110
The Chinese were
“Year after year I continued to focus my efforts in further
the first civilisation
developing the industry by assisting producers, wholesalers
and retailers alike in understanding the value and complexity
to fashion raw pearls into
of grading and introducing this product onto the international
the things of beauty they
market,’’ he adds.
are today. Now, a man with
china connection
a passion for the gems is
taking them back - via Macau
Autore’s pearls are available around the world and now
the company has opened its first self-branded store in Macau
at The Shoppes of Four Seasons. Of the move here, Autore
by Anita Duffin
says: “Macau is one of the gateways to China and we saw an
opportunity to embrace the Chinese market through its second
hrEE thousand years ago the Chinese called them door. This is part of our strategy to establish ourselves in this
‘The Queen of Gems’, Astrologers often link them to new and emerging market.’’
the moon and some believe they were formed by the At present, Autore distributes through Lane Crawford in
passage of angels through the clouds of heaven. Hong Kong and have recently begun supplying their store in
Whatever you want to believe, this natural formed beauty Beijing. This makes sense, as the Chinese have enjoyed a long
is so synonymous with purity that it is often hand-sewn into relationship with the pearl.
wedding gowns. “They are believed to be the first to culture blister pearls
We are of course referring to pearls. around 100BC using Buddha figures on the inside of pearl
oysters,’’ explained Autore.
love affair “Pearl production evolved during the same dynasty that
saw the Chinese invent printing, silk and porcelain. They be-
One man’s love affair with the lustrous gem resulted in lieved the pearl had mystical significance and important heal-
the world renowned Autore brand, one of the most successful ing powers and were probably the first culture to use pearls in
pearl producers in the world. medicine – a long standing tradition still used today”.
Rosario Autore acknowledges that a number of circum- Autore predominantly uses South Sea pearls which are
stances shaped his success. Key among them was the belief farmed in areas off northern Australia and Indonesia with a
investors had in a 25 year-old man with a passion, his ability to few farms in other areas of South East Asia.
build relationships with key distributors and intense marketing “Because South Sea pearls are cultivated for longer peri-
using what he calls ‘celebrity firepower’ that saw his jewelry ods, the layers of lustrous nacre built up over time are thicker
becoming first choice for Hollywood A-listers. and exhibit beauty marks bestowed by nature that characterise
“Over the past 17 years, my love affair with the pearl the pearls as individual creations and give them their rarity.
industry has grown. My infatuation with this industry was Every pearl is unique with its own character,’’ says Autore.
never derived from success but the passion for the pearl and He says that their collections are not only a result of
the industry itself,’’ said Autore. creativity, but an informed concept developed in conjunction
Teardrops
of the
Moon
december 2008
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