Poll: Please vote on your favorite Tahitian strand!

[SMC]

As you may have read from my other thread, I'm in the process of selecting a Tahitian strand for my grandmother. Jeremy sent me 3 options. He's been super helpful and I can't believe how much time he's spent on me given they're preparing for the upcoming shopping madness!

Here are my options (and I hope he doesn't mind me reposting these pictures):
1. Dark peacock. Graduated, from 8.5-12.4mm


2. Dark cherry. He described this strand as having a more even tone (which I like), ranges from 9-11.7 mm.


3. Very similar to the first strand but larger. Graduation ranges from 10-13.3 mm.


Please help me chose the strand! I want the most classic strand. The 3rd strand is most expensive but they're all within my budget.

I'm sort of drawn to the colors of the first one as it's darker and the colors of the pearls look more classic Tahitian, but am not sure about the graduated look. I'm pretty sure I want peacock overtones so the second strand is currently my least favorite. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions though. I'd be all over the 3rd strand due to size but it looks lighter and less well-matched than the other strands. So all the strands have their pros and cons, therefore would like PS members to weigh in!

Thank you so much for reading and voting!

 

[GemFever]

I voted for the first, because the colors seem more interesting to me. But a large part of that is personal preference, I guess.

 

[SMC]

I voted for the first, because the colors seem more interesting to me. But a large part of that is personal preference, I guess.

Thanks! I'm leaning towards the first one too. I like green more than the cherry of the 2nd strand.

 

[gregchang35]

Without reading your description, i went straight for 1. The more classical looking tahitian colour. After reading, it seems like 1 is the one.

What colour skin tone is your g'ma? What colours does she normally wear?

 

[SMC]

Without reading your description, i went straight for 1. The more classical looking tahitian colour. After reading, it seems like 1 is the one.

What colour skin tone is your g'ma? What colours does she normally wear?

She's Chinese so her skin tone is yellow. She normally wears a lot of dark colors (blacks, greys, and maroons). She will be wearing a dark pink to my wedding. I think all of the strands will do well.

Thanks for weighing in!

 

[YC]

It is between the first and second strand but all three are gorgeous. It boils down to which strand will look good on her. Do u have any peacock or cherry pearls? Maybe can try them against her skin and see how they look? Or does she prefer green or cherry colors for her clothes? That may sway you one way or the other. Even amongst Chinese, skin tones varies so very hard to tell.

 

[missy]

The first and third strand are my favorites. I think it will look beautiful on your grandmother's skin tone and those colors are rich and vibrant. The only question I have is would your grandmother prefer the largest size? I think the first strand is a great size but if you think she would like the largest size it might be worth getting the 3rd strand. But I definitely love the classic peacock colors-gorgeous! Also, did Jeremy say the 3rd strand was less matched colors or is that what you are seeing from the pics? I actually think a little lighter would be beautiful as you can really see the colors even better but I cannot tell on my computer screen that 3 is lighter than 1. For myself I would choose 3 because I would go larger-really makes a statement and I would prefer the lighter peacock color with it still being rich in color. Either way you cannot go wrong!

 

[HHPmom]

sortmon,

Even Chinese or Asian complexions vary. Can you get both strands #1 and #3 then let grandma decide? Very dark peacock and dark cherry #2 don't show well on me. I am fair (not talking about Caucasian fair) to fair-medium skin tone for Asian (neck and face, I've got farmer's tan on my arms). I've noticed that pearls with prominent overtones that look great on me have green in them. IMO it holds true (greens) for most olive complexion people. The ones with some greens like #3 pop better. I don't think # 3 is not well-matched. It would be better to see it on a bust to check the symmetry though. Some times a peacock strand looks better if the pearls are not all homogeneous. Having some green will pop the peacock rainbow more, even though it's not a multi-color strand. I hope you understand what I am trying to say.

 

[SMC]

It is between the first and second strand but all three are gorgeous. It boils down to which strand will look good on her. Do u have any peacock or cherry pearls? Maybe can try them against her skin and see how they look? Or does she prefer green or cherry colors for her clothes? That may sway you one way or the other. Even amongst Chinese, skin tones varies so very hard to tell.

This is my first experience with Tahitians. I'm pretty sure that green would look better on her though, as I prefer green on myself. Thanks for the advice!

The first and third strand are my favorites. I think it will look beautiful on your grandmother's skin tone and those colors are rich and vibrant. The only question I have is would your grandmother prefer the largest size? I think the first strand is a great size but if you think she would like the largest size it might be worth getting the 3rd strand. But I definitely love the classic peacock colors-gorgeous! Also, did Jeremy say the 3rd strand was less matched colors or is that what you are seeing from the pics? I actually think a little lighter would be beautiful as you can really see the colors even better but I cannot tell on my computer screen that 3 is lighter than 1. For myself I would choose 3 because I would go larger-really makes a statement and I would prefer the lighter peacock color with it still being rich in color. Either way you cannot go wrong!

