How I Found My 2015 Ruckus Pearls

[Fly Girl]

Last weekend I was privileged to attend the 2015 Pearl Paradise Ruckus in Los Angeles. First of all, my deepest thanks and appreciation to our hosts, Jeremy and Hisano Shepherd. This is my second ruckus, and I published a report of my experiences finding my ruckus pearls last year in this thread.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-i-found-my-ruckus-pearls.204698/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-i-found-my-ruckus-pearls.204698/[/URL]

Icy_jade requested that I write a similar thread about this year's ruckus. I'm flattered that you enjoyed last year's report, and I hope that I can make this year's interesting as well. Much has already been posted about the 2015 Ruckus and so I will try not to repeat much of what has already been said.

I arrived at LAX on Friday morning and took a cab to the Pearl Paradise offices. A knock on the door and I was admitted to an already busy room. So many beautiful pearls had already been laid out on the table. I had previously asked about the white South Sea Burmese pearls, and Chenai brought out the three that Jeremy had selected for me. I wanted the earring pair made into earring charms, but then I learned that one of the pair had a flat back, and were most suitable for studs. I was not looking for studs, so I decided not to get those pearls.

Then I realized that the larger Burmese pearl had a creamier body color and just died on my skin. The luster was most outstanding, which is why Jeremy selected it. I laid out the many cards of Burmese pearls and selected a large lustrous pearl with a more silvery white body color. I checked with several of pearl mavens in the room, and we agreed that silvery pearl was better for me. I'm thinking of making it into a ring. I also selected a small Burmese pearl that had the most stunning overtones. I could see pink, green and blue in that pearl. 4Ranch Girl informed me that any time you see those three colors in a pearl's overtones, that it is a rare pearl and is worthy of consideration to purchase. I was able to use this advice multiple times during the coming weekend.

 

[Fly Girl]

More pearls at Pearl Paradise included an incredible strand of round lavender Edisons. A strand of silvery soufflés was laying out on a card. There were Tahitians galore, ready for the upcoming sale. Kay and I greeted each other and pulled out our baroque pistachio Tahitians for an impromptu comparison. Bsomlo was there and discovered one of the PP staffers was making large rolling travel cases. She selected one and put in her pearl collection, ready for transport to the mansion.

 

[4Ranch Girl]

I'm glad you got a picture of that jewelry roll. I am having Megan custom make one for me too.

 

[Fly Girl]

Mid-afternoon it was time to head out to the mansion. Those who drove generously gave rides to those of us without cars. Once there I discovered that I had been assigned to the "Pistachio" room. A sheet of paper with our names was tacked next to the door. I didn't realize it then, but this name turned out to be prophetic for my ruckus weekend.

As we unpacked and hung our clothes, the pearls came out and we got to meet some beautiful strands in person that we had only known through photos. 4Ranch Girl's mixed baroque four strands of Tahitians were stunning in person. She did not choose my pistachios for her rope, and it was interesting to see them together in person. Her final rope had a distinctly silvery blue cast overall, which is what she was looking for. My silvery green Tahitian strand would have given them a different flavor.

I enjoyed seeing her new Tahitian necklace from Kojima. The big green Tahitian drop was so lustrous and organically shaped. A beautiful piece.

 

[Fly Girl]

I'm glad you got a picture of that jewelry roll. I am having Megan custom make one for me too.

Yes. It is nice in that you can see so much of your collection at once. I was constantly unrolling and checking all the little zipper pouches of my travel rolls. Of course, if I was more organized I would know exactly where everything was without looking. This travel roll design eliminates that issue.

 

[Fly Girl]

Here are some comparison shots of the Tahitian blues strands. 4Ranch Girl has the baroque strand with the round yellow gold clasps. Kay has the slighter larger and longer round strand with the white gold ball clasp. My strand is round and has the yellow gold equestrian clasp. Kay's and mine were part of the Rikitea rounds sale at PP last fall.

I am very satisfied that my blue Tahitian strand is indeed blue.

