Galatea Mercy Pearl with Gemstone Center

The Galatea Mercy Pearl, a patented pearl that has been called the most significant development in pearl farming in more than 100 years, according to the release, reveals dramatic flashes of its center gemstone bead through its hand-carved nacre or coating.

The Mercy pearls have been grown in the Pinctada maxima oyster at Galatea's pearl farm located in Vietnam's southern coastal growing region. This first harvest shows pearls that are large in size (averaging between 9.5 mm and 14 mm) with lustrous white and creamy yellow nacre.

The First Annual Los Angeles Gala, which is being hosted by Friends Without Borders along with a star-studded committee including Ali Larter, Anne Hathaway, Eva Longoria Parker and Molly Sims, will raise money for the Angkor Hospital for Children, which has provided care for hundreds of thousands of children since its founding in 1999. It is the second largest HIV/AIDS facility in Cambodia and is entirely dependent upon donations for operational expenses.

Cultured Pearl With Gemstone Center

Galatea of San Dimas, California has
introduced the Galatea Mercy Pearl(TM), a patented pearl (U.S. Patent
#7,062,940) that uses a center gemstone bead rather than traditional shell
during the pearl culturing process. Chi Huynh, the Mercy Pearl's creator and
owner of Galatea, has also launched a new line of fine jewelry featuring the
Galatea Mercy Pearl(TM) just in time for Holiday 2009. The collection includes
earrings, pendants and rings set in white and yellow 14k gold. Retail prices
range from $300 to $3500.

The Galatea Mercy Pearl is a pearl unlike any other, the first time in pearl
culturing history that a pearl is grown containing a gemstone bead, and then
hand-carved to reveal color beneath the pearl's lustrous nacre or coating. It
is one of the most significant variations in pearl farming since the early
part of the 20th century when pearls were first cultured in Japan.

In 2005, Huynh began setting up a pearl farm in his native Viet Nam to harvest
the Mercy Pearl in the country's coastal waters. The oysters are first
enucleated with perfectly round gemstone beads such as turquoise, amethyst,
garnet, citrine and opal and left to grow for almost a year to obtain its
luxurious nacre or exterior coating. The pearls are then carved by hand with
signature Galatea flourishes to let the gemstone beneath the pearl shine
through.


See carved pearls here. These carved pearls do not show a gemstone center, but give you an example of carved pearls.

First White South Sea and Coral Galatea Mercy Pearl Sells

The first white South Sea and Coral Galatea Mercy Pearl™ was auctioned on Thursday night, December 10, 2009 at Friends Without a Border’s First Annual Los Angeles Gala at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. The 11-millimeter pearl, set in a 14-karat yellow gold and diamond Mermaid pendant, fetched $3,000. The purchaser was Tim Bui, a film producer from Los Angeles.

The pearl is the first from Galatea: Jewelry by Artists' new pearl farming venture in Vietnam. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Angkor Hospital for Children in Cambodia.

The December 10 Friends Without a Border auction’s star-studded committee included Ali Larter, Anne Hathaway, Eva Longoria Parker and Molly Sims. The Angkor Children’s Hospital, which has provided care for over three-quarters of a million children since its founding in 1999, also reaches hundreds of thousands of children and their families in the country’s rural villages. It is the second-largest HIV/AIDS facility in Cambodia and is entirely dependent upon donations for its operational expenses.

Read entire article about "First White South Sea and Coral Galatea Mercy Pearl Sells" here.