GALATEA PEARLS - A follow-up

"When an oyster swallows a grain of sand it feels the discomfort, so it begins to ease the pain by applying a coat of nacre (pearl). It is during this healing process that it creates a beautiful pearl. This is like life itself. It is easy to love in good times, but it takes courage to love through the discomfort of our lives. The gemstone represents the grain of sand, the beauty inside evoking an aura of love, courage and healing. It is this unique transformation that has given birth to the 'Galatea Pearl' the symbol of love."

A friend asked me for more information about the terrific Galatea pearls featured in the photograph in my blog on October 10.                   Chi Galatea Huynh is my kind of guy.  His stated mission is to bring more beauty to the world, a declaration he made after experiencing much darkness as a child in war-torn Vietnam.   This is a story about perseverance, dedication to one's vision, and finding inspiration in one's failures.  It is no surprise to me that pearls are one of his canvases.                      Chi has been lauded as creating the most innovative pearl jewelry since Mikimoto, so innovative in fact that he holds a patent on the process.   The inspiration for his gemstone nucleated pearls was the direct result of a mistake.  At the time, he was incising designs into the surface nacre of large cultured pearls, and accidentally cut too deeply into one, thus ruining the pearl by exposing the mother-of-pearl bead nucleus.  His "ah-ha" moment occurred when he realized he could do that on purpose for a singularly beautiful effect, if the pearl were nucleated with a gemstone bead in the center.                     At first, he didn't get much cooperation from the pearl farms where the cultivation of pearls occurs.  As every visionary knows, however, infinite resources are always available, even if it doesn't look like it.  As a result, since 2005 he now owns his own pearl growing farm in his native Vietnam.                   Perfectly round gemstone beads are used for the nucleus, such as amethyst, citrine, turquoise and coral.  The coral is lab grown, to save the endangered beds of natural corals.   The oyster, Pinctada maxima, grows nacre around the gemstone nucleus for about a year, developing a thick lustrous  exterior coating of nacre.  The designs are then carved deeply into the nacre, revealing the gemstone beneath.  Turquoise has proven to be the most popular, the bright "robin's egg blue" interior providing such a  striking contrast to the soft, dark grey surface of the nacre.

The birthplace of a pearl...symbol of healing and transformation. 

The quality of his work is consistently high.   In his own words:  "We create each piece as if to be worn by our beloved."                      Define the irritant in your life--whether that is illness, a troubled relationship, financial woes--and then set your course on what it means to transform that irritant into something positive.  Are Galatea's pearls a meaningful symbol for you?  Courage.  Perseverance.  Love.  Staying true to yourself, despite obstacles.  Staying on course to realize your vision, even if it takes time, like the oyster building up the nacre. Send me an email if you would like to know about purchasing a Galatea creation.