The last photo compares 4Ranch Girl's new pastel strands with her blue baroque Tahitians. You can see how different they look.

 

[Fly Girl]

It was time to change and head out for cocktails and dinner. I got a number of neck shots before it got too dark which I will post later. This was a time to greet old friends and make new pearly friends.

The next morning I joined Octogirl's wire wrapping class and made myself a new pearl ring. Octogirl suggested making the ring 1/2 size larger than you normally wear, and so I did. That is exactly the size my ring ended up being, so it is a bit large on me. Next time, I'll make the ring my size and see what happens. No pictures here because the interior of this mansion tended to be too dark for good pearl pictures.

Then came the talks, followed by lunch. Finally, we could go shopping for pearls.

I admired Octogirl's new creations. This pearl mermaid has the most amazing pearls. I did not get a shot of her back, but you can even see her spinal column and buttocks. I would not be surprised to see this piece win some art awards in the future.

I selected my octopus. I loved the enamel pieces, and the ones with the Sea of Cortez pearls. In the end I chose a blackened silver octopus with a striped Tahitian head. I named her Candi.

 

[Fly Girl]

I joined the table where Douglas was selling his Sea of Cortez pearls. He brought many more this year than last, and I selected a nice big blue baroque SoC to combine with the two rounds I purchased last year. I plan to make them into a pendant.

This year Douglas brought along a number of pieces of finished jewelry. I admired the pendants, and tried on the two bracelets that he had brought along. One of the bracelets called to me. It has Sea of Cortez baroque pearls with tiny white hinge pearls in between. Hinge pearls are natural Sea of Cortez pearls that form in the hinge region of the oyster and lack the usual red fluorescence that is found in Sea of Cortez pearls.

Douglas told a story about how they put vampire crabs in the with rainbow lip oysters, and the crabs began to eat the oysters. However, oysters know exactly how to defend themselves. They coat the invader with nacre. He had about two dozen mabe pearls that contain vampire crabs. I selected a colorful vampire mabe pearl for myself. Later, I noticed that a baroque SoC pearl had the same colors as my vampire mabe. I purchased that as well. Finally, Douglas allowed me to select a tiny SoC keshi pearl to take home.

 

[Fly Girl]

Next I headed over to the patio where the Kamoka pearls were spread out. I was already wearing two Kamoka pearl necklaces and my big drop Kamoka enhancer, and I tried on a three-pearl Kamoka necklace on leather. The pearls were so big and lustrous, but the strand really needs to be higher on the neck than I like to wear my pearls. So, I did not purchase the necklace.

The small pistachio green Kamoka drop set in sterling silver kept calling to me. It was lustrous and had the coveted trio of pink, green, and blue overtones. I purchased it to wear on my sterling silver charm bracelet from PP.

This means I now have a pistachio Tahitian bracelet to wear with my pistachio drop Tahitian necklace from PP.

 

[Fly Girl]

I dropped by the Kojima table and then took a look into Mikey's suitcase, but this was the end of my pearl purchases at the mansion this year.

The next morning we packed and headed over to Pearl Paradise for a day of shopping fun. I decided this year to spend most of my time watching others shop for pearls, but my resolve failed when I came back into the room and noticed a pair of 9mm AAA round pistachio Tahitians lying in the middle of the table. Had anyone selected those? No, I was told, Chenai had paired them up and laid them on the table. They were exactly what I wanted to make earrings to wear with my new baroque pistachio Tahitian necklace. I was delighted when Hisano drilled them and set them with white gold eyepins on the spot.

 

[Fly Girl]

Here are pictures of my completed 9mm AAA pistachio Tahitian earring charms.

I am thrilled with this set of necklace and earrings. I've worn them several times this week already. These are sure to be favorites. And, now I have a pistachio Kamoka drop to wear as a bracelet as well. Very pleased. This has certainly been my year for pistachios.

