freshwater vs akoya pearls?

[familynurse]

I would like to buy a pearl necklace for my daughter-in-law and have been looking at Pearl Paradise. There is a big difference in price between akoya and freshwater pearls. Can most people tell the difference between a necklace of high quality freshwater pearls from an akoya pearl necklace? I don't want to get her something that will look cheap but don't want to settle for a low quality akoya strand. I would appreciate any opinions or suggestions.

 

[baby monster]

IMHO, most people can't tell the difference between glass beads and real pearls let alone differentiate among various kinds of real pearls. My personal preference is for fw because they have interesting shapes and surfaces. Akoyas are very perfect looking. If perfect round with mirror shine is the look you're going, choose akoya.

 

[bsomlo]

familynurse -- what a nice mother-in-law you are!

If you are looking for a strand of white round pearls for your daughter-in-law, you have the following options:

a) akoya -- which are bead nucleated pearls that are most round and lustrous BUT they are beads with nacre covering them so make sure to buy from a reputable vendor (PP is great) because short-grown akoya have very thin nacre that wears off. Hanadama is the highest quality akoya and is lab certified.

b) Chinese freshwater pearls -- these are not quite as lustrous or round as akoya BUT they are tissue nucleated and are pure nacre through and through (won't wear out). You can buy AA+, AAA, or "freshadama" which is PP's highest quality freshwater pearls. You can choose ivory, pink/rose, or silver overtones to the white pearls.

c) Chinese metallic freshwater pearls -- these have fabulous metallic mirror-like surfaces and are pure nacre BUT they are off-round which bothers some people and not others. The off-roundness is mostly unnoticeable on the neck.

d) White South Sea -- super expensive if you want round.

e) White Edison bead nucleated -- super expensive if you want round, and I don't even know if a white full strand exists or is easy to find -- people tend to buy one Edison pearl for a pendant or ring, or two for earrings, or mixed colors for a strand/necklace.

I own options a, b and c and love all three. I am more careful with my akoya and carefree with my CFW. I like that the "regular" CFW are quite round and I adore the luster of the off-round metallics.

By the way, you may want to consider buying matching earring studs (or having two pearls removed from the strand to make stud or dangle earrings) so that the whites match. It may be very difficult to match the exact white for earrings later. You won't believe how many "whites" there are!

Have fun and keep us posted. We love to follow along on pearl-buying journeys!

 

[dk168]

IMHO, gem quality cultured freshwater pearls offer excellent value for money when compared with Akoyas, and one cannot go wrong with PP's Freshadama line of top quality CFWPs.

For the untrained eyes, one is unlikely to be able to distinguish between Freshadamas and Akoya, and the former is a fraction of the price of the latter.

I went into Mikimoto's store in London about 3 years ago, and placed my Gem Fresh (the gem quality line of the The Pearl Outlet's CFWPs a few years back) next to one of their Akoya strands, and I preferred mine which cost thousands less!

I had a double strand of 8-9mm Freshadamas and they were beautiful, sold them after wearing the necklace once for a funeral (Jeremy himself rushed the order for me so that I could wear it for the occasion), and could not wear them again due to the sad memories associated with it.

I am hoping to be able to replace the necklace with a double strand of 7-8mm metallic Freshadamas, and am prepared to wait for the privilege (metallic Freshadamas are quite rare).

OP, go for Freshadamas, your DIL will love them as well as your very generous gesture and gift.

DK

 

[pearlsngems]

The highest quality freshwater strands are made up from earring-grade freshwater pearls. These are the best pearls that would not normally be strung for necklaces. They are so close to round as to appear fully round, and their surface quality is excellent. PP calls their line "Freshadama" and other vendors have their own names for the same sort of pearls.

They will look stunning, be affordable, and they can be worn every day if your DIL wishes. There is no bead to wear through, ever. Most people will not know the difference between these and akoyas.

 

[familynurse]

Thank you all for the great responses and feedback.
Baby Monster- I too think that unless you are really into pearls most people cannot tell the difference between real and glass. Good to know that others thing the same thing.

bsomlo- what a great synopsis - it should be required reading for anyone looking for pearls. Loved your descriptions.

dk168 - Thanks for the great feedback about your pearl comparisons.

Pearlsngems- Another vote for freshadama

I had thought about buying a strand of AAA freshwater pearls from Pearl Paradise. Do you think there is a big difference between them and the freshdamas? I will go back and price them. Thanks again for taking the time to reply

 

[pearlsngems]

I do think the Freshadamas are nicer, yes.

But why don't you ask PP to email you a side-by-side photo of a AAA strand and a Freshadama strand? Then you can decide for yourself.

 

[bsomlo]

familynurse -- I don't own "freshadamas" from PP but I do own the following AAA CFW and am more than satisfied with the quality -- all from PP:

a) AAA white (with silver/rose overtone) CFW:



b) AAA lavender CFW:



c) AAA multi-color CFW:



d) White metallic CFW in three sizes:



Keep us posted!

 

[dk168]

As far as I am aware, Freshadamas have less variation in roundness compared with AAAs.

