US Bans Myanmar Pearl Company

RAPAPORT... The US government has placed sanctions on Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, a key state-owned economic resource for Myanmar’s military regime, amid “violent” repression of pro-democracy protests in the southeast Asian nation.

The company is a “political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality” of the government in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, the Department of the Treasury said in a statement Wednesday. The order bans all transactions by US persons that involve any property or interests in the property of “designated or otherwise blocked persons” related to the company, effectively ruling it out from doing any meaningful business in the US.

The military derives “significant funding from state-owned enterprises in the natural-resources market,” said Andrea Gacki, director at the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). “Today’s action demonstrates the United States’ commitment to targeting this specific funding channel and promoting accountability for those responsible for the coup and ongoing violence.”

Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, which sells pearls through the Myanmar Pearl Event, is a key generator of government revenue. All Myanmar Pearl Enterprise assets in the US — or in the possession or control of US persons — are “blocked and must be reported,” the statement added.

Fair Trade South Sea Golden Pearl Samples

Indonesian South Sea Pearls are famous for their high quality, luster and golden colour. Below is a series of photographs showing the various Fair Trade golden South Sea Pearls we have in stock. All the pearls have very high lustre and the shapes range from round / near round, oval, drop, baroque and keishi.
 

These South Sea Pearls, which have all been sourced in line with Fair Trade practices and principles from the traditional Indonesian pearl farmers, along with other's of various size, colour and quality, are available for purchase through our online store or directly at our offices in Perth (Western Australia).

 

Every purchase you make will assist with improving the life of the traditional Indonesian pearl farmers due to the good price levels we have paid to source these pearls and by the increase in trade we can provide them.

 

Online purchases and payments for Fair Trade South Sea Pearls can be completed via the secure Paypal system on our website. Additionally, for bulk purchases, we can negotiate a discounted rate and will provide details upon enquiry. You are cordially invited to visit our website at http://www.south-sea-pearl.com.au/ and email us at owenhenderson@pt-thd.com.

 

Indonesian Pearls 101

In the warm tropical waters surrounding Indonesia the farming of South Sea Pearls produces many pearl varieties. The more expensive pearls are perfectly round in shape with strong metallic lustre and perfectly clean surface that is free from blemishes. The less expensive pearl varieties include Keishi, baroque, semi round and oval shape pearls. The pearl colours common in this region are gold, white, silver and pink.

 

 

Keishi pearls are those that are produced as a byproduct of seeded pearls. While the seed is being placed into the oyster grains of debris fall into the oyster and the same material that produces the pearls is deposited onto this debris to produce uneven shaped normally small keishi pearls. Baroque pearls are formed in a unsymmetrical manner which produced a pearl with noticable irregularities. The most common irregularity is the circle baroque which has a distinct circle pattern around the pearls perimeter.
 

The other major factor about South Sea Pearls is that they grow larger than other pearl varieties due to the warm tropical waters. Commonly Akoya pearls will reach a maximum size of 10mm while it is common to see South Sea Pearls 14mm or larger. As pearls are sold by weight it is worth noting that a 14mm pearl weight is approximately 4 grams while a 12mm pearl weight, which is only 2mm smaller in diameter is around 25% less in weight.