Pearl claims were incorrect

I agree with the belief that "A strong community needs good communication" as stated on the website for Central Coast Newspapers.

As a Peninsula resident and self-employed jeweller who has paid to advertise my handmade jewellery featuring Broken Bay Pearls in both Peninsula News and Coast Community News, I was disappointed to read the press release regarding Broken Bay Pearls published in edition 446 of the Peninsula News.

The information contained in the article was incorrect on several key points and is contradictory to previously published articles over many years by your papers.

In February this year, Peninsula News published a press release that correctly reported that Broken Bay Pearls have been grown and harvested locally since around 1999.

My relationship with Broken Bay Pearls has grown since I first became a retailer and attended the pearl harvest in 2014.

Since that time I have participated in annual seeding and harvest, most recently being trained by Broken Bay Pearls founder, Rose Crisp, in February this year, to become a Pearl Technician.

The claim in your paper (edition 446) that "the very first harvest" is occurring this year, attributed to Peninsula Chamber of Commerce president, Matthew Wales, is completely false.

A further statement that leads the reader to believe a new retailer has exclusive rights to Broken Bay Pearls is also incorrect.

The Central Coast is home to several jewellers who are retailers of Broken Bay Pearls, listed on their website and evident across social media.

While AngelRock Jewellers did enjoy a period of regional exclusivity for several years when my jewellery boutique was open in Ettalong, there is no longer an exclusive stockist on the Central Coast.

Rather, there are several retailers who each promote our region's locally grown akoya pearls.

The article included the Chamber's "hope" that our local pearl farm "will create a world class pearl".

Research by scientist Laura Otter, from Macquarie University, published by Gems and Gemology Magazine Journal of the Gemological Institute of America, describes several ways in which the Broken Bay akoya pearls are in fact superior to akoya pearls farmed overseas.

This research was the subject of a Peninsula News article mentioned above on February 12.

AngelRock Jewellers was personally invited to join the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce in 2015 and 2016, when a committee member visited my retail shop in Ettalong and was eager to have me join the Chamber.

Unfortunately my diagnosis of blood cancer forced the closure of my retail shop, and prevented me from joining the Chamber at that time.

The Chamber committee have shown interest in Broken Bay Pearls for several years, our local pearls are a fabulous jewel in the crown of the Central Coast region.

Over the June long weekend I held a Pop-Up Shop in Ettalong Diggers Visitors Centre.

Over the two days of this event I was constantly asked about the article published in Peninsula News the week before, and many readers of your paper believed the incorrect statements to be true, which was damaging to my business and to my professional reputation.

Misinformation in the press release has called into question the authenticity of the pearls I have sold since 2014, many of which I have personally harvested at the Broken Bay Pearl Farm.

Several clients have phoned me to question both the origin of Broken Bay Pearls I have sold in past years and whether I will continue to have access to the local akoya pearls.

AngelRock Jewellers continues to sell Broken Bay Pearls, as advertised in your papers in recent editions.

I ask you to turn your attention to the mission of your paper: to strengthen the community through good communication.

I hope to see a full retraction by Peninsula News and the Chamber of Commerce, both of which had previous knowledge that the claims made in the press release regarding Broken Bay Pearls were incorrect.

I am fortunate that my relationship with Broken Bay Pearls is well documented through photographs and supported by other published media articles and videos, as trust and integrity are paramount when it comes to jewellery.

While the press release of June 4 was no doubt published in good faith, it contained incorrect information.

I hope to see both Peninsula News and the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce address the inaccuracies.

Thank you for your support. Email, 14 Jun 2018 Celeste Boonaerts, Woy Woy

Editor's comment: Peninsula News accepts the facts as stated by Ms Boonaerts.