New York City. March 9, 2020. Greetings! Welcome to a new year. Your CPAA board worked hard in 2019 to maximize opportunities for our category and members. The CPAA’s financial position is solid thanks to growing membership and benefactors including the Tahitian Pearl Association of French Polynesia (TPAFP), Jewelmer, the Japan Pearl Export Association, Paspaley Pearls, and Atlas. To date, we have 46 Affiliate-level members and 26 Foundation-level members.

 Photo by Jack Deutsch for CPAA. Clothing stylist Amit Gajwani. Hair and makeup by Bob Huitron of Art & Style NYC. Model Ella Petrushko for Next. Images are copyright protected and may not be reproduced.

CPAA accomplishments in 2019 include:

• Some 85,000 students have enrolled in the English-language course, a 630 percent increase since the start of efforts in early 2018 and a 50 percent increase since Q1-2 2019. (The TPAFP is responsible for more than 60,577 enrolled students who used the promotion code TAHITIFREE.)
• The Pearls As One course ad for Facebook and Instagram has garnered nearly 6 million views, thousands of hours of video watched, and is responsible for thousands of new registrations.
• The CPAA Instagram account @pearlscpaa now totals 21,500 followers.
• CPAA conducted both model and still photography with imagery and videos for members to use to interact with consumers.
• The CPAA continues to produce original content that garners thousands of reads through our Shells newsletter, which has more than 62,000 subscribers.
• CPAA participated in a high-end retailer event at the Intercontinental Hotel on July 28, 2019, where it showcased Tahitian pearl jewelry.
• CPAA persuaded InStore magazine to use a Tahitian-pearl-specific image from our photo shoot on the cover of its July 2020 issue. CPAA will also write the feature story inside. This publication reaches 22,000 American jewelry store owners.
• CPAA took part in a press preview with Jewelers of America in New York City in the fall of 2019, reaching dozens of consumer and trade media editors.
• CPAA took part in a nationwide television segment with Jewelers of America in which Tahitian pearl jewelry was promoted for holiday gift giving.
• CPAA took part in the CIBJO Congress in Bahrain in the fall, successfully removing the mandatory use of the word “cultured” in international guidelines. Click here to see a video explanation by Jeremy Shepherd.

Would you like to get involved in the CPAA? Please reach out to marketing director Kathy Grenier at kathyspearl@gmail.com or executive director Jennifer Heebner at JHeebner@cpaa.org with ideas or interest. Have feedback or suggestions for your all-volunteer board members? Reach me at abasalely@gmail.com. 

####

CPAA is a nonprofit founded in 1957. The group comprises the finest manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers, and suppliers of cultured pearls in the United States, and its goals are to improve retail marketability of pearls and cultivate demand among consumers. Through promotion, education, public relations, and unwavering commitment to the category, CPAA aims to inspire an authentic passion for all cultured pearl varieties. For more information about becoming a certified pearl expert, please visit PearlsAsOne.org. To learn more about the Cultured Pearl Association of America, please visit CPAA.org.