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Richelieu Inc. was a cultured pearl manufacturer in New York City which formed in January 1933. The business was incorporated through the merger of Heller-Deltah Company and Joseph H. Meyer Brothers. The former firm made Deltah, La Tausca, and Bluebird pearls. The latter produced Richelieu pearls. Richelieu Inc., had its offices at 8 West 30th Street in Manhattan. The original company was founded by Joseph H. Meyer & Brothers in Brooklyn, in 1911. Richelieu pearls were popular as an affordable alternative for consumers who were looking for inexpensive yet attractive jewels.
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Manufacturing process
Richelieu pearls were made by Japanese who placed bits of mother of pearl in oysters. The oysters covered the bits of pearl with layers of nacre. The pearls grew to maturity within five to eight years. The pearls are perfect on one side, the lower side being coated with mother of pearl. Their cost was about one tenth the cost of genuine pearls. Richelieu pearls were made by coating an iridescent foundation with a substance obtained from a fish which lived in European rivers. Many coatings were necessary before the jewel was completed.