Jeremy didn't say that this strand was less well-matched. I just felt that when I looked at the picture. I know that her's (and my) preference is for big pearls!

sortmon,

Even Chinese or Asian complexions vary. Can you get both strands #1 and #3 then let grandma decide? Very dark peacock and dark cherry #2 don't show well on me. I am fair (not talking about Caucasian fair) to fair-medium skin tone for Asian (neck and face, I've got farmer's tan on my arms). I've noticed that pearls with prominent overtones that look great on me have green in them. IMO it holds true (greens) for most olive complexion people. The ones with some greens like #3 pop better. I don't think # 3 is not well-matched. It would be better to see it on a bust to check the symmetry though. Some times a peacock strand looks better if the pearls are not all homogeneous. Having some green will pop the peacock rainbow more, even though it's not a multi-color strand. I hope you understand what I am trying to say.

Unfortunately, my grandmother is not in the US. I could get both, but I would feel bad tying up Jeremy's inventory when I'm really only going to keep one! The idea of seeing it on a bust is a great one - I'm going to see if Jeremy would be able to provide me with some photos of the two strands that way (and side by side as well).

I personally wear a lot of olive (green is my favorite color) so I may be a bit biased when it comes to choosing overtones. I didn't immediately like the cherry but I wanted to keep an open mind. It's really between #1 and #3 to me at this point though.

Thank you all for weighing in! Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[HHPmom]

Ask PP to have them photographed on grey or off-white busts, not bright white. That way you can partially judge how they will look on grandma. Tahitian pearls look great on white background but we don't wear them on white blouses all the time.

 

[SMC]

Ask PP to have them photographed on grey or off-white busts, not bright white. That way you can partially judge how they will look on grandma. Tahitian pearls look great on white background but we don't wear them on white blouses all the time.

Thanks! I'm waiting on Jeremy to send me pictures. I noticed that a bunch of new Tahitians just got posted to their site today too! I've been looking through them but its so hard to judge what they'll look like IRL.

Also, why are all the Tahitian strands graduated? Is that the normal look for Tahitians?

 

[SMC]

Here's a picture of #1 and #3 side by side. Thoughts? At this point I'm leaning towards the bigger look but I'll need to think about it some more.

 

[4Ranch Girl]

Go for the size rather than color in this case. That is my 2 cents.

 

[gregchang35]

The graduated ones is my pick....
classical and i think that is the first one correct?


Does she wear open neck shirts or have necklines that will show these gorgeous pearls off?
Nice dilemma....

 

[SMC]

Go for the size rather than color in this case. That is my 2 cents.

Thanks! I am leaning that way. It's more money, but I might regret not getting the bigger one down the road.

The graduated ones is my pick....
classical and i think that is the first one correct?


Does she wear open neck shirts or have necklines that will show these gorgeous pearls off?
Nice dilemma....

Haha, no! She's almost 90. There is very little skin revealed. I do think that she'll wear the pearls over turtlenecks though!
(And yes, the strand on the left is #1 and the strand on the right is #3.)

 

[YC]

I am more drawn to the colors of the smaller strand, may be there is a greater range of colors on that strand. However, the size of the larger strand has more visual impact esp on an elderly person. And the colors on the larger strand appears more well matched.
Is there any difference in the luster between the two?
My concern is that both stands look very dark in the last photo and I wonder if the colors and overtones will be obvious in natural light. Is Jeremy able to advise which strand is the nicer one?

 

[katbran]

#3 certainly makes a statement. It's a bit hard to get a feel for the colours from the photos..they are quite dark. They all look really lovely and I'm sure your grandmother is going to be thrilled! If you are in the states then have him send both to you so you can see them irl.

 

[NacreLover]

You girls crack me up.

 

[HHPmom]

I don't intend to complicate the matter further, just trying to help here. The most recent picture seems dark. If she only wears higher necklines of mostly black, grey and maroon the colors will blend in with the dark background. Have you seen strand TAN10-1488? It is not large though, 8-10mm dark body w/ green & peacock overtone. Not too light but has some green pearls to pop on darker clothing.

 

[LitGeek]

I think her size will matter most in the strand you choose. If she is thin and petite I would go for strand 1 and if not I would go for strand 3. Also her personality will factor in...if she is more conservative I would definitely go with strand 1. Your gran is going to absolutely love this gift

 

[dk168]

Based on the 3 available options, I voted for the first one.

DK

 

[SMC]

I am more drawn to the colors of the smaller strand, may be there is a greater range of colors on that strand. However, the size of the larger strand has more visual impact esp on an elderly person. And the colors on the larger strand appears more well matched.
Is there any difference in the luster between the two?
My concern is that both stands look very dark in the last photo and I wonder if the colors and overtones will be obvious in natural light. Is Jeremy able to advise which strand is the nicer one?

Jeremy says that the first strand with the smaller pearls has a better color. However, the larger pearls have a better visual impact. I'm leaning towards the larger strand but it seems to have disappeared from their site and it might have sold!

#3 certainly makes a statement. It's a bit hard to get a feel for the colours from the photos..they are quite dark. They all look really lovely and I'm sure your grandmother is going to be thrilled! If you are in the states then have him send both to you so you can see them irl.

