Questions about tahitian's strand

[alice87]

Tahitians pearls come in variety of colors and shapes.
I am looking for a necklace, and thanks to this forum, there are quite a few websites available to look at them.
Additionally, I stopped at a few gem vendors to look at the quality.
My question, if you are looking at something reasonably priced, but not awful looking, what is you criteria's? Price expected? The necklace length is 18 or 20. 1200 is probably the most I would be able to save and spend on it. Please share your ideas...
I am fine with almost any color of the tahitians.
One of the gem vendors had tahitians strand priced around 1200, not stringed. The quality was - my best guess - around A (triple A is the highest). They were round, multicolour, with a very nice color selection - including grey, yellow, white, green. The colors were not bright looking, but very pretty. He said he has AA Tahitians, he just does not bring it to our fair. I looked at A quality pearls, and some of them were good enough (meaning I like how they look - they don't drive me to boonies ). He also had a long strand of tahitians priced at 300 dollars... Nothing special, really. Totally understandable, just a fun piece with no pretense.
I am not looking for a triple AAA strand, it would be out of my budget for quite a while with my lovely student loan repayment but I want to save some money and buy something nice I could wear for several years before I would be able to afford a good one.
1200 is still a lot of money for me to spend on a necklace.
This link is just an example.
http://www.purepearls.com/intense-blue-green-circled-tah-bqn-18-inch-9-3-10-8mm-aa-aa-plus-quality.html
For half a price, color looks good, but I am not a big fan of ringed pearls, and they have a lot of indentations - way too much I would be able to like...
I looked at rakuten le collier, PP, pearllace, POJ etc.

 

[baby monster]

I look for interesting color, great luster, size and then imperfections. Rings don't bother me as much as indentations and pinpricks. I bought and returned a strand similar to what you linked. It was little cheaper than this strand for similar quality. The size and imperfections bothered me too much. You might be able to find pics in an old thread.

1200 is a good budget especially with all of the promos vendors will be sending soon. Pearlsofjoy.com already has tahitian strands on sale. IMHO this is an amazing strand right at top of your budget.

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/tahitian-pearl-necklace/multicolor_tahitian_pearl_necklace_tnmq.htm

 

[4Ranch Girl]

Love the strand from Jose at TahitiPearlBiz yu posted Baby Monster. Jose is a nice man to work with.

Something to keep in mind at this time of year....is cyber Monday and Black Friday sales. Make sure you check the web sites soon and see what you would like and then make sure you are on the email lists of these venders for the codes. There are discounts to be had.

I like drops best so being a baroque pearl it is not as expensive as rounds. First I look for color and luster to me that is what I notice above all.

 

[dk168]

If I were to spend 1.2k USD on a Tahitian necklace, I would aim for a nice strand of baroques in 12mm+ size, as 1.2k USD would not go very far for round Tahitians.

Based on what I can see on PP and POJ, I would push the boat out a little further and get one of these two:

http://www.pearlparadise.com/18inch-AA-122149-mm-Baroque-Tahitian-Pearl-Necklace-4840.aspx

http://www.pearlsofjoy.com/Tahitian-Pearl-Necklace-120--146mm-AA_p_415.html#

I like these two based on their shapes (not too elongated), not too many rings, and colour.

DK

 

[alice87]

I look for interesting color, great luster, size and then imperfections. Rings don't bother me as much as indentations and pinpricks. I bought and returned a strand similar to what you linked. It was little cheaper than this strand for similar quality. The size and imperfections bothered me too much. You might be able to find pics in an old thread.

1200 is a good budget especially with all of the promos vendors will be sending soon. Pearlsofjoy.com already has tahitian strands on sale. IMHO this is an amazing strand right at top of your budget.

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/tahitian-pearl-necklace/multicolor_tahitian_pearl_necklace_tnmq.htm

it does look good! Unfortunately I will need to save or sell something. For me now, it is more gathering of information. This strand does look good! I sold quite a few of my items, so I was able to buy some pieces. I almost bought something from rakuten. But all the hassles with with liking of disliking, and not being sure about the actual item stopped me. Thanks!

 

[alice87]

Thank you 4Ranchgirl! "I don't mind" baroque. I do love fun shapes in many pearls.

 

[alice87]

If I were to spend 1.2k USD on a Tahitian necklace, I would aim for a nice strand of baroques in 12mm+ size, as 1.2k USD would not go very far for round Tahitians.

