Press - WNEM News, September 2005

WNEM TV Channel 5

Oscar(R) Gift Baskets to Include Baroque Tahitian Pearls From PearlParadise.com

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire

PearlParadise.com is once again thrilled to have been selected for the official Academy Awards(R) gift basket. This year the company will donate an 18-inch baroque Tahitian pearl necklace to official gift basket recipients.

“We are very excited to participate in the 77th Academy Awards(R) Presenters Gift Basket, said Jeremy Shepherd CEO of PearlParadise.com. A little over a year ago I was visiting Tahiti on a buying trip. I first saw these fabulous baroque pearls around the neck of a beautiful Tahitian woman in Papeete. I’ve seen baroque pearls before, but these were something special. They had wonderful turquoise and peacock overtones. It almost looked like they had absorbed some exotic pigments from the Polynesian seas. With a little detective work, I was able to track down the farm that grew them. It was on a remote island. I had to get there by ship, but it was well worth the trip. Not only was the island the most idyllic tropical paradise I had ever seen, but the pearls were the most beautiful Tahitian pearls I had ever seen. I had been hoping that PearlParadise.com would be selected for the Academy Awards(R) gift basket. The minute I saw the pearls from this farm, I knew they would be the perfect gift for Hollywood’s highest achievers. I immediately bought that year’s entire harvest while they were still in oyster shells deep in the South Seas, so you might say these pearls were grown especially for the Academy Awards(R). They are true classics. I’m very happy that our pearls will add a little more glamor to what is already the world’s most glamorous night.”

Valued at $3,200, the 18-inch necklace is comprised of naturally baroque Tahitian pearls with multi-colored peacock overtones. The strand is graduated from 8.0 to 10.00mm pearls. These pearls have a brilliant shine and a luster, with very thick nacre. The iridescent overtones of these pearls are simply breathtaking — every pearl gleams an intense rainbow of natural hues. Each pearl is individually double knotted on black silk. The necklace features a solid 14 karat white gold ball with an elegant matte finish.

About PearlParadise.com:

In business since 1997, PearlParadise.com sells all types of pearls from Tahitians to South Sea pearls, to Akoya and round freshwater pearls at 14 websites around the world, including in Germany, France, the UK, and Italy. Jeremy Shepherd GIA travels personally to pearl farms throughout Asia several times a year to supervise both the nucleation (monitoring the quality of the process) and harvest. He then selects the top two percent of the harvested pearls for sale on PearlParadise.com websites. Because they buy directly from the farms, and because they’ve eliminated costly retail outlets, PearlParadise.com is able to offer superior quality pearls at prices up to 90% below retail prices.