IN THE NEWS
Established in 1950, American Pearl has served over 100,000 customers and sold tens of millions of dollars of the finest quality pearls at truly wholesale pearls.
When it comes to philanthropy Eddie Bakhash, the President of American Pearl, has a heart of PEARLS. Everyone who knows him knows this well. He is a self-motivated person whose efforts and inclination to increase the well-being of humankind through charity and donations are undeniable. Here is but one example as Eddie Bakhash receives honor and recognition from FOX-5 TV's Ernie Anastos.
Our company is famous for the quality we sell and has control of the finest quality pearls in the world harvested each.
We are the #1 Pearl website on the internet, online since 1997 and among Google's very first customers.
Featured in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S Dow Jones online, American Pearl was recognized as being a premier select merchant on Amazon, the most reputable onlne merchant., July 30th 2004.
American Pearl was featured in Men's Health magazine's December Holiday Guide 2001.
Americanpearl.com was recognized by Gemkey magazine as one of the best websites on the internet. December 2000.
American Pearl's products were featured in People Magazine for its celebrity pearls. September 2002. When Mathew Broderick was looking for a pearl necklace to gift to Sarah Jessica Parker for her wedding day, he personally phoned the President of American Pearl, Eddie Bakhash.
American Pearl was featured in Brides Magazine and Manhattan User's Guide (read below).
Here is what has specifically been written about American Pearl:
Kokichi Mikimoto developed and perfected the process of culturing and farming pearl oysters at the end of the last century when the supply of natural pearls was already diminishing. Now it's extremely unlikely that you will find anything but cultured pearls. Unlike diamonds, there is no accepted grading system for pearls, though MIKIMOTO, 730 5th (56/57th) has one that other jewelers may use. It classifies pearls as AAA (the best) followed by A+, A and so on. These three grades are the top 3 - 4% of pearl production. The Gemological Institute of America issues reports on pearls only to tell if the color has been enhanced by dyeing or irradiation (more probable in South Sea or black pearls) or to determine if a pearl is natural or cultured (mostly in cases of estate jewelry). The best pearls come from Japan.
Eddie Bakhash, a second generation pearl dealer, describes pearls as "a blind item because it's an item of comparision". A pearl has to be compared to something else in order to determine its qualities, and that something else is another strand of pearls." It's almost impossible to know if the pearl you're looking at is gold (valuable) or medium cream (less) unless you can see the two together and, even better, can compare the two to a pearl color chart using actual pearls.
The four qualities to be considered when buying pearls (aside from size) are luster, bodycolor , shape and overtone. The experts agree that the best pearls have a high to very high luster evenly round shapes and even, heavy nacre. Color is a mater of taste.
Dan Cameron, manager of education at the Gemological Institute of America says that white pearls with a rose overtone are the most highly prized. There are pink, gold and shades of cream-colored pearls with a variety of overtones. You should decide on color by what you like and how it looks on your skin tone. The surface should be smooth, not pitted , and free from cracks and dark spots. Roll the strand on a flat surface and watch for irregularities in roundness, consistency of luster and flickers of off color. All of the pearls on a strand should be consistent in color and size. Nacre thickness is important. Nacre is the substance that the oyster secretes to form the part of the pearl you see. Mr. Cameron says the Japanese standard is 1/2mm of nacre. So if you are looking at a 6mm pearl, it's composed of a 5mm shell bead surrounded by nacre. (you can see how much nacre is there by looking through the drill hle with some magnification.) Not enough nacre makes the pearl look lifeless and dead. A dark spot may be the shell bead showing through and obviously will not hold up as long as a thicker covered pearl. Good pearl jewelers like Tiffany & Co. and Mikimoto pre-select a high quality of pearls.
Mr. Bakhash has devised a display chart with actual pearls at American Pearl (212-764-1845) which makes it wasy to see the differences and to compare pearls you are considering. He says that the best light is ...fluorescent...Since pearls can be so variously shaded, you should check them against your skin tone. Some of the less expensive creamy tones may look better on your skin than a white pearl. Pearls from French Polynesia (Tahiti) and Australia are larger and come in other colors - Black and Black/Green. They're rarer than the Japanese pearls and are correspondingly more expensive. Pearls should be strung on silk and individually knotted. Care: Don't spray perfume on the pearls or on your neck when you're going to wear them. Don't wear them while excercising or in the pool as perspiration and chlorine can have a damaging effect on the nacre. When you take them off, wipe them with a moist, then a dry cloth to remove any deposit. Store them in a fabric pearl pouch or a separate lined box, not in a sealed bag. have them restrung once a year if you wear them a lot.
