Freshwater Pearl Help!

[Redwing39204]

Good afternoon all,

I am in the process of purchasing a pearl strand and earrings for my wife and wanted to thank everyone for the information and opinions I learned from the forum here. Based on that information and some vendor photos I selected a strand of 7.5-8mm freshwater pearls and studs from a well-regarded vendor here in their top gem-grade.

They are a nice white silver color which I requested and seem to have nice luster to my untrained eye. However, they pearls themselves don’t appear as round or uniform in size as I expected from the description of the grade. Where the sizes vary they don’t seem to be in any progressive size order. This all may just be my ignorance but I wanted to seek any opinions more experienced pearl shoppers are willing to provide to ensure I get her the best I am able. I am also an engineer by training so my assessment of roundness may be too picky for a naturally created product!

I apologize for the photos. They look much nicer than this in person but I wanted to use the dark background to highlight the shapes/sizes.

I appreciate any thoughts you can provide. Thank you.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Gem grade may vary from one vendor to another. My Freshadamas from Pearl Paradise are pretty uniform and round compared to these ones. I think you could do better!

 

[Redwing39204]

Gem grade may vary from one vendor to another. My Freshadamas from Pearl Paradise are pretty uniform and round compared to these ones. I think you could do better!

Thank you Snowdrop13.

 

[katbran]

You can do better but I suggest that you contact them and tell them you want round and high lustre. Ask for a photo.

 

[yssie]

Agree. Those pearls could be better graduated. It’s not an eyesore, but they could be better.

If returning is easy and inexpensive for you, I would ditto sending them back and asking the vendor to find some alternative options. They’ll be happy to look them over and send you a few photos to review before shipping out to you, as katbran said.

 

[Redwing39204]

Thank you all for your feedback. The vendor has provided exceptional customer service and did provide photos upfront of a couple of high lustre strands. I did not post the photos so as not to unfairly tag the vendor (I didn’t know if my expectations were reasonable). but they do look quite nice as far as color and shininess! I have to admit that in the well lighted photos I was not able to resolve the shapes and matching quite as much due to the lustre. I selected the whiter strand as the other was distinctly rose toned.

They have offered to find something else that might be better but it sounds like that would be moving away from freshwater as they have limited stock. I was hoping for something that my wife would wear for everyday and the durability of freshwater was appealing. Is there another option that would be suitable for a busy mom with 2 kids?

Thank you again!

 

[pearlsngems]

Have you considered getting baroque freshwater pearls instead of round? Baroque freshwaters are the most common pearls so there should be no difficulty with supply.

 

[Redwing39204]

Have you considered getting baroque freshwater pearls instead of round? Baroque freshwaters are the most common pearls so there should be no difficulty with supply.

Thanks pearlsngems. I really prefer the look of the rounder pearls so I hadn’t considered a baroque strand. The strand I received does look nice overall, but after paying extra for the top grade I wanted to ensure I was getting what I should have.

 

[dk168]

Another idea - baroque Akoyas!

Takahashi posted some gorgeous natural grey ones recently, and I was very tempted!!!

DK

 

[Redwing39204]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I would like to stick with a more traditional round(ish) strand for this purchase, but some of the baroque strands are very lovely.

I am trying a second vendor to be able to increase my sample size from one. I’m glad to know that my current is not a trainwreck at least and I can always supplement with another strand in the future.

 

[yssie]

What is your budget for this project @Redwing39204?

Akoya do have thinner nacre, because they're nucleated, but the nacre thickness on nice akoya will be at least 0.4mm. Akoya are going to be very round and very lustrous - even the best freshwaters can't compete with nice akoya.

Does your wife wish to wear these pearls every day? All pearls will sustain damage with constant daily use, but a necklace sees much less trauma than a bracelet or a ring.

Edit: Don't worry about naming vendors. This is a consumer forum, not a vendor protection forum - we're here to help consumers choose between vendors and pieces. Just post all the information you get, that will enable us to better help you choose.

 

[Redwing39204]

What is your budget for this project @Redwing39204?

