Pforzheim-based Heinz Nesper GmbH is one of the largest pearl importers in Europe in volume terms. Now under the leadership of the second generation Frank and Yana Nesper, the company was co-founded by Ilse and Heinz Nesper in 1970. Hong Kong Jewellery had a chat with the pearl-loving duo at the recently-concluded Basel fair over their massive plans in the last few years and the successful rendition of their retro-classic pearl jewellery.
Wholesaling loose pearls and pearl strands is the core business for Heinz Nesper since inception. According to Frank Nesper, the company exports some 800 kg of pearls to jewellers worldwide every year. “We are facing a very difficult time of supply now,” he said.
“We have a lack of harvest. Since the financial crises in 2008-09, prices of pearls went down too much, and farmers were reluctant to cultivate pearls. That explains for the insufficient supply we are facing, especially of the freshwater and akoya species,” he explained.
Nesper believes pearl prices already started to see a gradual and steady upward trend after encountering a dip for 10 years. Among the reasons for the sustained drop in price, according to him, is the lacklustre demand after the crisis.
The trip to Japan in 1992 confirmed Nesper’s authentic love to pearls. He spent six months at a farm owned by Tasaki, the biggest Japanese pearl cultivator at that time, to learn the entire process of pearl farming. The passion for pearls of the Japanese thrilled him. “I think it is only the love and emotion of pearls that determine success,” he said.
The loving of a pearl is sometimes speechless. “If you go according to generic pearl grading criteria, sometimes two pearls can be the same; but one of them can speak to you, while the other cannot,” he said.
In 2010 the company launched its own pearl jewellery brand Yana Nesper re-interpreting the code of wearing pearls: an expression of lifestyle embracing traditional values including high quality, good taste, respects and lifetime commitment. When speaking of her design style, Yana Nesper said: “Modern classic, retro, classical but not boring.”
Those were the days when pearls were only on mothers or grandmothers. “Yana Nesper combines classical value and a modern look. Pearls are for daily life, elegant and sporty. Even when you read a book at home, don’t be shy to wear pearls on,” said her husband Frank Nesper.
As a warranty of quality, each piece of Yana Nesper jewellery is set with a signature sapphire.
← Back