In Reply to: Vietnam has a great pearl industry posted by Back Again on Saturday, 15. May 2010 at 09:49 Bali Time:
You bought a sea pearl in Vietnam, not a freshwater pearl. Sea pearls are grown in the sea in oysters - 1 pearl per oyster and always have a bead. Much more labour intensive to get a result.
Freshwater pearls are grown in freshwater lakes in mussels 20-50 pearls per mussel, rarely have a bead.
Two very different things.
Lombok has a sea pearl industry and produces some good quality, and some very poor quality pearls, although they are trying to improve that as the bad quality producers are tarnishing the reputation of the good producers.
It has been said that it is weird that Lombok has a sea pearl industry that is not widely known about and has become famous for selling imported freshwater pearls from China.