Last week, CIBJO's Pearl Commission released its 2008 Pearl Commission Report to be read at the CIBJO 2008 Congress on April 14-16 at the Grossvenor House hotel in Dubai, UEA. The Commission is headed by Martin Coeroli (president) from French Polynesia and Shigeru Akamatsu (vice president) from Japan.%%As stated in the press release, the Pearl Steering Committee has identified three main topics of discussions at the 2008 CIBJO Congress in Dubai, which include:[The disclosure of traditional or modern luster enhancement;][The restriction of the nature and type of beads used for cultured pearls to nacreous material only; and][A solution to the issue of nacre thickness, which affects the durability of pearls cultured in seawater.]%%In the wake that the demand for official reports on (natural) pearls and cultured pearls is constantly on the rise, the Pearl Steering Committee is thoroughly investigating new developments in the pearl and cultured pearl industry. Such reports inform on the origin of the pearls and their specific gemological characteristics.