From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S Dow Jones:
Edward Bakhash, president of online pearl retailer AmericanPearl.com Inc., which sells through a branded store on Amazon, said he had worried that Amazon's own pearl products could hurt his sales. But the opposite has happened: American Pearl's online business has improved because of Amazon.
"Amazon can create a market where it didn't exist; they create excitement for the product category and increase sales for everyone," Bakhash said.
To cast a wide net for more retail partners, Amazon will likely form similar deals with more financial institutions like American Express that can bring networks of interested retailers, predicted Jupiter's Freeman Evans. "It's very hard for Amazon to go individually out to a lot of small retailers; they'd need a huge sales and education staff," she said.
-By Michelle Tsai, Dow Jones
American Pearl Was Recently Featured On Television
Lidia Bastianich is perhaps the most famous celebrity chef today. With her television series, restaurants and 6 cookbooks, she has earned a reputation for cultivating an array of the finest quality recipes available today. Lidia chose to wear American Pearl's South Sea Cultured Pearl line during the filming of her most recent show.
Star of the 39-part public television show, "Lidia's Italian Table", Lidia Mattticchio Batstianich is widely regarded as the "First Lady" of Italian cuisine and restaurants in the United States. She was born in Pula, Istria, a region formed by the Gulf of Trieste at the juncture of Italy and the former Yugoslavia. She came to New York in 1958. Her television show, "Lidia's Italian Table" was released in September 1998 together with her companion book of the same name. Lidia is the owner of the award-winning Felidia restaurant and, with her son Joseph, runs the very popular theater district eatery, Becco. A born teacher and educator, Lidia enjoys sharing her cuisine with a number of talented young Italian and American chefs at her restaurants, where she continues to prepare traditional and authentic Italian food together with them.
In 1999 Lidia was named American Express Best Chef, New York City by the James Beard Foundation.
When it comes to philanthropy Eddie Bakhash, the President of American Pearl, has a heart of PEARLS. Everyone who knows him knows this well. He is a self-motivated person whose efforts and inclination to increase the well-being of humankind through charity and donations are undeniable. Here is but one example as Eddie Bakhash receives honor and recognition from FOX-5 TV's Ernie Anastos.
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Shortly after the events of 911 devasted New York City, Eddie Bakhash, the President of American Pearl reprogrammed the company's e-commerce website to start taking t-shirt orders with charity Saved By A Thread to raise money for the families of 911 through VARIETY THE CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION. Shortly after, Rosie O'Donnell wore the American Pearl Saved By A Thread designed T-Shirt on television. To thank American Pearl, FOX-5 TV's Ernie Anastos invited Eddie Bakhash and family on television to gift their donation.
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AMERICAN PEARL HELPS 911 FAMILY MEMBERS |
Our company is famous for the quality we sell and has control of the finest quality pearls in the world harvested each.
We are the #1 Pearl website on the internet, online since 1997 and among Google's very first customers.
Featured in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S Dow Jones online, American Pearl was recognized as being a premier select merchant on Amazon, the most reputable onlne merchant., July 30th 2004.
American Pearl was featured in Men's Health magazine's December Holiday Guide 2001.
Americanpearl.com was recognized by Gemkey magazine as one of the best websites on the internet. December 2000.
American Pearl's products were featured in People Magazine for its celebrity pearls. September 2002. When Mathew Broderick was looking for a pearl necklace to gift to Sarah Jessica Parker for her wedding day, he personally phoned the President of American Pearl, Eddie Bakhash.
American Pearl was featured in Brides Magazine and Manhattan User's Guide (read below).
Here is what has specifically been written about American Pearl:
Kokichi Mikimoto developed and perfected the process of culturing and farming pearl oysters at the end of the last century when the supply of natural pearls was already diminishing. Now it's extremely unlikely that you will find anything but cultured pearls. Unlike diamonds, there is no accepted grading system for pearls, though MIKIMOTO, 730 5th (56/57th) has one that other jewelers may use. It classifies pearls as AAA (the best) followed by A+, A and so on. These three grades are the top 3 - 4% of pearl production. The Gemological Institute of America issues reports on pearls only to tell if the color has been enhanced by dyeing or irradiation (more probable in South Sea or black pearls) or to determine if a pearl is natural or cultured (mostly in cases of estate jewelry). The best pearls come from Japan.