When metallics first burst onto the scene a few years ago, I remember Jeremy at PP commented about not being able to offer them as Freshadamas as the ones available at the time were less uniform in shape to qualify as Freshadamas.

However, quality of metallics have improved since then, and metallic Freshadamas are available from time to time.

I have put myself down on their waiting list for a double strand of white metallic Freshadamas in 7-8mm, hopefully, they'll be able to find some in the future.

DK

 

[katbran]

I agree with what was said earlier...most people can't tell the difference between Akoya and Freshwater. Most people don't even know the difference between average pearls and good pearls.

If you want to get good pearls then decide how much you are happy to spend and buy the largest Freshadama strand that fits the budget. Chances are the the Akoya strand will get ridiculously expensive in the larger sizes. That is the only reason I don't recommend them, they are really beautiful but are quite pricey and the nacre thickness can be an issue over a period of years. The Freshadamas will be a 'heritage' strand that can be passed down without concern.

If possible I would go for a minimum or 8mm .

It's a beautiful present, I'm sure she will be thrilled. Terribly thoughtful of you !

 

[missy]

Great gift and I agree with those who recommend getting the biggest PP Freshadama you can with your budget. You cannot go wrong with them. They have high lustre and are beautifully round and quality pearls. I bought a strand for my mother and also freshadama earrings and she loves them. Her jeweler friend was amazed at their quality. Well worth the price IMO.

 

[LitGeek]

I also would say get the largest Freshadama you can afford. I have and love my 9-9.5mm Freshadama strand from PP, for me it is the perfect size!



I wear this strand with white South Sea, akoya, and freshwater earrings and all of them look lovely with it.

 

[familynurse]

I want to thank every one that responded to my question. I love all the pictures that were posted of your beautiful pearls!! While I would love to buy her the 9mm freshadamas, that is a little more than I wanted to spend. When I first posted I was looking at PP summer sale items. Specifically -
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3840-double-strand-white-freshwater-pearl-necklace.aspx . However the yellow gold clasp is bothersome since DIL likes white metals.
Or I could buy the freshadama 7.5-8 single strand-- http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-135-7465458460-mm-white-freshadama-freshwater-pearl-necklace.aspx...
Do the freshadama every go on sale?

 

[pearlsngems]

There is a "pearl points" program that gives you a discount based on how much you spend on a purchase:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/t-PointsProgram.aspx

Generally I don't recall the Freshadama line going on sale, although various items may appear at a given sale. However, if you sign up for emails, then when they have their next sale you may get 15% off whatever you buy.

 

[bsomlo]

familynurse, I was also looked at that double! I think it would be beautiful. You could ask PP if they could change the clasp for you. Maybe there would be a small charge, but still worth it. I love that necklace!

Keep us posted.

 

[LitGeek]

I would definitely get the double strand! I have a double strand of white freshwaters and I wear them often. That is a fantastic price! As bsomlo said, I am sure PP would change out the clasp for you. If not, the single Freshadama strand you are looking at is very lovely, a true classic!

 

[familynurse]

I cannot thank you all enough!!!! I went ahead and bought the double strand. PP chat line was open and Jeremy Shephard said they would be able to exchange the clasp! I am thrilled and very very impressed with PP's customer service. He said they usually are not open Sun but that they were trying to "catch up". Since DIL lives in another state it will probably be awhile before I get neck shots. Again thank you all for taking the time to reply and show me your beautiful pearls. I learned so much from all of you.

 

[bsomlo]

Wonderful choice! PP is known for their customer service. Chatting with the company owner on a Sunday of a holiday weekend says it all.

Please post neck shots when you get them from your DIL!

 

[ltlmsmfft]

I love PP! I hope your DIL loves the pearls. They really do have the best customer service.

 

[Kay]

I think you made a lovely choice. A double strand of pearls of that diameter should be beautiful.

 

[pkinnew]

familynurse - What excellent advice you received! I think the double strand you selected is a perfect choice and I'm sure she'll be thrilled with the pearls but more importantly how thoughtful you are!

 

[familynurse]

I wanted to update everyone that helped me to select the pearls for my DIL. The double strand arrived with the white gold clasp ( PP did not charge any additional fee to change it) and they were beautiful!! I took them to work to get other opinions and had one of my co-workers( she is the same size and age as DIL) try them on so that I could see how they looked. They looked even better on co worker than they did in the box.
The pearls were sent to DIL via the Post Office. Thankfully I had them insured because they went missing for a few days but were finally found and delivered yesterday.
DIL was thrilled. She called to say she had tried them on several times already and that they were the color she would have chosen if she had bought them herself. She has promised neck shots which I will post when I receive them.
PP was great to work with and the pearls were lovely. Again thank you all for your help.

 

[bsomlo]

Oh, so nice to hear! I am looking forward to neck shots!

 

[pkinnew]

familynurse - I am so glad you gave us an update and that your DIL loves them! It's hard not to love pearls, especially when they're a gift! BTW do you have any other unmarried sons? lol!