Based on what I can see on PP and POJ, I would push the boat out a little further and get one of these two:

http://www.pearlparadise.com/18inch-AA-122149-mm-Baroque-Tahitian-Pearl-Necklace-4840.aspx

http://www.pearlsofjoy.com/Tahitian-Pearl-Necklace-120--146mm-AA_p_415.html#

I like these two based on their shapes (not too elongated), not too many rings, and colour.

DK

I was able to open second link.
I understand the limitations. This amount of money is not much for Tahitians. This strand looks like a nice peacock color to me, but too many circles. I appreciate you mentioning the size. I was probably more in 10-11 mm range. Thank you!

 

[Pearlescence]

There are plenty of great Tahtian strands about - prices were lower for reasonable pearls in Hong Kong in September, and I picked up some great deals on drops, some big and pretty coloured strands with great lustre which aren't up on the website yet. Your budget is plenty for colourful circle pearls with great lustre if you are not too fussy about a sprinkling of marks. Think also about silver or vermeil for the clasp if you are on a budget.
One point - a 20 inch necklace is going to need pearls added in - this will increase the price as most likely the vendor will have to 'break' another strand which then will be too short for a necklace - temp strands come in 15-16inch lengths.

 

[alice87]

Make sense... I will probably string it myself. I saw clasp in 35 dollars range for gold one, so it does not break the bank and it is my favorite clasp anyway. When I make necklaces the gems come in 14 inches length, so it is necessary to add some extra pearls or beads between them. Catherine Cardellini add beads to hers.
I am fuzzy about circles. Fro yesterday discussion I actually come to idea that I do value shape the most, and then how the surface looks, and then color, and luster is probably the last one. This is why I am thinking about more muted colors, and no rings...

 

[misskittycat]

I bought a fun strand of Tahitians from Pearl Oasis and was very pleased with the quality for what I paid.

These are lovely:

http://www.pearloasis.com/cgi-bin/catalognew.cgi?IDNUM=20120711146365&COMMAND=detail

And these are also very pretty:

http://www.pearloasis.com/cgi-bin/catalognew.cgi?IDNUM=20121210082445&COMMAND=detail

And these I think are quite good value:

http://www.pearloasis.com/cgi-bin/catalognew.cgi?IDNUM=20121202085514&COMMAND=detail

 

[misskittycat]

Here is my thread on my pearls:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pearl-oasis-baroque-tahitians.190300/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pearl-oasis-baroque-tahitians.190300/[/URL]

I still wear them a lot!

 

[YC]

Make sense... I will probably string it myself. I saw clasp in 35 dollars range for gold one, so it does not break the bank and it is my favorite clasp anyway. When I make necklaces the gems come in 14 inches length, so it is necessary to add some extra pearls or beads between them. Catherine Cardellini add beads to hers.
I am fuzzy about circles. Fro yesterday discussion I actually come to idea that I do value shape the most, and then how the surface looks, and then color, and luster is probably the last one. This is why I am thinking about more muted colors, and no rings...

Hi Alice, out of curiosity, what shapes r u after? Personally, I would give luster and color the highest priority.I have seen some dull looking Tahitian in terms of color (eg grey or black with no overtones) or luster and I do not think those look at all attractive. To me, the main attraction of Tahitian r its intriguing colors and how the colors change in different lighting. And getting the correct color is very individual cos depending on your complexion, certain colors will look great while others won't, regardless of how beautiful they look on vendor photo, which I believe you may have discovered by now.

 

[tara3056]

I just bought a Tahitian Baroque strand from Pearl Paradise that 4Ranch Girl helped to pick out when she was there recently, and I love it! They let me use a 20% off code (and I'd expect another one will be coming for Black Friday), so I won't disclose the exact amount I paid publicly, but I will say that it was quite far under your budget. My necklace has intense luster with blue and green being predominant. It is drop-shaped and most of the pearls are very smooth. A few are more circled, but it doesn't bother me at all (and I don't typically care for circled pearls all that much). Mine is AAA quality. I was considering 4 strands - 3 of the 4 were priced the same (and I chose one of those due to its color), and the 4th was $100 more because it was smoother and less circled. So I would say you could definitely get something very, very nice with your budget. I do also love the multicolor strand from tahitianpearls.biz, though it is a bit over-budget. Depends on if you prefer baroque or rounder pearls. Obviously the near-round pearls will be more expensive.

