Today we’d like to introduce you to Abraham Reyes.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been a collector since I was a child, it started out as a hobby. At the age of seven, I began collecting things that were interesting to me like seashells, rocks, and minerals to traditional collectibles such as coins, stamps, and pogs. I remembered when I was nine years old my family, and I went on a trip to Houston, Texas at the Houston Space Station.
Before leaving, I went to the souvenir shop and picked up a few semi-precious stones that they would sell in organized piles – that really describes who I am as a collector. As I got older, my interested matured and shifted to fashion, arts, and antiquities following the footsteps of my Aunt who is a major collector in the Philippines. My aunt fully fueled my passion by teaching me everything that she knows.
I learned about the rich history and learned that each object tells a story and is an evidence of the past. The opportunity of owning allows you to really study and know the object. Not only does it give you personal experience but it gives knowledge that cannot be found anywhere else.
HOW DID YOU AQUIRE THE PEARL?
The provenance started with my grandfather who resides in the Southern Island of Camiguin in the Philippines. He gave it to my great Aunt in Manila who has a prolific collection of oriental art and pre-colonial antiques. She also has a vast collection of shells and carapace. At that time, these types of giant shells in which the pearl was born in were abundant.
It was used in baptismal baths in churches and was commonly seen in gardens. Not many are knowledgeable about this type of pearl growth that occurred within shells since this type of calm very rarely produces pearls. It was then passed on to me by my great Aunt. She has bequeathed it to me along with other collections of antiques.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely there were! When I began to collect more seriously, and I was new to a particular subject I was collecting. I encounter obstacles along the way — a lot of financial losses.
To collect is to invest and if you bought something you don’t know the authenticity and provenance without an expert to check you have a chance to lose. That’s why I choose to collect a subject that I truly like and have a passion for. But it’s part of a journey of a collector you will win some, and you will lose some till you become self-trained.
Collecting is not only a hobby, there is a complex side of it not only collecting what you like but being knowledgeable about it, to the point that you yourself becomes an expert and curator of your collection and the specific subject.
“When we talk about true rarity, let’s talk about Natural Pearl’s. A treasure only nature can give. Be found only by luck.” – Abraham Reyes
Please tell us about The Giga Pearl.
-The Giga Pearl Largest Authenticated Certified Pearl, Natural Blister in the World.
-Certified by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) the foremost authority gem lab in the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.thegigapearl.com
- Email: [email protected], addnan.hassoun@thegigapearl.
com
Image Credit:
Abraham Reyes
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