{"product_id":"tears-of-mermaids-the-secret-story-of-pearls-9780312363260","title":"Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor Tears of Mermaids  Stephen G. Bloom traveled 30 000 miles to trace a single pearlfrom the moment a diver off the coast of Australia scoops from the ocean floor an oyster containing a single luminescent pearl to the instant a woman on the other side of the world fastens the clasp of a strand containing the same orb. Bloom chronicles the never-before-told saga of the global pearl trade by gaining access to clandestine outposts in Japan  China  the Philippines  French Polynesia and Australia. Bloom infiltrates high-tech pearl farms and processing facilities guarded by gun-toting sentries  and insinuates himself into the lives of powerful international pearl lords. Bloom farms for pearls in rural China  goes behind scenes at million-dollar auctions in Hong Kong  trails pearl brokers and Internet entrepreneurs in Asia  hires himself out as a deckhand on an Australian pearling vessel  and goes backstage at Christies for a fast and furious auction of the most expensive pearl ever sold. Teeming with rogue humor and uncanny intelligence  Tears of Mermaids weaves a nonstop detective story of the worlds most enduring gem.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648179462197,"sku":"ByrdShop_0312363265","price":27.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780312363260.jpg?v=1781711918","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/tears-of-mermaids-the-secret-story-of-pearls-9780312363260","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}