I am in the States. I think I'm just going to choose one though (the biggest one I can afford). She'll definitely like either.

I don't intend to complicate the matter further, just trying to help here. The most recent picture seems dark. If she only wears higher necklines of mostly black, grey and maroon the colors will blend in with the dark background. Have you seen strand TAN10-1488? It is not large though, 8-10mm dark body w/ green & peacock overtone. Not too light but has some green pearls to pop on darker clothing.

Thanks for the suggestion! That is a nice strand, but I think that I want to go bigger, if possible. I do admire the pearl quality of this strand though. I'm also considering this newly-listed strand too. It's not as dark, but the pearl quality is all AAA (versus the AA+/AAA of the other strands). What do you think?
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3236-18-inch-aaa-105-128-mm-tahitian-round-pearl-necklace.aspx

I think her size will matter most in the strand you choose. If she is thin and petite I would go for strand 1 and if not I would go for strand 3. Also her personality will factor in...if she is more conservative I would definitely go with strand 1. Your gran is going to absolutely love this gift

She is a petite woman (under 5') but I think that she'd admire the larger pearls.

Based on the 3 available options, I voted for the first one.

DK

Thanks for the vote!

 

[HHPmom]

Thanks for the suggestion! That is a nice strand, but I think that I want to go bigger, if possible. I do admire the pearl quality of this strand though. I'm also considering this newly-listed strand too. It's not as dark, but the pearl quality is all AAA (versus the AA+/AAA of the other strands). What do you think?
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3236-18-inch-aaa-105-128-mm-tahitian-round-pearl-necklace.aspx

I think it's a very pretty strand that has beautiful color and surface that is not too dark. You can't beat PP's AAA Tahitian pearls. Good price for that price range.

 

[SMC]

Thanks for the suggestion! That is a nice strand, but I think that I want to go bigger, if possible. I do admire the pearl quality of this strand though. I'm also considering this newly-listed strand too. It's not as dark, but the pearl quality is all AAA (versus the AA+/AAA of the other strands). What do you think?
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3236-18-inch-aaa-105-128-mm-tahitian-round-pearl-necklace.aspx

I think it's a very pretty strand that has beautiful color and surface that is not too dark. You can't beat PP's AAA Tahitian pearls. Good price for that price range.

Thanks for the advice! I think I may get this strand if my original larger strand ends up not being available. I asked Jeremy about it too, and am waiting to hear his response.

 

[mynattk]

The first one has the best colors in my opinion. They are a good size, too!

 

[SMC]

Thanks for the suggestion! That is a nice strand, but I think that I want to go bigger, if possible. I do admire the pearl quality of this strand though. I'm also considering this newly-listed strand too. It's not as dark, but the pearl quality is all AAA (versus the AA+/AAA of the other strands). What do you think?
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3236-18-inch-aaa-105-128-mm-tahitian-round-pearl-necklace.aspx

I think it's a very pretty strand that has beautiful color and surface that is not too dark. You can't beat PP's AAA Tahitian pearls. Good price for that price range.

Thanks for the advice! I think I may get this strand if my original larger strand ends up not being available. I asked Jeremy about it too, and am waiting to hear his response.

Jeremy checked out the AAA strand for me and he said that the color was not as nice as the large strand. I've decided to trust his opinion and get the large strand. I'm going to get it with a matte yellow gold clasp as my grandmother likes yellow gold. I'm also going to spring for matching studs. Should I get the 10mm-11mm studs or do you think that they will be too large?

The first one has the best colors in my opinion. They are a good size, too!

Thanks, but I decided to go for size. The color is lovely, but I know that my grandmother would want the larger pearls.

 

[HHPmom]

Sometimes colors don't show up well due to the individual PC monitor settings. The pearls are in front of him and he has great eye for pearls. It's good to trust his opinion. 10mm is approximately the size of a human eye for reference. That would be compatible with the necklace Jeremy recommended. Make sure your grandmother's earlobe is large enough to accommodate that size. 10mm may cause drooping so a clear disk between the back of the ear and earring nuts will help stabilize the studs.

 

[SMC]

Sometimes colors don't show up well due to the individual PC monitor settings. The pearls are in front of him and he has great eye for pearls. It's good to trust his opinion. 10mm is approximately the size of a human eye for reference. That would be compatible with the necklace Jeremy recommended. Make sure your grandmother's earlobe is large enough to accommodate that size. 10mm may cause drooping so a clear disk between the back of the ear and earring nuts will help stabilize the studs.

Thanks for your help with the process! What do you think of a yellow gold clasp? I think my grandmother's ears are quite large (she's old and I've heard that your ears never sop growing so I think that they'll be able to accommodate the larger size pearls. Good idea about the disks though!

 

[HHPmom]

I would choose the ball laser or matte finish clasp as scratches don't show on those compared to the polished ones. You'll be pleased with what Jeremy picked.

 

[pkinnew]

Well I'm a little late for the game but I think you received excellent advice on your choices and I know your grandmother is going to be thrilled with the pearls you selected! And the matching 10mm earrings will just be the icing on the cake!! She is blessed to have you as a grandchild!