Luxury Gift-Giving is Not Dead – Pearls are at the Top of the Wish List This Holiday Season

 First harvest from the first akoya pearl farm owned by a Western company  helps consumers buy luxury for the Holidays without breaking the bank …    as women look to pearls to help them project the power and elegance of  their Hollywood and political icons.

    LOS ANGELES, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Pearl expert Jeremy Shepherd says no amount of ominous Wall Street stories will keep people from buying luxury gifts this holiday season.

    “It just isn’t going to happen,” says the Internet pearl guru. “People are going to take advantage of the popularity of pearls along with their value and sustainability. The key is to sell customers high-quality, affordable luxury that looks and feels extravagant — and will impress their wives and girlfriends. That’s how our company is thriving in this down economy.”

    He says PearlParadise.com’s pearls, including the finest freshwater and cultured akoya pearls in the world, meet that description.

    Shepherd, who owns what many in the gem world acknowledge to be the world’s largest online pearl retail store — http://www.PearlParadise.com says his pearls are identical in quality to those sold by high-end jewelry stores. Independent appraisals of PearlParadise.com pearls show that jewelry purchased through the online store are priced up to 80% lower than the average retail prices.

    One reason PearlParadise.com is able to keep prices down during a slowed economy is the company’s ownership stake in its own pearl farm. By being the first Western company in the world to own an akoya pearl farm, PearlParadise.com is able to cut out every middleman between the pearl farmer and the commission salesman in the mall. The 2008 holiday season is the first to take advantage of the farm’s initial harvest.

    Besides price, Shepherd says, “Christmas 2008 is the perfect time to give pearls, because some of the most famous ladies in the U.S. have made pearls so hot and so trendy.” One cannot help but notice the trend. From Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain, Brooke Shields and Angelina Jolie, these strong and powerful women are all accessorizing with pearls.

    Here are some extravagant pearls that do not have an enormous price tag:

    — Investment-grade freshwater pearl strand for $120. (http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=60)

    — Classic, 7.0-7.5 mm akoya pearl strand for $425. (http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=102)

    Need a matching bracelet to go with your pearl necklace? Most cost between $35 and $175, says Shepherd.

    For more information about over-the-top, luxury pearl jewelry (including akoya (http://www.pearlparadise.com/saltwaterpearls.html), Tahitian, South Sea and freshwater pearls (http://www.pearlparadise.com/freshwaterpearls.html)) good for Christmas, or any time, shop online at http://www.pearlparadise.com, or make an appointment to visit Shepherd’s Los Angeles storefront location by calling (310) 474-8788.