ABOUT US

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™, a female founded and owned company, is a BBB Online A rated enterprise. We sell fine pearl jewelry at up to 90% less than brick-and-mortar jewelry store prices for comparable pearl jewelry. We buy direct from leading pearl farmers and suppliers, many with GIA certification. That's how we bring you fine pearl jewelry at great prices!

(Johanna Lolax photo by Leslie Boudreau, Innovative Photography, copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved)

Ms. Johanna Lolax, BA, MA, GIA Pearls Diplomate, is the creator and founder of Best Consulting, LLC™ and Tender Beauty™ Pearls.

She is a Boston native, and an entrepreneur whose lifelong dedication, and tireless endeavors in philanthropy have raised millions of dollars to save the Earth, help children, support education, and serve vulnerable people, including tens of thousands of elderly blind Vermonters.

This bold, independent woman was educated on scholarship at Milton Academy and Simmons College. She established Best Consulting, LLC™ in Massachusetts in 2007, to provide non-profit management services worldwide. Its subsidiary – www.TenderBeautyPearls.com™ - successfully launched in August, 2008.

Ms. Lolax serves her community through the Tender Beauty™ Pearls corporate giving program, and through Tender Beauty™ Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization founded to support the world's oceans and waterways, in addition to other worthy causes.

Best Consulting, LLC™ and Tender Beauty Pearls™, are proud members of the Better Business Bureau of Central New England.

WEBSITE POLICIES

A note about pricing: Retail values stated on this website were derived after extensive market research, and in consultation with GIA-certified experts in pearl jewelry appraisal. Prices are subject to change.

Custom orders may be placed for an additional cost. Corporate and other bulk discount prices also are available. Please contact us at:

tenderbeautypearls@yahoo.com

Please note that a 15% restocking fee will be assessed for the return of all custom and bulk orders.

We can not appraise jewelry, pearls, or gems not sold on our site.

We now proudly offer Tender Beauty™ brand freshwater pearls. Our signature line of the finest in Asian freshwater pearl jewelry, Tender Beauty™ brand pearls are hand-selected from the top 0.01% of the freshwater pearl harvest.

Please scroll down for shipping and returns information, and for more information about us and our pearls.

MORE ABOUT TENDER BEAUTY PEARLS

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ was founded by Johanna Lolax, B.A., M.A., GIA Pearls Diplomate, in 2008. Her lifelong passions include nature's beauty, pearls, gemology, and philanthropy. Mrs. Lolax is a graduate of Milton Academy, Simmons College, and the GIA Graduate Pearls program.

A pearl jewelry enthusiast, Ms. Lolax personally selects each piece sold here.

Tender Beauty Pearls™ is a registered dba and wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Consulting, LLC™, founded, owned and operated by Johanna Lolax in Massachusetts. Best Consulting, LLC™ is not affiliated with companies bearing the same or similar names.

Best Consulting, LLC™ , and its subsidiaries, are proud members of the BBB of Central New England and the Greater Worcester Chamber of Commerce.

TENDER BEAUTY™ FOUNDATION, INC.

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ is committed to environmental protection. Pearl jewelry production depends on clean water. Pearl-bearing oysters and other life on earth have been threatened to the point of extinction owing to predation, over-fishing, water pollution, global warming, war, and disease.

We donate a portion of profits from the sale of our pearl jewelry to the Tender Beauty™ Foundation, Inc., a 501 c 3 non-for-profit, grant-giving organization established to protect the world's oceans, freshwater resources, and wildlife, among other projects.

Donations by credit card or checks to Tender Beauty™ Foundation, Inc. from the public-at-large also are accepted, and are deductible to the extent allowed under U.S. tax law. Please note that we do not accept in-kind donations, or donations of goods, cars, land, and other tangible items, at this time.

This all-volunteer corporate foundation also was founded by Johanna Lolax, President, and is a subsidiary of her company, Best Consulting, LLC. Tender Beauty™ Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to providing grants and scholarships for the benefit of the environment, people, and organizations the world over.

