We are proud to present the
twelfth of our members to be featured on
www.cpaa.org. Every month this page will
feature another member of the Cultured Pearl Association of America.
Now we present to you
American Pearl
Unlike the story of many pearl
companies,
American Pearl traces its roots to an
earlier time when Charlie Bakhash founded
American Pearl in 1950. That year he opened a tiny storefront
in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
As a boy, Charlie lived in Japan
with his family. Charlie's mother was always
fascinated with the beauty and history of pearls. To
satisfy her curiosity, Charlie's mother sent him to
the pearl farms of Japan to acquire pearls for her
own personal use. Eager to please his mother,
Charlie quickly learned about pearl quality and
value from the pearl farmers. In the process, he
discovered the beauty and mystical qualities of this
rare gem and in that instant fell in love with
pearls. Charlie proudly returned home with the
finest quality pearls his mother had ever seen.
Charlie's mother was overjoyed as the pearls he
unveiled were finer and more beautiful than she
hoped for. As she examined her pearls she noticed
Charlie speaking passionately about their qualities
and perfection. What started as an errand for a
family member turned into a lifelong pursuit.
Charlie found his calling. His mother realized her
son's passion and from that moment on encouraged him
to pursue his dream as a pearl dealer.
Charlie moved to Kobe, Japan in
1952 so he could position himself right at the
source: Japan was and still is the largest producer
of high-grade pearls in the world. There Charlie and
his family made their home for a quarter century,
building an unrivalled international network of
contacts and a time-honored reputation of trust and
integrity. Today Charlie's networking legacy is a
key reason we are able to operate with the huge
patchwork of inside sources and large economy of
scale that enable us to import at such drastically
reduced prices -- a savings we happily pass on to
our many loyal customers.
Over the ensuing decades Charlie
traveled tirelessly to the other pearl-producing hot
spots of the globe -- exotic locales like Tahiti,
Indonesia, China, and Australia -- even as he became
a familiar face in just about every tiny fishing
village tucked away along Japan's vast coastlines.
For many years Charlie lived a fascinating double
life, acting as agent and negotiator on the source
end while serving as pearly ambassador to the
world's well-to-do on the sales end. You might
easily have found him sandal-clad in a fishing town
on one of the world's most beautiful and remote
beaches one week, and travelling in a three-piece
suit and regal splendor on the private jet of an
Arabian king the next. His serene, peaceful demeanor
seemed somehow just the part for both roles.
As the business grew, Charlie
became an international stanchion of the pearl
trade, widely regarded as perhaps the most reliable
and honest source of pearls anywhere in the world.
Over the years, more than one million high-grade
pearl strands have passed through Charlie's trusted
hands. He has personally sold pearls to a dizzying
array of dignitaries, luminaries, diplomats and
heads of state. Many of the pearls he has supplied
to the world's top jewelers have found their way
onto the graceful necks of some of the world's most
famous celebrities and even American first ladies.
Eventually relocating back to
America, Charlie continued to manage the
ever-growing importing business from New York City.
Business at the Manhattan discount wholesale store
continued to grow steadily as his happy customers
resoundingly recommended him to friends and
colleagues. Charlie always took very seriously what
he regarded as his moral obligation not only to give
his customers a fair deal, but to make sure they
felt confident and happy with their important
purchase.
There's a lot more to pearl
quality than many people realize, but Charlie's
famous advice was always as simple as it was wise:
you don't buy pearls every day, so only buy the
roundest, most lustrous, highest grade pearls, for
only they will return the most pleasure over the
years -- while appreciating most in value. Through
his careful and painstaking attention to the
customers' needs on a sale-by-sale basis, Charlie
and the staff he personally trained built a
reputation of respect and trust throughout
Manhattan's cosmopolitan upper-class communities.
Charlie is now something of a quiet legend. His New
York discount store became as famous among his
customers as he himself did among the world's major
jewelers: the name "Charlie" still conjures a
familiar and friendly face to many large pearl
dealers. Today
American Pearl specializes in the
finest quality Japanese Akoya cultured pearls in the
marketplace, offering G.I.A. Cultured Pearl
Classification Reports with "AAA Quality" pearl
necklaces. In addition, we offer a high end luxury
line of the finest quality natural color
Tahitian
Pearls, South Sea Pearls and Golden Pearls. In
addition to a full line of pearl jewelry including
earrings, bracelets and rings,
American Pearl has a
captivating line of freshwater pearls.
Today
American Pearl is one of
the oldest, largest and most reputable pearl
importers serving North America, with sales in the
millions. We are a long-standing member of the
Cultured Pearl Association of American and The
Jewelers Vigilance Committee and we still devote
Charlie's attention and concern for the customer to
every sale. That level of service has been duly
recognized: on the basis of price, quality, and
reputability, our Manhattan store is listed in New
York Bargain Finders as the Number One source for
pearls in New York City.
Charlie can still be found
relaxing in his favorite Japanese robe.
His son Eddie took the reins of
the family business in 1990, armed with the wisdom
and experience that had been meticulously passed on
to him by his father. It was Eddie who brought
American Pearl into the Information Age in launching
American Pearl.com, Inc. and American Diamond. It
looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Both sites have already been well-received and, as
the testimonials attest, a growing body of happy
customers are echoing the words of yesteryear,
thanking Eddie for his attention and trustworthiness
as did his father's customers before him. Alas, the
slick
American Pearl interface doesn't quite convey
the cramped charm of Charlie's first tiny storefront
on the streets of 1950s New York. But if you listen
hard as you hit our home page, you just might hear
that tiny bell twinkle as you walk in, just as it
did half a century ago.
