BizBahrain Magazine Nov-Dec 2017

Interview | Al Hashimi Pearls
What is it that makes Bahrain’s pearls so special?
We are blessed by the sweet waters surrounding Bahrain,
which nurtures the finest quality of pearls. If you compare the
prices of natural pearls, you will see that when you buy it and
when you sell it, the weight remains the same. This means the
price only increases because it never depreciates in value. This
is the best investment in the world. You never lose your value.
Gold prices go up and sometimes down, but this is the only
product in the world, where the graph is only up. It is natural
and not man-made. I have spent my life only with Bahraini
pearls. Starting from 1980 when I began learning the trade,
until today, I have never traded a single piece of cultured pearl.
I have dealt only dealt with Bahraini pearls.
Why is the natural pearl so expensive?
People have diversified now into many businesses and
trades, so there are very few divers now to go to the sea
and bring back the pearls. The second reason for the low
production is the high water pollution and water traffic. You
know these are sea animals; they need peace and freedom
of movement. The sea here is not too deep, so the vibrations
and disturbances affect those animals and production is not
abundant the way it was.
What about other GCC countries?
You can find oysters and pearls in all the GCC countries,
but they all trade from Bahrain, We were the link to all the
international markets.
The reason was that the
people of Bahrain have
always been known as
absolutely trustworthy.
Besides, for centuries they
have been connected to
the international market.
Traders came from the
Emirates, from Kuwait,
and international markets
like from Surat and from
France to buy the pearls.
They brought spices and
all kinds of goods and
use them as barter for the
pearls.
We use very high quality pearl, and
that is the reason why you get the
value back of your investment in the
pearl, and when it passes down from
generation to generation you know it
is an heirloom. This is not just a piece
of jewellery but history passed down
through the years.
Why are cultured pearls banned in Bahrain?
The natural pearls are part of the heritage of this country,
so the government is trying to protect it by banning the
cultured pearls. Only natural pearls are allowed here for import,
display and selling. A customer who is visiting Bahrain, can
go to any pearl trader’s shops and know without doubt that
what he is selecting is a genuine pearl. The country’s laws
control the borders, and no import or export of cultured pearls
is allowed. This makes it easy for us to trade with our clients,
customers. People who buy a piece of jewellery from Bahrain
have confidence because they know their will be no cheating
and quality will be the best. They are very confident that the
product they are buying is genuine and natural.
The cultured pearl
hurt the market badly, so
we have less trade today,
but we are proud of the
fact that what we deal
with is only natural and of
the highest quality. This
is the reason that even
today people know and
are aware about Bahrain
because we have strict
controls. Wherever there
is quality control, the
value of the product is
maintained.
The Government is
supporting us in many ways. There is quality control from
the government and on the border from the customs. We have
been to JCK, the largest North American trade event, under the
Ministry of Commerce where we had a Bahrain booth.
When you can get a cultured pearl for a much more affordable
price, why do people still seek the natural pearl?
Natural Pearls form when an irritant works its way into
an oyster. As a defense mechanism, a fluid is used to coat
the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating, called 'nacre', is
deposited until the beautiful, lustrous pearl is formed. Natural
pearls are actually very rare, mostly because pearl-producing
species of mollusks and most natural beds of pearl-bearing
oysters depleted by over-harvesting in the 18th and 19th
November-December 2017
81