Pearllunar Purchase! 8.5-10mm Lavender Blue strand

[LGK]

I have been coveting a deep, naturally colored lavender/purple/blue strand for a long time. Most lavender strands are just too pinky for me. Pearllunar had one listed that looks like a nice purple color, and a nice size- 8.5-10mm which is about my favorite for rounds. Some of them are definitely off round from the pics, but I don't care too much about that; the color is what I'm coveting. I so hope that they're close to what the pics show!

Now I have to be patient and wait for them to come from freaking CHINA! Haha. Patient. That's a good one! (I paid for expedited shipping.) Meanwhile I'll post their pics of the strand.

Oh and it's not a necklace yet. I can string, so that's actually great- I hate those cheapie looking faux-antique clasps everyone uses- 14K or no I would rather use a pretty, more-solid-looking sterling clasp. Better yet I'd love a real vintage pearl clasp but I have not found any good ones haunting ebay recently, and I've been looking.

Definitely my most expensive PL purchase (bit over $400, they accepted a lowish offer

), but I've always found their stuff to be quite nice and the price isn't bad (that is, if the color and lustre is nice). I'd much rather have a slightly off round strand with fabulous color, rather than perfectly round and much more expensive.

I have a 6.5mm pretty blue/lavender strand from PL that was their lower end stuff ($20? don't remember!) and it's a bit too pink- but it also looked way pinker in it's pictures than this strand does.

 

[LGK]

I had to cut this one waaaayyy down to get it to fit.

 

[LGK]

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[LGK]

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[LGK]

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[LGK]

And last one for now. I'll definitely post some when I get it. I'm definitely looking forward to stringing them myself- that way I can put the one I like best in the middle

- I'm such a dork, there's always one pearl out of any strand I own that I decide is the one I like best.

 

[DiaDiva]

LGK, I love the colour. Can''t wait to see on you IRL.

 

[Burberrygirl]

The color is stunning, I can't wait to see your neck pics!

 

[bebe]

I am drooling - gosh such pretty pearls

 

[cellentani]

Those look amazing! That one pearl to the center left in the neck shot looks like a very dark lustrous blue - maybe that one''s destined to be your favorite. When you mentioned that you always pick a favorite, for some reason I started looking, lol! Can''t wait to see them on you.

 

[LGK]

Date: 11/19/2009 9:43:34 PM
Author: cellentani
Those look amazing! That one pearl to the center left in the neck shot looks like a very dark lustrous blue - maybe that one's destined to be your favorite. When you mentioned that you always pick a favorite, for some reason I started looking, lol! Can't wait to see them on you.

Lol, that's the one that caught my eye in their pics too.

 

[glitterata]

Gorgeous! I can''t wait to see what they look like when you get them.

 

[kas baby]

I just love that color! We absolutely must see your irl pictures

 

[Kelli]

Wow those are so pretty! You''ve got me thinking I need some BIGGER pearls!

 

[that_someone_special]

Those are gorgeous!

Can I ask if you put in a bid for them and what percentage you won them at? I''ve been winning things for as low as 40% of the asking price, but some they want up to 80% for.

I can''t wait to see them on you... yum yum!

 

[LGK]

Date: 11/21/2009 7:00:38 PM
Author: swedish bean
Those are gorgeous!

Can I ask if you put in a bid for them and what percentage you won them at? I''ve been winning things for as low as 40% of the asking price, but some they want up to 80% for.

I can''t wait to see them on you... yum yum!

I asked for... hmmm, I think it was 20ish% off the ticket price; since it was a larger ticket item, I didn''t want to totally lowball them. So something like $550 to $430ish. They were a buy-it-now with a best offer option.

 

[that_someone_special]

Date: 11/21/2009 7:17:56 PM
Author: LittleGreyKitten

Date: 11/21/2009 7:00:38 PM

Author: swedish bean

Those are gorgeous!


Can I ask if you put in a bid for them and what percentage you won them at? I''ve been winning things for as low as 40% of the asking price, but some they want up to 80% for.


I can''t wait to see them on you... yum yum!

I asked for... hmmm, I think it was 20ish% off the ticket price; since it was a larger ticket item, I didn''t want to totally lowball them. So something like $550 to $430ish. They were a buy-it-now with a best offer option.

I wouldn''t worry about low-balling them.. I have put in a ton of offers- some won and some I got a counter offer back for a bit more than what I put my offer in at. A few items they declined my offer, but did include a note saying the minimum they would take for it. For the most part- I think they are pretty generous with their buy it nows.