My necklace never even made it to PP's website, though - as I suspect many of their very best things do not. Which is why I would recommend emailing them. Find some pictures on Pricescope of other Tahitian necklaces you really like and send them to PP to ask if they could make/find you anything similar. Then find out if you could apply a coupon code

 

[alice87]

Make sense... I will probably string it myself. I saw clasp in 35 dollars range for gold one, so it does not break the bank and it is my favorite clasp anyway. When I make necklaces the gems come in 14 inches length, so it is necessary to add some extra pearls or beads between them. Catherine Cardellini add beads to hers.
I am fuzzy about circles. Fro yesterday discussion I actually come to idea that I do value shape the most, and then how the surface looks, and then color, and luster is probably the last one. This is why I am thinking about more muted colors, and no rings...

Hi Alice, out of curiosity, what shapes r u after? Personally, I would give luster and color the highest priority.I have seen some dull looking Tahitian in terms of color (eg grey or black with no overtones) or luster and I do not think those look at all attractive. To me, the main attraction of Tahitian r its intriguing colors and how the colors change in different lighting. And getting the correct color is very individual cos depending on your complexion, certain colors will look great while others won't, regardless of how beautiful they look on vendor photo, which I believe you may have discovered by now.

I would like to have rounds, and I saw rounds. This vendor carry a lot of pearls, and I pretty much liked the fact I could look at them in person and being able to examine them before buying. The color I like is crazy expensive I would not even go this route. He had a nice necklace with all shades, they were not bright, but they were attractive. I truly dislike circles. They bother me. The same as generous amount of pits and indentations. I have a very fair skin and I am blonde. Green would not look good on me. I would probably prefer intense peacock. But it would be nowhere near my price range if I want them round with no blemishes.

 

[alice87]

I just bought a Tahitian Baroque strand from Pearl Paradise that 4Ranch Girl helped to pick out when she was there recently, and I love it! They let me use a 20% off code (and I'd expect another one will be coming for Black Friday), so I won't disclose the exact amount I paid publicly, but I will say that it was quite far under your budget. My necklace has intense luster with blue and green being predominant. It is drop-shaped and most of the pearls are very smooth. A few are more circled, but it doesn't bother me at all (and I don't typically care for circled pearls all that much). Mine is AAA quality. I was considering 4 strands - 3 of the 4 were priced the same (and I chose one of those due to its color), and the 4th was $100 more because it was smoother and less circled. So I would say you could definitely get something very, very nice with your budget. I do also love the multicolor strand from tahitianpearls.biz, though it is a bit over-budget. Depends on if you prefer baroque or rounder pearls. Obviously the near-round pearls will be more expensive.

My necklace never even made it to PP's website, though - as I suspect many of their very best things do not. Which is why I would recommend emailing them. Find some pictures on Pricescope of other Tahitian necklaces you really like and send them to PP to ask if they could make/find you anything similar. Then find out if you could apply a coupon code

PP is good in a lot of ways.
But I did had a few "miss" experiences.
It is just difficult for me to correlate their glamour shots to the real item.
Sometimes it works, sometimes I get something totally different.
No complaining here.
Shipping tahitians back and forth is not fun, not for me, not for the vendor.

 

[Pearlescence]

Intense peacock rounds are possible at a reasonable price if you are prepared to wait. I've done special atalier necklaces where the customer knows exactly what they want and I can put that on a b Hong Kong shopping list and find exactly the right pearls undrilled and loose. Then we drill and assemble them back here. Typically you are going to save about a third because we are doing the work and not having to pay the wholesaler in HK to do it and we are not having to factor in having money tied up in stock just sitting there.
fast turn around means big savings!
I enjoy doing it too. Sitting in a wholesalers office for a couple of hours poking round all their loose stock and assembling a perfect custom strand is close to pearl heaven!

 

[tara3056]

alice87, I've had a couple of "misses" from Pearl Paradise, too, but only when I ordered off of their website. I've found that if I email them and tell them very specifically what I'm looking for, then they go searching through the vault for all sorts of things that aren't on the website, and that "personal shopping" factor really minimizes the risk - for me anyhow. I've never returned anything that was picked especially for me. But yes, I understand that shipping back and forth is costly in terms of both time and money.

 

[YC]

Alice, if you are able to personally see the strands, then at least you know what you are getting. Tahitian are notoriously difficult to photograph and when looking at photographs, there is always a question as to whether what u see if really what u get. Whatever u decide on, do not sacrifice luster for other factors.

 

[alice87]

Alice, if you are able to personally see the strands, then at least you know what you are getting. Tahitian are notoriously difficult to photograph and when looking at photographs, there is always a question as to whether what u see if really what u get. Whatever u decide on, do not sacrifice luster for other factors.

