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take part in creating your own piece of jewellery as well as having the possibility of changing to match future trends too Jenny’s help you can re-design the look and feel to create a totally new piece to wear. “Pearls are a unique purchase in that the higher end variety compare to diamonds in many ways, but as a natural product, they need care,” James emphasised. “Pearls can last you a lifetime as long as you look after them. They should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off.” South Sea pearls are the queen of pearls, with a strand costing in the thousands of pounds, due to their size, time to cultivate and the rarity of the oysters which produce them. Japanese Akoya come in a close second for quality, and again, you’ll pay the price for quality. It’s only in the last seven or eight years that freshwater pearls have come into their own in the market and are the only pearls you’ll find in the widest variety of colours. The prices of freshwater pearls can start as low as £20 a strand. “The pearl industry has revolutionised recently and has changed much to accommodate the commercial market,” said James. “We stock bracelets from as little as £6, so whatever our customer’s budget, we can work around that. “What I would say though is to go for the best pearls you can and maybe a slightly cheaper clasp to begin with. Remember we re-string your pearls from as little as £8, so at a later date when you can afford it you can add a more expensive and fancy clasp without any problem at all.” There’s a lot of designer jewellery available elsewhere, where the only real value is in the design itself. With the skills from the dedicated team at Sakata, you can take part in creating your own piece of jewellery as well as having the possibility of changing to match future trends too, which is really something unique on offer in the market. So, while in the past, pearls have been limited to tones of grey, white and black, cultured pearls today offer a shower of colours, adding new dimensions, both fashionable and fun. What was once classed as the family heirloom is suddenly accessible to all. n
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2009
Pepe and the team back in the 1960s
Sakata in the early days
Freshwater pearls James, Gianella and Jenny of Sakata
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