Grant-making areas are:

1. Conservation and Preservation of the world’s oceans and waterways, freshwater resources, parks, and marine as well as land-based wildlife (the Foundation has a special focus on mollusks and feline animals);

2. Education for children, teens, and adults the world over, with a special focus on literacy for those with and without disabilities. Scholarships also are available to teens and adults, for secondary and higher education, and professional training programs, in the U.S. and abroad; and

3. Medical Research into the root causes and cures for asthmatic, allergic, and neurological disorders, skin cancer, mental illness and addiction, and heart disease - at research centers throughout the world.

Grants and scholarships are awarded at the end of the calendar year. Applications with an original signature must be received in the mail by November 1.

For application guidelines, please contact: Tender Beauty™ Foundation, Inc., Johanna Lolax, President, 800 Main Street, Suite 203, Holden, Massachusetts 01520, or tenderbeautyfoundation@yahoo.com.

CONTACT US

Customers who have questions, or who need assistance, may contact Johanna Lolax at:

tenderbeautypearls@yahoo.com
tenderbeautypearls@yahoo.com

Thank you for your purchase today. FREE USPS Priority Mail is available on ANY order in the US and Canada.

-Most pearl jewelry sold at www.tenderbeautypearls.com™, unless marked as SOLD OUT, is shipped within 2-3 business days when full payment is received.

-Please include your complete name, address, daytime and evening phone numbers when ordering. When requesting shipping to a business address, please include your complete business name, too. We cannot be responsible for lost or misdirected deliveries.

-United States Postal Service (USPS) shipping options include a delivery confirmation number, but not insurance. Other shipping options include both tracking and insurance.

-Please allow 5-10 business days for resized rings from our Pearl Rings section to ship. Special, custom orders, or manufactured orders usually take 2-8 weeks to be produced and shipped.

-International orders must go through customs; please add 1-2 business days to delivery times for orders outside the US and Canada.

-Please note that orders are processed, shipped, and delivered only on business days, and not on holidays.

-Orders cannot be shipped unless paid in full. If you make any changes to your order at checkout, click the UPDATE button to see your new total.

-We do not hold items pending receipt of payment. We do not offer rentals, layaway, memo buying, consignment purchases, store credit, financing, or other deferred payment plans.

-All orders must be paid in full with your credit card, debit card, or PayPal e-check, at the time of order, and funds must be received before shipping.

-TenderBeautyPearls.com™ accepts all credit and debit cards via PayPal. PayPal e-checks also are accepted. No cash, money orders, or bank checks will be accepted. Items will not be shipped until funds are received.

-Orders may be cancelled in writing within 24 hours of placement, calculated on Eastern Time. Please us send email. Otherwise, your order may be processed and shipped.

-Orders of more than 25 pieces include one set of care instructions and one appraisal for each type of jewelry ordered. Boxes are priced separately for orders of 25 pieces or more. Please call or send email for pricing when ordering in quantity.

-Sales taxes for U.S. buyers outside Massachusetts are the buyers' responsibility. Applicable taxes and import duties for Canadian and other International orders also are the responsibility of the buyer. Any paperwork associated with an International order, such as Appraisals, will be shipped separately to ensure secure delivery.

-Note that our software is programmed to detect and track fraudulent "purchases". Fraudulent orders cannot be shipped, and will be reported to the proper authorities.

UNITED STATES AND CANADA - SHIPPING

Please note that packages are processed, shipped, and delivered only on business days, and not on holidays.

-FREE: U.S. Ground Mail - 5-7 business days, free delivery with any order

-FREE: U.S. Priority Mail - 3-5 business days, free delivery with any order

-Corporate and bulk orders: Please call us for the special rates and offers that come with large orders!

-$25.00: FEDEX Second-Day Air (includes tracking and insurance)

-$45.00: FEDEX U.S. Overnight with 1 day delivery (includes tracking and insurance)

APO SHIPPING

-FREE: U.S. Priority Mail with 3-10 day delivery

GLOBAL SHIPPING

International shipments must go through customs; please add 1-2 days to delivery times for orders outside the US and Canada. Paperwork for international orders may ship separately. Please note that packages are processed, shipped, and delivered only on business days, and not on holidays.