OK

These threads are incredibly helpful for me.
I looked yesterday again at different necklaces and while I am fine with baroque and keshi I really don't like ringed pearls. I know I am kind of repeating myself here. I am not a fan of huge nucleated pearls. My fantasy just start running wild when I visualize what was goin on inside this pretty....
I agree with previous poster, that it is better than somebody personally pick the item for you. Except, this person is still not you. I am very particular (peculiar? ) what I like (and most women are).
It is funny - so I have a pair of Tahitians studs, they are beautiful, but I was never able to catch the glamour shot color. And when I went to gemfair and in all these lights they start looking intensely peacock. I was stunned!

 

[NacreLover]

I look forward to seeing what you select Alice. I do hope you do end up with something you love and wear, not just something that will make do until you can save for a better strand. I have done this on the past on other things and it's a waste of money.

 

[YC]

I look forward to seeing what you select Alice. I do hope you do end up with something you love and wear, not just something that will make do until you can save for a better strand. I have done this on the past on other things and it's a waste of money.

Totally agree with Nacrelover on this.
Alice, hope you can find something you love!

 

[bsomlo]

misskittycat -- nice to see your Tahitians with that lovely white pearl, and the Wilma's, again!!! It's like seeing old friends (in a weird way only pearl peeps could understand).

 

[misskittycat]

I know, right? I wore them today too!

Alice - I saw these and thought of you. They look pretty!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-12MM-GENUINE-TAHITIAN-CULTURED-PEARL-GOLD-NECKLACE-/350384409541?pt=US_Fine_Necklaces_Pendants&hash=item519489cbc5

 

[alice87]

NacreLover, I totally agree.
No waste here.
I like fun pieces and I like all my pearls, I think it is the main criteria - to like it what you have.

 

[pkinnew]

I agree NacreLover! I've made that mistake in the past and am trying to do better now! I remember early in my pearl shopping days I wanted a dark strand but wasn't too familiar with Tahitian vs. died FW pearls so guess what I bought! Yep, died FW ones and I think I wore them 2-3 times and that was that!

 

[katbran]

Maybe the thing to do is to buy some really nice Tahitian studs and a pendant? That's something that you'll get to wear alot and will be a lifetime piece of jewellery!

 

[alice87]

I have studs. They are pretty good, a little dark. I do like them a lot, but for the strand I want a different color.
I have a simple pendant, which I am happy with now.
It seems to me a rather difficult task to find "the right" pendant than to find a good strand. The pendants are considerably more costly (in comparison per pearl price). Just for double or triple price of the pendant you can buy a decent looking strand.
Plus, if you are looking for a great looking pendant, it usually comes with diamonds (at least the one's I like are usually in the 800 dollars range). I am not interested in diamonds right now. I want a necklace if I am paying such price.
And thank you for offering another solution!

 

[alice87]

Me again.
I did find something closer to the strand I saw at gemfair. My understanding with all the conversion, and at least 18 inches in length it is would be pretty much the price I was thinking about.
http://www.pearlescence.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/193_127_185/products_id/3824
I looked at quite a few necklaces and most tahitians have pits and blemishes. They are graded appropriately B/C, 16 inches. But at the end it really comes down to the price you are willing to pay for it.
I read pearl guide yesterday trying to get more understanding of what is it I am looking for.

 

[alice87]

Intense peacock rounds are possible at a reasonable price if you are prepared to wait. I've done special atalier necklaces where the customer knows exactly what they want and I can put that on a b Hong Kong shopping list and find exactly the right pearls undrilled and loose. Then we drill and assemble them back here. Typically you are going to save about a third because we are doing the work and not having to pay the wholesaler in HK to do it and we are not having to factor in having money tied up in stock just sitting there.
fast turn around means big savings!
I enjoy doing it too. Sitting in a wholesalers office for a couple of hours poking round all their loose stock and assembling a perfect custom strand is close to pearl heaven!

I guess it is your website?
I would think about it.
I pretty much like the designs on your site and styling. Thank you for advise!

 

[alice87]

Here is my "ideal" picture. HHPmom has the best pearls here .
I borrowed HHPmom picture just for illustration purposes.
I looked at bloomies websites who sell Tara pearls and it seems to me this quality would be around 3K range or more for 20 inches (the pictured strand was made from 3 strands and is 60 inches long), please correct me if I am wrong...