de este desconocido caracol; ambos arribamos al mismo resultado y más tarde recibimos la confirmación de la Florida: Vitularia salebrosa, un caracol ecto-parásito de la familia de los Murícidos ¡Asombroso! Pero ¿qué tiene esto de asombroso?

Nunca antes habíamos visto tal variedad de caracol antes y nunca habíamos visto cómo los pequeños caracoles encontraban su camino hasta dentro de la concha de la ostra para chuparle su sangre como una sanguijuela blindada (sí, estos caracoles chupan la sangre de su huésped, y puedes leer todo sobre este tema en este artículo científico detallado…pero en Inglés).

Las ostras no tienen sus "cazadores de vampiros", pero en lugar de recurrir a la violencia extrema tipo “Van Hellsing” ellas utilizan otro truco de milenaria sabiduría y que casi todos conocemos muy bien: Si algo te daña, conviértelo en algo bello... ¡produce una perla!

Pero en el momento en que me encontraba mirando estos caracoles, yo sentí que quería saber más acerca de ellos, y es por ello que decidí dejar a varios de estos continuar dentro de las ostras,  permitiendo que la naturaleza siguiera su curso. Y la naturaleza hizo lo suyo.

Colectamos y fotografiamos a varios de los caracoles, los encontramos en todos los colores y tamaños. Ese año 2012 fue el año del caracol vampiro.

Hoy en día raramente los encontramos. Debe haber sido uno de esos "ciclos naturales extraños" con los cuáles la Naturaleza generalmente nos sorprende. Lamentablemente no puedo encontrar las fotos que tomé de estos caracoles cuando estaban dentro de unas ostras vivas y estaban siendo cubiertos con la proteína de la ostra. Mantuve una concha de ostra con su caracol en pleno proceso, pero la deshidratación ha dañado bastante la concha.

Esta es la primera vez en la que este acontecimiento se ha descrito a detalle con estas especies de moluscos.

Otra característica muy interesante y sensible es lo que yo llamaría "La salud". Las ostras enfermas o “infelices” suelen presentar una concha muy opaca y descolorida, mientras que las ostras "felices" o saludables muestran colores vivos y hermosos. La concha de la ostra con el caracol vampiro se observa bastante opaca e infeliz.

Por lo tanto, ahora ya pueden entender por qué estas perlas ampollas son tan especiales y únicas. De una bella manera nos cuentan una historia única sobre cómo podemos aprender a soportar un gran dolor y, en definitiva, crear algo hermoso de el.

Si las ostras pueden hacerlo, también nosotros podemos hacerlo. Es nuestra verdadera opción para crear nuestra propia perla.

Próximamente a la Venta

Estas perlas pronto estará disponibles para su compra en nuestro sitio web de e-ventas, pero también nos puedes escribir un correo electrónico para garantizar tu propia “Perla Vampiro”. Recuerda que sólo tenemos que 21 de estas perlas listas para utilizarlas en joyería y poder así disfrutar de la desconcertante belleza de la naturaleza.

P.d: Por favor - espero no recibir mensajes en los que me digan que "las perlas son producidas por un grano de arena". Gracias.

Technorati Tags: perlas naturales,perlas vampiro,Vitularia rasemosa,Pteria sterna

Unusual Cortez Mabe Blisters

 

Whoa! This year we have a very special group of out-of-the-ordinary Cortez Blister Pearls…why are these so Special??? Well, let me explain:

1. Many of these are BIG! As you are well aware our “Rainbow Lip Pearl Oyster” (Pteria sterna) is NOT a Big oyster, more of a mid-sized animal…just between the large “black/silver/gold lips” (Pinctada margaritifera & Pinctada maxima) and the smaller “Akoya Pearl Oyster” (Pinctada imbricata=fucata). The average size of our Cortez Mabe Pearls is 14 mm in diameter.
2. These Cortez Mabe are VERY BAROQUE, or beyond baroque or simply put: Naturally Shaped. Our Mabe Pearls are never identical and are mostly free-form but leaning towards oval and teardrop shapes.
3. Their RARITY: this group is very unusual and rare…just 21 pearls out of a harvest of over 2 thousand that we harvested in 2014. Yes, basically just 1.05% of last year’s harvest!
4. Their ORIGIN: now, this is the final nail in the coffer in a manner of speaking! Why, because this group is basically made up of 100% Natural Blister Pearls that have –for the first time- been processed into Mabe.

Are these really Natural????

Yes. And there is a special story to these. Let me tell you this story.

Back in 2012, when we were seeding our pearl oysters we started to notice something odd in them…snails. There were hundreds of these snails we had never seen before. There were so many that we found them with the oysters and we started noticing some INSIDE of the Rainbow Lips too!

At that same time we received a group of Malacologists from Florida and we told them about this issue, they kept some specimens and headed back. Manuel and I started looking for the name of this unknown snail and we came up with the same name, later we received confirmation from Florida: Vitularia salebrosa, an ecto-parasitic snail of the Murex family. This blew my mind!

I had never seen such a variety of snail before and I had never seen how they actually found their way inside the oyster’s shell to suck its blood like an armored leech (yes, they suck the blood of its host), you can actually read all about it in this scientifically detailed article.

Well, the oysters don’t have their “Vampire Hunters” but instead they use the millennia old trick they know all too well: if it harms you, turn it into something beautiful…just make a Pearl!

But at the moment I was looking at these snails I just wanted to know more about them, and because of this I just left the snail inside the oysters allowing Nature to follow its course. And Nature did its thing.

We collected and photographed some of these nails, we found them in all colors and sizes. That year was the year of the Parasitic Snail.

We find them rarely these days. Must have been one of those “weird natural cycles” that Nature usually surprises us with. Unfortunately I can’t seem to find the photos I took of these snails as they were being coated with protein by the oyster. I kept one shell with its snail, but dehydration has pretty much damaged the shell.

This is the first time ever such an event has been described with these species of mollusks.

Another very interesting and noticeable feature is what I would call “Health”. Sick or unhappy oysters usually have a very dull shell, whereas “happy” or healthy oysters display beautiful colors. The oyster shell with the parasitic snail looks quite unhappy.

So, now you finally understand why these pearls are all so Special and Unique. In a way they tell us a unique story of how we can all withstand pain, endure and ultimately create something beautiful from it.

If oysters can do it so can we do it. It is your choice to create your own glorious pearl.

These pearls will soon become available for purchase in our e-Sales website

Technorati Tags: blister pearls,vampire pearls,Vitularia rasemosa,Pteria sterna,natural pearl production

, but you can also write to secure your own! Remember we only have 21 of these ready for you to set them in Jewelry and enjoy Nature’s perplexing beauty.

P.S.: I hope you don’t write in to tell me that “Pearls are produced by a Grain of Sand”. I finally have overcome my anxiety towards this myth and won’t go into a fit ;)

Cheers!!!