-$25.00: FEDEX Global Priority Mail with 3-5 day delivery (includes tracking and insurance; not available in some countries)

Tender Beauty Pearls™ is a registered dba and wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Consulting, LLC™, an independent company founded by Johanna Lolax in Massachusetts.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOUR PRIVACY

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ is an BBBOnline Accredited business, and a dba of Best Consulting, LLC of Massachusetts. Your privacy and security are important to us. To better protect your privacy, and in accordance with Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00 the following notice explains the information we collect from customers and employees, how it is used, how it is safeguarded, and how to contact us about your pearl purchase if you have any concerns.

OUR COMMITMENT TO THE SECURITY OF YOUR DATA

Your privacy and security are of the highest importance to Best Consulting, LLC and its subsidiaries, TenderBeautyPearls.com, TenderBeautyFoundation.com, and and TenderBeautySkincare.com.

Your information NEVER is sold or transferred to any third party for our profit, or the profit of any other party. We do not engage in data passing or in data sharing of any kind.

Best Consulting, LLC and its subsidiaries, including TenderBeautyPearls™.com, DO NOT keep, store, or maintain access to customer and employee credit/debit card information, financial account numbers, social security numbers, and driver's license or state-issued identification numbers in ANY digitized or hard copy business file after order or application processing.

Mailing information available through public records such as the telephone book and internet search sites, including customer name, mailing address, and email address, is collected ONLY for shipping, order fulfillment, purchase return or exchange, and the mailing of special offers to customers who wish to receive them.

Mailing information is encrypted and protected from spyware and other hacking softwares, stored in a secure facility, and is viewed or used only by Johanna Lolax, President & Founder of Best Consulting, LLC and its subsidiaries, TenderBeautyPearls™.com included.

OUR BRAND

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™, a female founded and owned company, sells fine pearl jewelry at up to 80% less than brick-and-mortar store prices for comparable pearl jewelry. We buy directly from leading pearl farmers and suppliers. That's how we bring you fine pearl jewelry at great prices.

We are proud to offer Tender Beauty™ brand pearls, our signature line of the finest in Chinese freshwater pearl jewelry. Tender Beauty™ brand pearls are hand-selected from the top 0.01% of the harvest. Tender Beauty™ brand pearls rival the very best saltwater pearls in luster and quality, at a fraction of the cost. Shop this great new brand now.

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ also created The PearlTack™, a great new product for both men and women. The PearlTack can fasten a scarf, grace a lapel, secure a tie, or dress up a shirt collar, and is available now in the Tender Beauty freshwater brand and other beautiful pearl selections. Buy two - one for a friend and one for you!

www.tenderbeautypearls.com and Tender Beauty™ Foundation, Inc., were created and founded in 2008 by Johanna Lolax, B.A., M.A., GIA Pearls Diplomate. Her lifelong passions include nature's beauty, pearls, gemology, and philanthropy. She owns and oversees all aspects of the business, and she directs the Foundation.

Ms. Lolax is a graduate of Milton Academy, Simmons College, and the GIA Graduate Pearls program.

A pearl jewelry enthusiast, Ms. Lolax personally selects each piece sold here, with sensitivity to your tastes and needs. She buys directly from reputable pearl farmers and suppliers to bring you the fine quality and great prices you expect. (All prices are set following extensive market research and consultation with GIA pearl experts.)

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ is a registered trademark, dba, and division of Best Consulting, LLC™, of Holden, MA, also created, founded, owned and operated by Johanna Lolax. Best Consulting, LLC™ is an independent company founded in Massachusetts, and is not affiliated with companies bearing the same or similar names.

Best Consulting, LLC™ and its subsidiaries are proud members of the Better Business Bureau of Central New England.

OUR GUARANTEE

-If for any reason you are not completely delighted with your purchase of www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ jewelry, you may return it to us by mail within 90 days of the ship or purchase date for a full refund to the address listed below. TenderBeautyPearls.com merchandise returned for a refund must be returned in the same condition as received, and must include the original packing list or receipt, as well as the presentation box.