 

[Fly Girl]

On Friday afternoon before the ruckus I was able to have both my multicolor Tahitian necklace and bracelet restrung at PP. I was showing them to Jeremy (I had purchased them at last year's ruckus and worn them extensively all year) and commenting on how there were many blue pearls and chocolate pearls in the bracelet. At least, I thought that they were chocolate. At that, Jeremy ran to his office and came back with a plastic bag labeled "Natural Chocolates" alongside a drawing of a chocolate candy kiss.

We poured out the various baggies of round chocolate Tahitians, which were separated by size. I will probably never see so many in person at the same time. I'm sorry I don't have any photos, because I was so busy looking at them. In the end, it was the bag with the smallest ones, 8-9 mm that caught my eye. There were only three pearls in the bag, but two of them were a very close match. They were beautifully lustrous and a deeper chocolate color than the larger pearls. If you looked very closely, you could see that one was a bit more golden in tone (honey chocolate ) and the other a bit more grey. But, very, very close.

Again, the staff at PP drilled and set my Tahitian earrings on the spot, so that I was able to take them home with me that day.

 

[Fly Girl]

I spent quite a bit of time admiring the colorful Tahitian keshi that Hisano purchased at the last Hong Kong show. In the end, I selected one colorful keshi to take home. Yes, it has blue, green, and pink colors in it. The colorful trifecta that 4Ranch Girl taught me to appreciate.

I also selected a lustrous golden toned Edison drop which I left at PP to be made into a pendant/enhancer. Most of those drops are still there, and available for purchase.

I left the larger Burmese pearl at PP to be made into a ring by John. The smaller I brought home with me. Here it is again next to my Tahitian keshi.

I also left my ombre bracelet at PP to be outfitted with a small orbit clasp to replace the fishhook clasp. Fishhooks do not work for me on bracelets, and this piece was not getting nearly the outings that it should because of that. I hope the orbit clasp works better for me.

Here is Chenai totaling up my purchases. Thank you for all of your help, Chenai. It was such fun to work with you again.

 

[Fly Girl]

Whew! That's it for today. I'll try to post my ruckus neck shots later. In the meantime, thank you again to Jeremy and Hisano for all of your work, hospitality, friendship, and, of course, the beautiful pearls.

Good-bye!!

 

[iguanatan]

Thanks so much for writing this, what a wonderful read.
Oh, how I would love to one day attend an event like this! Sadly, living in Australia means this is pretty much a dream!

 

[ennui]

This is like story time, with pictures. A fun read! I love your new pearls. The vampire crab mabe is really pretty.

 

[SMC]

I loved reading your account and looking at all the pictures! Thanks for sharing!

 

[pinkgem2522]

Thank you for the eye candy!

 

[Pattye]

Fly girl, Soooo enjoyable reading about the Ruckus from your point of view and seeing your exquisite collection of gorgeous pearls, which you make your own and wear with much class! Thanks for taking time to share your adventures.

 

[NacreLover]

Sure had fun with you and the others two weeks ago. Can't wait for next year. The vampire mabe you selected was beautiful. I wish I had seen the others in person.

 

[NacreLover]

Fly girls SofC mabe from last year. It was spectacular.

 

[CRDKeshi]

What a delightful report FlyGirl! How fun to relive a bit of the Ruckus too, looking for Sea of Cortez pearls to echo that vampire mabe Thanks for sharing !!!

 

[4Ranch Girl]

FlyGirl a great report. Love all of the pictures...more please. It was such a pleasure to be one of your roommates and be able to see your pearls in person. The pictures do not do them justice. They are just outstanding as are you

 

[Fly Girl]

What a delightful report FlyGirl! How fun to relive a bit of the Ruckus too, looking for Sea of Cortez pearls to echo that vampire mabe Thanks for sharing !!!

Thank you, CRDKeshi. It was such fun. And here I thought I had all my pearls and that I was just sticking around the Sea of Cortez to watch you select your SoC pearls. That is a very special pearl to me.

Sure had fun with you and the others two weeks ago. Can't wait for next year. The vampire mabe you selected was beautiful. I wish I had seen the others in person.