Eddie Bakhash, a second generation pearl dealer, describes pearls as "a blind item because it's an item of comparision". A pearl has to be compared to something else in order to determine its qualities, and that something else is another strand of pearls." It's almost impossible to know if the pearl you're looking at is gold (valuable) or medium cream (less) unless you can see the two together and, even better, can compare the two to a pearl color chart using actual pearls.
The four qualities to be considered when buying pearls (aside from size) are luster, bodycolor , shape and overtone. The experts agree that the best pearls have a high to very high luster evenly round shapes and even, heavy nacre. Color is a mater of taste.
Dan Cameron, manager of education at the Gemological Institute of America says that white pearls with a rose overtone are the most highly prized. There are pink, gold and shades of cream-colored pearls with a variety of overtones. You should decide on color by what you like and how it looks on your skin tone. The surface should be smooth, not pitted , and free from cracks and dark spots. Roll the strand on a flat surface and watch for irregularities in roundness, consistency of luster and flickers of off color. All of the pearls on a strand should be consistent in color and size. Nacre thickness is important. Nacre is the substance that the oyster secretes to form the part of the pearl you see. Mr. Cameron says the Japanese standard is 1/2mm of nacre. So if you are looking at a 6mm pearl, it's composed of a 5mm shell bead surrounded by nacre. (you can see how much nacre is there by looking through the drill hle with some magnification.) Not enough nacre makes the pearl look lifeless and dead. A dark spot may be the shell bead showing through and obviously will not hold up as long as a thicker covered pearl. Good pearl jewelers like Tiffany & Co. and Mikimoto pre-select a high quality of pearls.
Mr. Bakhash has devised a display chart with actual pearls at American Pearl (212-764-1845) which makes it wasy to see the differences and to compare pearls you are considering. He says that the best light is ...fluorescent...Since pearls can be so variously shaded, you should check them against your skin tone. Some of the less expensive creamy tones may look better on your skin than a white pearl. Pearls from French Polynesia (Tahiti) and Australia are larger and come in other colors - Black and Black/Green. They're rarer than the Japanese pearls and are correspondingly more expensive. Pearls should be strung on silk and individually knotted. Care: Don't spray perfume on the pearls or on your neck when you're going to wear them. Don't wear them while excercising or in the pool as perspiration and chlorine can have a damaging effect on the nacre. When you take them off, wipe them with a moist, then a dry cloth to remove any deposit. Store them in a fabric pearl pouch or a separate lined box, not in a sealed bag. have them restrung once a year if you wear them a lot.
From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S Dow Jones:
Edward Bakhash, president of online pearl retailer AmericanPearl.com Inc., which sells through a branded store on Amazon, said he had worried that Amazon's own pearl products could hurt his sales. But the opposite has happened: American Pearl's online business has improved because of Amazon.
"Amazon can create a market where it didn't exist; they create excitement for the product category and increase sales for everyone," Bakhash said.
To cast a wide net for more retail partners, Amazon will likely form similar deals with more financial institutions like American Express that can bring networks of interested retailers, predicted Jupiter's Freeman Evans. "It's very hard for Amazon to go individually out to a lot of small retailers; they'd need a huge sales and education staff," she said.
-By Michelle Tsai, Dow Jones
American Pearl Was Recently Featured On Television
Lidia Bastianich is perhaps the most famous celebrity chef today. With her television series, restaurants and 6 cookbooks, she has earned a reputation for cultivating an array of the finest quality recipes available today. Lidia chose to wear American Pearl's South Sea Cultured Pearl line during the filming of her most recent show.
Star of the 39-part public television show, "Lidia's Italian Table", Lidia Mattticchio Batstianich is widely regarded as the "First Lady" of Italian cuisine and restaurants in the United States. She was born in Pula, Istria, a region formed by the Gulf of Trieste at the juncture of Italy and the former Yugoslavia. She came to New York in 1958. Her television show, "Lidia's Italian Table" was released in September 1998 together with her companion book of the same name. Lidia is the owner of the award-winning Felidia restaurant and, with her son Joseph, runs the very popular theater district eatery, Becco. A born teacher and educator, Lidia enjoys sharing her cuisine with a number of talented young Italian and American chefs at her restaurants, where she continues to prepare traditional and authentic Italian food together with them.
In 1999 Lidia was named American Express Best Chef, New York City by the James Beard Foundation.