-We also will exchange your www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ purchase for another www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ product of the same cost within 90 days of purchase, on request. In addition, www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ will repair faulty clasps or workmanship on the jewelry we sell at no extra charge, within 90 days of purchase. Exchanges of the same cost, and repaired items, will be sent back to you free of charge as soon as the items are available, usually within 2-4 weeks.

Please note that our 90-day returns and warranty policies apply only to items purchased from TenderBeautyPearls.com.

(Exceptions: Purchases of resized rings, special orders, custom orders, and manufactured orders are final, and cannot be returned for a refund or exchanged. We will correct any factory defect or order error on these orders within 90 days of purchase.)

MORE ABOUT RETURNS AND CANCELLATIONS

-Orders may be cancelled in writing within 24 hours of placement, calculated on Eastern Time. Please us send email. Otherwise, your order may be processed and shipped.

-Should you wish to make an exchange for an item of greater value, the balance you owe must be received before shipping.

-Should you decide on an exchange of lesser value, we will process the balance we owe you when the order is shipped. Customers whose checks are returned for lack of funds or other issues will be charged a $25.00 processing fee.

-No refunds will be issued until we receive your returned www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ merchandise via authorized mail and delivery services.

-Please allow up to 4-8 weeks to receive any refund owed, or to see it post to your credit card account. Refunds are processed through appropriate PayPal and banking systems. Refunds of cash or currency are not available.

-Please note: We do not maintain a brick-and-mortar store, or showroom. Returns of www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ purchases are accepted via authorized US mail and commercial delivery services only.

-Please include a delivery confirmation receipt or other tracking receipt with your mailed return, and contact us to let us know the return is coming. We cannot be held responsible for lost or misdirected packages.

-Your shipping and insurance expenses (should you choose to buy insurance) are not refundable.

-A 20% restocking fee will be assessed on customer accounts that demonstrate the frequent and repeated purchase-and-return of items from our www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ inventory. We reserve the right to refuse purchases or returns when abuse of our generous, no-hassle returns policy is detected.

-We do not hold items pending receipt of payment. We do not offer rentals, consignment, buying on memo, store credit, financing, layaways, or deferred payment plans of any kind.

-All orders must be paid in full with your credit card, debit card, PayPal e-check, bank check, or money order before shipping. Please do not send cash or currency (cash and currency received will be returned to you).

-Purchases of resized rings are final, and cannot be returned for refund or exchange. Should we, or your local jeweler resize your ring, or create custom pieces from www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ stock, the ring or other item(s) will not be returnable for refund or exchange.

-We will correct any factory defect or order error on special, custom or manufactured orders orders within 90 days of purchase. Please notify us as soon as possible.

-We do not offer rentals, consignment, buying on memo, store credit, financing, layaways, or deferred payment plans of any kind. All orders must be paid in full with your credit card, debit card, PayPal e-check, bank check, or money order before shipping. Please do not send cash or currency.

-Customers whose checks are returned for lack of funds or other issues will be charged a $25.00 processing fee.

TENDERBEAUTYPEARLS.COM PRODUCT RETURNS ADDRESS

www.tenderbeautypearls.com™ product returns are accepted by mail only. For any Tender Beauty Pearls™ product, please send your return to one of the following addresses:

-tenderbeautypearls.com, Johanna Lolax, President, 800 Main Street, #203, Holden, MA 01520

(Please note: We do not maintain a brick-and-mortar store, or showroom. No refunds or exchanges will be issued until a return of merchandise is received. Please include a delivery confirmation receipt or tracking information with your mailed return, and contact us to let us know the return is coming. USPS Mail shipping options include a delivery confirmation number, but not insurance. We cannot be responsible for lost or misdirected returns.)

PEARL QUALITY AND CARE

Cultured pearls are real pearls, and real gems. Please read more about pearls, our quality, and pearl care below, or contact our Pearl Expert and President, Johanna Lolax, GIA Pearls Diplomate, at tenderbeautypearls@yahoo.com.