Akoya do have thinner nacre, because they're nucleated, but the nacre thickness on nice akoya will be at least 0.4mm. Akoya are going to be very round and very lustrous - even the best freshwaters can't compete with nice akoya.

Does your wife wish to wear these pearls every day? All pearls will sustain damage with constant daily use, but a necklace sees much less trauma than a bracelet or a ring.

Edit: Don't worry about naming vendors. This is a consumer forum, not a vendor protection forum - we're here to help consumers choose between vendors and pieces. Just post all the information you get, that will enable us to better help you choose.

Thanks yssie! I was hoping to stay under $1000 though I have some flexibility, though I don’t know that that will allow Akoya. Thanks for the education on the Akoya nacre as well. I don’t expect her to actually wear them daily and understand that anything used enough will wear out, but I was trying to find something classic that was not too formal and could be worn regularly along with the bumps and bruises that daily life can bring.

She tends to be someone who likes having a few nice go-to pieces of jewelry that she tends to wear frequently vs a large variety. That was one of the things that led me to a pearl necklace in the first place. I saw some of the beautiful freshwater strands here and combined with the potential durability as well as price I focused on freshwater. In particular, the Freshadamas seemed well regarded and that is the strand I purchased and posted.

 

[yssie]

I think many of us recognized the little tag Pearl Paradise used by the clasp


7.5-8mm akoya will be doable in your price range but not from US-based vendors. Smaller akoya will be doable in your price range from US-based vendors.

Akoya quality for price from international vendors will be higher, but buying from international vendors usually means bank wire and no returns. Depends on your priorities and your risk tolerance.

This, for example, is within budget. Perhaps have them compare this strand to a Freshadama piece and see what you think?

6.5-9.5 mm Akoya Graduated Pearl Necklace

From our Vault Summer Sale Collection, this necklace was designed in-house using one-of-a-kind pearls. Limited quantity available, once they're gone, they're gone! Product Details:- 6.5-9.5 mm AA+/AAA Akoya Pearls- 14K White Gold 7 mm Ball clasp, necklace measures approximately 18 inches in...

www.pearlparadise.com

How did you decide on 7.5-8? Do you think your wife would have any interest in smaller but more round+lustrous pearls? Or would she prefer larger and be willing to sacrifice a little on shape and luster? No wrong answer.


Okay. So that’s all of the objective stuff I wanted to say. Now here’s my personal opinion based on what you’ve said.

Your wife is the type of person to prefer one or two higher quality pieces. That makes me lean toward akoya, nice akoya glow. Metallic little glow balls. They’ll knock your - and her - socks off. And in terms of durability… Well, I just don’t think that’s a reason to choose FW over akoya. Yes, FW will withstand more of a beating, but necklaces don’t typically take that much abuse, and I think the enjoyment she’ll get from having slightly more delicate but visibly more glowy pearls will outweigh small durability gains. Jewellery is intended to be a feast for the eyes, after all.

Trick is to find “nice akoya”. Mediocre akoya can be pretty meh. But the nice strands cost a fortune from US based vendors… Luster is the most prized quality factor in akoya pearls, so it’s also the most expensive quality factor.

If you’re comfortable buying from a Japan-based vendor, you can find beautiful akoya at can’t-be-matched-in-the-US prices. But again, probably wire transfer (PayPal might be an option in this cost range?), definitely no returns. You can search this forum for Takahashi and find lots of PS experiences. Takahashi is a hundred year old supplier that opened direct to consumer sales in 2020. If this is something you’d like to consider we can walk you through the buying process.

If you’re not comfortable buying internationally, which by the way is a very reasonable way to feel, then get Pearl Paradise to compare that strand I linked earlier to some white Freshadama strands or bracelets if they have any, and if that doesn’t pan out then stick with FW. Mediocre akoya are the worst of both worlds, unexciting to look at and less durable.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Also, please check that she would like a full strand of pearls. They are a very “classic” choice, and that’s where many people start with pearls, including me. I find that I just don’t wear them, however. I’ve had a lot more fun, and better cost-per-wear with my pearl pendants (south sea and Tahitian and bead nuked freshwaters) and akoya studs than them.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Redwing39204 is this gift going to be a surprise ?