The American Gem Trade Association’s (AGTA) 2023 GemFairTM Las Vegas will serve as the springboard for Rapaport’s first-ever natural pearl auction and sales. The auction will take place on 20th June in Bahrain, but viewings will be taking place in New York City, Dubai, and Bahrain as well as Las Vegas during the JCK Show, in the AGTA GemFairTM Las Vegas specifically.
The Rapaport Group will unveil lots of natural pearls sourced primarily by Bahraini divers who operate under strict government supervision to ensure the protection of the natural habitat of the pearl oysters found in the Gulf of Bahrain. The Bahrain Institute of Pearls and Gemstones (DANAT) has been instrumental in collecting, grading, and certifying the pearls, and all will be offered for sale and verified as natural by DANAT.
Until now, no entity has been able to offer natural pearls found in the wild for sale on a regular basis. Bahrain and its surrounding waters have fertile breeding grounds for pearl-producing oysters and have produced natural pearls for centuries.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to offer natural Pearls direct from the divers of Bahrain to the jewellery trade, and to unveil the Pearls to the U.S. during AGTA GemFairTM Las Vegas,” said Martin Rapaport, Chairman. “Natural Pearls are an exceptional opportunity…they are a rare, valuable, historic gem well suited for specialised niche players such as medium size dealers and retailers.”
“This new initiative will provide Bahraini divers with direct access to the global jewellery industry,” said Noora Jamsheer, CEO of DANAT.
Kimberly Collins, President of AGTA’s Board of Directors and Owner of Kimberly Collins Colored Gems, is also pleased to have the Rapaport team join the AGTA family: “We hope retailers and designers will come to Level 2 of the Venetian to see the natural pearls and shop all the AGTA vendors, who adhere to the industry’s strongest code of ethics and most rigorous business practices,” she said.