Trying to pick some big pearl studs ....

[Circe]

Hi, guys! My first time in this forum. I've suddenly developed a yen for some nice big pearls. Which pair would you pick between these two?

http://diamondbistro.com/category/2...1mm-pale-Golden-South-Sea-Pearl-earrings.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MAP...681?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cb9c12d1

And if you'd recommend something else for the look ... hit me! I'm trying to stay in the neighborhood of $500, and hoping to go to 11 mm or higher.

 

[movie zombie]

i like the first one that kitty has for sale. luster is your friend and the 2nd one you posted just seems "lacking".

pearl society on ebay has some good things and i've had good experiences re customer service.

imo, the 2nd one does not even begin to compare to kitty's and its twice the price.

 

[ForteKitty]

Hey Circe, were you the one who emailed me? I'm not sure my emails are going thru so check your email and lemme know if you didn't get it!

 

[missy]

Circe, ForteKitty's earrings look beautiful- nice size and great luster as movie zombie pointed out. How do you think that color would go with your skin tone? That would be something to check out. 11 mm or higher would generally leave out freshwater but if you were interested in white (not golden) pearls with high luster I recommend Pearl Paradise freshadama collection. However the largest earrings are 10-10.5mm in the freshadama collection. They are well within your budget.

 

[NacreLover]

Circe, I would keep looking. The first pair are a off color and would be considered culls. The second pair are button shape, Do you really want to pay that much for used button pearls?

 

[PearlsOfJoy]

Circe, I would keep looking. The first pair are a off color and would be considered culls. The second pair are button shape, Do you really want to pay that much for used button pearls?

Pretty much sums it up - you can do a lot better then these two options. The luster on the first pair seems good but they aren't worth as much as they are asking.

The second pair appear to be dull button pearls on older posts, not a good buy.

Just keep looking and you'll find the right pair.

 

[ForteKitty]

Just wondering, how much should the first pair cost? I am the owner and I'll be completely honest and admit that I dont know anything about pearls. They were purchased for an event and I didn't even wear them for more than a few hours. Would love some input on how they should be priced. Thanks!

ETA: I just put them on to take some pics for a buyer, and realized how much i love them. Gonna keep them! But i'm still curious about how much I overpaid for them, so assuming they were brand new, how much should they have cost? This might help Circe too since she's in the market for new ones. Thanks!

 

[Circe]

Wow, guys, thanks for all the advice!

MoZo, you make an excellent point: until I started looking at some of the shots in other threads on this forum, I didn't realize you could accurately gauge luster in photos via reflection. This is VERY good to know as I hunt!

ForteKitty, yep, I e-mailed, and I should have checked my spam folder earlier - I saw your message right before I checked in here and saw you were planning to withdraw the sale. They're beautiful earrings!

Missy - skin tone ... hm. Pinkish-fair would be the best description, I guess? Very traditionally Slavic/Ashkenazi complexion. So maybe I should go for the white SS pearls, or the Freshdamamas. My only thing is that I have elephant earlobes, so I think I need at least 11 mm for pearl studs to have any impact. Hm ....

NacreLover - it looks like the hunt continues! If you come across any good candidates, I'd love a heads up. I know from colored stones and diamonds, but I'm a total noob when it comes to pearls. PearlsofJoy, ditto!

 

[iLander]

I've had excellent luck buying from Jose, here's some of his SS whites;

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/white_south_sea_pearl_earrings.htm

Also, goldens (which is what I purchased):

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/golden_south_sea_pearl_earrings.htm

DH bought a pair of AAA deep goldens for me, and they're gorgeous. AA is nice and pretty, but AAA is glowy and smooth. Depends on how closely you want to look at them. If I had to do it all over again, I would only buy AAA, now that I've seen them.

I'm not a freshwater fan, so don't know much about those.