Pearls are one of the softer gems, measuring 3.0-4.0 on the MOHS Scale of Hardness (diamonds are a 10). You may wear them every day with jeans, business clothes, and dress wear, but please put them on only after you have applied lotions, perfumes, aftershaves, and hair styling products.

Pearls rings should be removed before hand-washing, and all pearl jewelry should be removed before showering, bathing, swimming, and sleeping. Please store them in their box or a satin pouch separately from other jewelry, to protect them from scratches.

Pearl jewelry may be gently wiped with a soft optical cloth after each use, and washed in clean, lukewarm water (or a gentle cleanser designed for pearls) as desired. Washed pearl strands should be allowed to air dry for 24 hours.

Harsh cleansers and sonic cleaners will damage your pearls, as will rolling them in salt or wood chips as a means of cleansing: If your pearls are heavily soiled, they should be taken to a reputable jeweler for professional cleaning.

Here at www.tenderbeautypearls.com™, a BBBOnline Accredited business, our President Johanna Lolax personally chooses authentic pearl jewelry with your needs and tastes in mind. She buys directly from leading pearl farmers and suppliers, many with GIA certification, to bring you real pearls cultured in the bodies of special pearl-bearing mollusks.

That's how she can offer you the quality and prices you expect. (All prices are set following extensive market research and consultation with GIA pearl experts. Prices may be subject to change.) An explanation of our quality grading system, and more information about pearls, is next.

A note about pricing: Tender Beauty Pearls sells fine pearl jewelry at up to 80% off most retail jewelry store prices for pearl jewelry of comparable quality. Retail values stated on this website were derived after extensive market research, and in consultation with GIA-certified experts in pearl jewelry appraisal.

PEARL QUALITY

Pearls are organic, aquatic gems that grow deep in the bodies of only 20 species of mollusks. Pearls are graded, valued, and sold according to seven value factors: size, shape, surface quality, nacre quality, color, luster, and matching. Nacre (NAY - kur) is the gem-quality material that forms a pearl, and it's thickness can determine the pearl's durability over time. Round traditionally is the most valued pearl shape, and a clean, highly lustrous surface is the most highly prized.

Tender Beauty™ BRAND QUALITY

Our premier freshwater pearl collection includes pure white Tender Beauty™ brand cultured pearls, our signature line of the finest in Asian freshwater pearl jewelry. The cream of the cultured freshwater pearl crop, Tender Beauty™ brand pearls rival the very best saltwater pearls in luster and quality, at a fraction of the cost.

This is the highest grade of freshwater pearl jewelry available today. It represents the top 0.01% of the harvest.

This grade offers rare freshwater pearls that are nearly 100% nacre because they are grown using tissue, not the usual mother-of-pearl bead, implants. Tender Beauty™ brand freshwater pearls are beautifully round, perfectly matched in strands and other jewelry sold here, and almost 100% flawless - even when magnified 10 times. Each pearl exhibits an extremely high, iridescent luster that rivals the very finest akoya saltwater pearls. The rainbow-like iridescent quality of these pearls, called "orient", rarely is seen in round pearls.

AAA QUALITY

This grade of freshwater and saltwater pearl jewelry represents the top 1% of the harvest. The pearls are round with thick nacre and excellent luster. Their surfaces are 96% or more blemish-free, and in strands and other jewelry sold here, they are excellently matched.

AA+ QUALITY

This grade of freshwater and saltwater pearl jewelry represents the top 5% of the harvest. The pearls are round with thick nacre and excellent luster. Their surfaces are 90-95% or more blemish-free, and in strands and other jewelry sold here, they are excellently matched.

AA QUALITY

This grade of freshwater and saltwater pearl jewelry represents the top 20% of the harvest. The pearls are oval or near-round, with medium to thick nacre and very good luster. Their surfaces are 80-90% or more blemish-free, and in strands and other jewelry sold here, they are very well matched.