I still think you got a great deal though! I am really excited to see them in pictures!

I have mostly bought items under a $100 but am getting more used to the idea of buying a larger ticket item through them. It just worries me that if I bought a more expensive pair/ set and it got lost, I might be screwed.

Ok I am exhauseted and rambling.

 

[Arcadian]

I''ve lusted after those for a while (I''m on a gem/pearl diet though

)

Can''t wait to see what your pics look like!!!

-A

 

[LGK]

I''m excited, I found a cool ''50s vintage rhinestone clasp for them. It was on a $5 throwaway strand of fauxs I found at work. It''s shaped like an infinity symbol with a baguette in the middle. I''m gonna pop all the existing (damaged) stones out & redo it- I bought some new swarovski rhinestones, the center baguette''s gonna be an aurora borealis one (I got a few colors to pick from; I think the smokey topaz A/B might be it, though- it sounds like a weird color but it''s actually very neat) and the little 1mm round ones I will have to decide if I want clear or matching A/B ones. Yay! I''ve redone a few vintage rhinestone necklaces, it''s quite easy actually if you have the good glue.

 

[that_someone_special]

Hi LGK would you be willing to take before and after shots of the clasp? It sounds like a super fun project!

 

[LGK]

Date: 11/24/2009 10:27:59 PM
Author: swedish bean
Hi LGK would you be willing to take before and after shots of the clasp? It sounds like a super fun project!

Oh sure, if you can stand the ghastly quality of the pics.

I have *got* to find my good camera but it''s hidden from me since we moved (soooo much still packed!) and I only have the 10 year old brick left to use.

 

[geckodani]

Those look like they are going to be a fantastic color! I can''t wait to see pics!

 

[LGK]

It came!

Holy god the color is amazing. It is a bit pinker of a purple than the auction pics look, which I'd expected, but really, it's a gorgeous color and it's definitely deeper in color than I had dared hope for. Very blue purple. The lustre is beautiful and the pearls are really remarkably blemish-free. Fewer blemishes than my gem quality strand from TPO, in fact. The roundness isn't perfect- definitely less even in shape than the TPO strand- but that's exactly as described and pictured, and definitely the thing I care about least. They are not button shaped or rice- they just have a bit of unevenness. The color and orient were what I was hoping would be lovely- and yes, they are! The lustre isn't Freshadama quality (well, a few of them have it actually), but it is very, very good. Very glowy.

The vintage clasp came out really well too. The teeny 1mm rhinestones were a HUGE pain in the butt, though. It must have been so long since I redid such small ones that I forgot the sheer annoyance- they're too small to use tweezers, of course, since they're about the size of a small poppyseed or a grain of sand. But, after a long fight, I got them all in facing up and mostly even. I went with the aurora borealis smokey topaz color, and it matches them beautifully. I did take some "before" pics of the cruddy rhinestones, if only I can find them! It'll be a few days before I can take some pics of the final strand though. I have it loosely attached to the clasp so I can wear it today, then I'll string tonight.

And yeah- the strikingly vivid blueish pearl just to the left of the middle (slightly greenish one) in the pic on the neck-form thing is the pet pearl, and it's gonna be moved to the center

It's also the one just under the "a" in the second pic.

 

[MeowMeow]

Ooh how lovely! I am drooling!

 

[glitterata]

I can''t wait to see your pictures!

 

[LGK]

Ack the pictures came out beyond awful. OK I will show the clasp, that came out all right. The pearls were pointless to post the pics of- they came out a weird grey yellow on my camera, which is beyond ancient and is just terrible. Must. Find. Good. Camera! (It''s still packed... somewhere.) I''ll try again either tonight or tomorrow in some different lighting if I can''t find the good camera.

The clasp is bright white rhodium plated metal. Why it looks yellow gold in the second pic is anyone''s guess. Also, I need to reglue one of the rhinestones- I poked at it and I guess I failed to glue that one, it popped right out. Well, that''s why I have a few dozen extra

So, this is the clasp, as I bought it.

 

[LGK]

And another.

 

[LGK]

And this is it after I got done with it.

 

[that_someone_special]

LOVE the clasp!!! Are there necklace pictures? Or am I just not seeing it???

 

[LGK]

Date: 12/4/2009 12:30:54 AM
Author: swedish bean
LOVE the clasp!!! Are there necklace pictures? Or am I just not seeing it???

no necklace pics yet- my camera made it look something like cat yak color. nice! I''ll have to make a concerted effort to find my good camera tomorrow, or at least try some pics in better lighting.