By far the most outstanding addition to the gem world was premiered at JCK Las
Vegas 2007. Chi Huynh of Galatea (Jewelry by Artist), located in San Dimas,
California, is best known for his Diamond in a Pearl, in addition to his carved
Akoya and Tahitian pearls. This year, Chi introduced carved black pearls,
exposing the pearl's nucleus. The surprise is that the nucleus is NOT
Mother-of-Pearl. Several years ago, while Chi was carving a Tahitian pearl, he
accidentally carved too deeply, exposing the white Mother-of-Pearl bead beneath
the black nacre. Lamenting over the fact that he had just ruined a perfectly
fine Tahitian pearl, he suddenly got this idea that he could insert gemstone
beads into a black lipped oyster, creating a pearl that would be carved down to
the nucleus, exposing the gem beneath the nacre.
Chi took that idea to Tahitian pearl farmers who told him that this kind of
pearl could not be grown in the French Polynesian Islands. Undaunted by this
turn of events, he took the black lipped oyster to waters off the shores of
Vietnam. After persuading experts in implantation that his idea could actually
work, he attempted to grow black pearls using citrine, amethyst, and turquoise
bead nuclei. Three years later, Chi harvested beautiful AAA quality
Tahitian-like (now Vietnamese) black pearls. While it was always his intent to
carve these pearls down to expose the gemstone nucleus, he started to question
his sanity of carving these beautiful pearls. But carve them he did, and the
transformation is remarkable. Carved black pearl nacre over citrine, amethyst,
and turquoise nuclei. Galatea has stunned the pearl world.
