After spending some time looking at the remarkable natural pearls displayed in Tucson and talking about the history of these gems I was thinking, how does something like this fit in to the current independent jeweler? And then I realized what I was in Tucson for! I was there meet with vendors and try to find great, new, fresh and exciting merchandise. We are always looking for something that has a story, a history, a hook. This could be it! I know this will not be the growth curve of freshwater pearls, but with the increased production and quality, the customers came to buy them. Over a relatively short time this category rivaled the existing Akoya market.
Natural pearls would be a great addition to the retailer's pearl case by showing something "new," something with a great history allowing your store to be special. Since there are not enough of these gems to allow everyone to stock them you will be able to keep this distinction.