Thank you, NL, and for your wonderful photos and reporting. I had a blast at the ruckus. I'm sure Sheri or Douglas can send you photos of the rest.

Fly girl, Soooo enjoyable reading about the Ruckus from your point of view and seeing your exquisite collection of gorgeous pearls, which you make your own and wear with much class! Thanks for taking time to share your adventures.

I'm glad you enjoyed the read, Pattye. The point of view of this report was on selecting my ruckus pearls. I found that the pearls I selected at last year's ruckus have become special favorites. So many wonderful memories associated with them. I could easily write more reports about the wonderful friends at the ruckus and their awesome pearls. Thank you so much for your wit and your friendship.

Thank you for the eye candy!

You are most welcome, pinkgem2522.

I loved reading your account and looking at all the pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Glad you enjoyed it, SMC.

This is like story time, with pictures. A fun read! I love your new pearls. The vampire crab mabe is really pretty.

Thank you, ennui. Douglas gave Octogirl first dibs at those vampire mabe. I can hardly wait to see what she does with them. They will be special creations, I'm sure.

Thanks so much for writing this, what a wonderful read.
Oh, how I would love to one day attend an event like this! Sadly, living in Australia means this is pretty much a dream!

iguanatan - You are most welcome. It is my dream to one day visit your beautiful country. Several years ago we looked into a flying tour around Australia in rented Cessnas. I would love to see wild kangaroo hopping in the bush.

 

[Fly Girl]

FlyGirl a great report. Love all of the pictures...more please. It was such a pleasure to be one of your roommates and be able to see your pearls in person. The pictures do not do them justice. They are just outstanding as are you

Thank you, 4Ranch Girl. It was a delight to room with you and Kay.

I noticed that I had neglected an earlier request from you to post the Tahitian blues comparison photo on the other site. So, I just added them to the ruckus thread. Of course, nearly all of the gorgeous strands of Tahitians in my photos were yours.

 

[4Ranch Girl]

I so wish I would have snapped a picture when almost the whole bed had pearls on it. That was a sight to behold. Thank you for posting the picture "over there"

 

[katbran]

Wonderful photos and narrative !! Thanks very much for taking the time to share all of that...such gorgeous pearls !

 

[Frost Me]

Loving your recount of your Ruckus experience Fly Girl. The multi color Tahitian rounds with bracelet from last year are my still my #1 favorite. The pistachio ear charms, and chocolate studs are beautiful addition. Lucky you!

Question: Did you add the PP Clutch Back on the chocolate studs, what size?

 

[Fly Girl]

Loving your recount of your Ruckus experience Fly Girl. The multi color Tahitian rounds with bracelet from last year are my still my #1 favorite. The pistachio ear charms, and chocolate studs are beautiful addition. Lucky you!

Question: Did you add the PP Clutch Back on the chocolate studs, what size?

Thank you, Frost Me. I am delighted to get these two new pairs of earrings, in such unusual colors and in sizes that are difficult to find. Yes, I swapped out the PP small clutch back for the large size for the chocolate studs. Prices per friction back are on the PP web site.

Wonderful photos and narrative !! Thanks very much for taking the time to share all of that...such gorgeous pearls !

I'm glad you enjoyed the report, katbran. There were so many additional pearls that caught my eye, but I didn't purchase. I especially loved the Vietnamese akoya keshi and of course, Hisano's geode and finestrino designs.

I so wish I would have snapped a picture when almost the whole bed had pearls on it. That was a sight to behold. Thank you for posting the picture "over there"

Next time we'll get that mass pearl photo. You're welcome about the postings.

 

[Kay]

I so wish I would have snapped a picture when almost the whole bed had pearls on it. That was a sight to behold. Thank you for posting the picture "over there"

Yes, that was quite a sight! We'll have to get a picture of that next year. I have many great memories of the 3 of us hanging out in our Pistachio room.

Fly Girl, it was so much fun reliving the ruckus through your report and pictures. Your writing style is very entertaining.