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A
pearl of a deal
Pearl retailer Hiroko Ikeda has family ties in Japan
and that gives her a definite advantage over the competition.
Japan, of course, is famous for pearls and pearl divers,
but since 1994 its pearl stocks have been plagued by
a disease that attacks oysters, depleting the finest
Akoya pearls. Pearl dealers worldwide have suffered,
but Ikeda, who runs Shinju Pearl in Fairfax, has a lucky
uncle. He owns a pearl farm back in Japan and "maintains
such a large reserve that my supply of pearls has not
been affected by the shortage affecting other dealers,"
Ikeda says.
The
uncle's cheaper, too. Ikeda can sell her pearls at about
40 percent below the retail price. She got her start
in the pearl business about 20 years ago as a wholesaler
to retail chains such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Woodward
& Lothrop. Individual stores promoted her appearances
at trunk shows, and Ikeda consulted with customers on
quality and stringing.
As
buying practices changed, so did Ikeda. "The business
set-up changed," she says. "You had to go
rent a space instead of them buying from you."
Armed with her connoisseur's eye and industry connections,
Ikeda launched her own retail showroom, Shinju Pearl.
"When I came to the United States, I always had
a dream to start my own business, but as a minority
and a female it was difficult."
Ikeda
is known as one of the top pearl people in the Washington
area, says Martin Fuller, a Master Gemologist Appraiser
with Fuller and Associates. Fuller works with Ikeda
on issues such as insurance and donation appraisals.
"She's the only person I refer my clients to,"
he says.
After
20 years in the Washington, D.C., area, Shinju Pearl
is planning an expansion to the West Coast. Ikeda's
daughter currently manages a small office in Venice
Beach, Calif., where Shinju Pearl has plans for a small
showroom.
-
Nicole McMullin
Return to Virginia Business - June
2002
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