A QUALITY

This grade of cultured freshwater and saltwater pearl jewelry represents the top 50% of the harvest, and are not sold at tenderbeautypearls.com. These pearls will be near-round, with nacre of medium thickness and good luster. Their surfaces will be lightly to moderately blemished, and their matching quality generally will be good.

B-C GRADE

This commercial grade of freshwater and saltwater pearl jewelry represents the lower 50% of the harvest, and never is sold here at tenderbeautypearls.com. The pearls are near-round to off-round with poor quality (often thin) nacre, and a poor or chalky luster. Their surfaces are moderately to heavily blemished, and their matching quality is poor.

REAL GEMS

Pearls are the only real gems that are born in the bodies of living creatures. These unique, organic, aquatic gems are made by special mollusks, and have been long-associated with female creativity, purity, and love.

Pearls have been the focus of human dreams, desire, and passion for centuries. Their luster once captured the attention of Egypt's Queen Cleopatra, as well as Persian, English, and Spanish royalty throughout the ages. The Greeks, and many Asian nations, believed that pearls inspire both love and marital happiness.

While almost any mollusk can produce some type of "pearl" bead, only 20 species in the world can create actual pearl gems. These special creatures make pearl gems with concentric layers of highly-prized nacre (NAY - kur), a substance that incorporates organic material with a crystalline form of calcium carbonate called aragonite (a-RAG-oh-nite).

Nacre gives pearls their special luster, and much of their value.

Natural gem-quality pearls once were found throughout the world's oceans and freshwater bodies of water, such as the Persian Gulf, the Caribbean, the Sea of Cortez off the coast of California, the Indian Ocean, Japanese and western Australian waters - even the lochs of Scotland! The quest for natural pearls, and the gleaming mother-of-pearl lined shells in which they were born, was so intense that by the late 19th century natural pearl beds were all but fished out, and pearl-bearing mollusks nearly extinct.

Pearl culturing pioneers came on the scene to save the pearl industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sophisticated methods of collecting and nurturing baby oysters and mussels until they could accept a mother-of-pearl bead with a donor mollusk tissue sample were developed. Round cultured pearls were created, and the stage was set for a new pearl farming industry to emerge.

The industry now flourishes in the waters of Asia, French Poynesia, Western Australia, and the South Seas. Soon, entrepreneurs from Australia and Dubai will test the cool, clear waters of Antarctica with new pearl farms for the 21st century.

Natural pearls today are extremely rare, but may still be found and are sold on the market. Most real pearls sold now are cultured pearls, grown on pearl farms from oysters and mollusks gently nurtured with care and patience. tenderbeautypearls.com sells real cultured pearls, grown from mollusks on pearls farms and purchased from reputable pearl farmers and suppliers.

Pearls cannot be synthesized in a lab like diamonds and other mineral gems, but many imitation pearls are manufactured. Often they are glass beads dipped in an iridescent mixture of fish scales and glue, and they are not real pearls.

AKOYA PEARLS

Akoya pearls are saltwater pearls, born in the bodies of the small, delicate akoya oyster. These pearls are cultured, usually with a mother-of-pearl bead and a bit of tissue from a donor mollusk. The oyster deposits layers of pearls gem (called nacre and pronounced NAY-kur) over the bead to create a real cultured pearl.

Once grown primarily in Japanese waters, these pearls now are grown in Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese waters. Their natural colors tend to be white or cream with light pink or silver overtones, though natural bluish colors sometimes are seen. Some of the finest pearls in the world come from this oyster.

FRESHWATER PEARLS

Freshwater pearls primarily come from rivers, lakes, ponds and streams in Asia, but some are produced in America. They are seen in abundance in Chinese markets, and range in quality from the so-called "rice krispie" shaped pearl, to our rare, round, highly lustrous Tender Beauty™ brand freshwater pearls from the top 0.01% of the harvest. Freshwater pearls are grown in the bodies of mussels rather oysters, using only bits of tissue from a donor mollusk. This method forms a pearl that is almost solid nacre, the beautiful pearl gem material.

