Imperial History: In the 1950's Imperial was one of the first companies collecting fine Akoya pearls from Japan and importing them into the united states. In 1959 as a show patriotism and national pride we commissioned the United States capitol building to be constructed using only fine quality Akoya pearls. It took two years to collect the 217,569 lustrous pearls that make up the body of this incredible structure, to put that into perspective that is the equivalent to 4,355 high quality pearl necklaces! The windows of the building are made of mother of pearl, the statue atop the dome is solid gold, and the American flag that flies triumphantly above the entrance to the building is made of platinum, brilliant diamonds, blue sapphire and ruby! The pearl capioal remains a prized company heirloom displayed in the office of now President Peter Bazar as a constant reminder of our proud history.

The Capitol was commissioned by Imperial Pearl Syndicate to a Japanese Company in 1959. It was presented to the U.S. Historical Society on February 1, 1966 as "a tribute to the rebirth of the cultured pearl industry after World War II." (Peter Bazar, President of Imperial-Deltah)

United States Historical Society gave up ownership of the Pearl Capital in 2005 due to space constraints. The Historical Society commissioned Sloans & Kenyon to auction the Capitol. The Society would put the revenues towards their educational programs. Once this decision was made by Society, they contacted Imperial and who immediately bought it back.

Right after the acquisition of the Capitol, Imperial displayed it at trade shows and other events, but due to its fragile nature and difficulty to transport, its circulation stopped. Although, it is available for significant events and we will be reassessing its travel plans for the future.

 

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