Market Report With Jennifer — akoya pearls

Already high cultured pearl prices have now hit unheard-of price points, say dealers. Plus, a Chinese influencer inspired a frenzy for Tahitian pearls at the recently held Hong Kong trade fair that emptied cases within days and drove the buyout of a high-profile Tahitian pearl auction.

Since my early days as a journalist, I’ve loved cultured pearls. Something about them spoke to me, including their rich colors and exotic overtones (such as peacock in Tahitians), their luster, and their variety of shapes. Baroque or circle shapes were easy to afford and that’s how I started collecting: I bought what I thought was pretty and could afford. Today, both my personal acquisitions and my taste for more exotic types have grown—so much so I was tapped by the board of directors of the Cultured Pearl Association of America to take this role of both writing about cultured...