Freshwater pearls come in a range of tender, natural colors, such as white, cream, light yellow, peachy-pink, and lavender. tenderbeautypearls.com sells pearls with natural colors only, though other companies do sell strands that are treated. Treated strands are most often irradiated to create deep, iridescent rainbow colors, or dyed to produce strong colors such as "chocolate", deep blue, fuschia pink, bright red, dark green, and purple.

SOUTH SEA PEARLS

Many pearls today are grown in the South Seas from a great oyster called Pinctada Maxima, which can grow as big as a dinner plate. Mother-of-Pearl beads and bits of tissue are implanted in this oyster to produce large, rare, round pearls with a natural luster like fine satin, and natural colors such as pure white, pale gold, and deep gold. This is where we obtain the gorgeous AAA golden pearl pictured in The PearlTack™ on the tenderbeautypearls.com website, and in the magnificent AAA Light Golden Pearl Earrings we carry here.

The price of a quality South Seas pearl is higher than other fine pearls because each Pinctada Maxima oyster makes only one pearl at a time, and even producing that one pearl can take several years. In addition, not every South Sea pearl from every harvest is a fine round, lustrous pearl, so it may take many harvests to obtain South Sea pearls suitable for fine jewelry.

TAHITIAN PEARLS

Tahitian pearls don't really come from Tahiti, but from the many small islands and lagoons in French Polynesia to the south and west of Tahiti. They are rare pearls, grown using a bead and some tissue implanted into the large "black-lipped" oyster. This type of oyster has a strip of iridescent dark gray or black mother-of-pearl along the inner edge of its shell.

This oyster produces large, lustrous pearls in natural colors that range from black, to black with green, rose, purple, and blue highlights, to lighter silvery-green and azure hues. Since the black-lipped oyster can make only one pearl at a time, it can take several harvests to produce Tahitian pearls suitable for fine jewelry.

The natural colors of these pearls truly are special as well as rare. tenderbeautypearls.com carries several fine examples of jewelry made from naturally-colored Tahitian pearls, including earrings, pendants, and The PearlTack™.

PEARL INDUSTRY FACTS

Pearl-bearing oysters and mussels, and other life on earth, have been threatened to the point of extinction over the centuries owing to predation, over-fishing, water pollution, global warming, war, and disease. Today, governments and responsible pearl farmers work to protect vulnerable species, humanely breed mollusks once close to extinction, and keep local waters in pristine condition.

Pearl culturing now is a sustainable and environmentally-friendly practice, which provides an independent livelihood for many small business people the world over, incuding African women and families in rural China.

Successful pearl farming promotes and depends on clean water: It's in pearl farmers' best interest to protect oceans and waterways -- their livelihoods depend on it.

OUR COMMITMENT TO THE SECURITY OF YOUR DATA

Your privacy and security are of the highest importance to Best Consulting, LLC and its subsidiaries, TenderBeautyPearls.com, TenderBeautyFoundation.com, and and TenderBeautySkincare.com.

Your information NEVER is sold or transferred to any third party for our profit, or the profit of any other party. We do not engage in data passing or in data sharing of any kind.

Best Consulting, LLC and its subsidiaries, including TenderBeautyPearls™.com, DO NOT keep, store, or maintain access to customer and employee credit/debit card information, financial account numbers, social security numbers, and driver's license or state-issued identification numbers in ANY digitized or hard copy business file after order or application processing.

Mailing information available through public records such as the telephone book and internet search sites, including customer name, mailing address, and email address, is collected ONLY for shipping, order fulfillment, purchase return or exchange, and the mailing of special offers to customers who wish to receive them.

Mailing information is encrypted and protected from spyware and other hacking softwares, stored in a secure facility, and is viewed or used only by Johanna Lolax, President & Founder of Best Consulting, LLC and its subsidiaries, TenderBeautyPearls™.com included.

Please Note: We do not maintain a brick-and mortar storefront or showroom. Our toll-free lines are for customer and donor service only. Telemarketing sales professionals using these lines will be asked to call us back on our local and business cell phone numbers. Offers from off-shore lotteries, persons engaged in illegal and fraudulent activities will be reported to appropriate authorities.