Rarest / most unique Tahitian color?

[aprilzephyr]

I'm having a hard time choosing btwn Tahitian pearl pairs for earrings from PP. I don't want to choose something generic, but perhaps I just haven't obtained the right vocabulary to describe the overtones I'm after. Could someone please shed some light on the more subtle difference between the peacocks, the cherries, the silvers, the blues, etc.? Is there a good guide out there? I've gleaned the forum, watched PP's with 4RG, googled a more comprehensive illustrated guide to Tahitian colors, etc., and I'm still having trouble describing what I like. I want something unique (who doesn't?) and that incorporates strong purples, blues, pinks. To complicate matters, PP sent through colors that are also eye-catching!

The earring settings will be drop style and I have dark hair. These are the PP's AAA options: top 3 are 9-10mm, bottom 3 are 8-9mm:


Though these photos don't seem to show the sharp mirror like lustre of rengb6's recent Tahitian stud thread...

 

[dk168]

Hmmm, difficult one as colour preferences are very personal.

Peacocks are supposed to be the most coveted and the most expensive, however, they do not appeal to me.

Some prefer lighter body colours to darker ones.

My advice would be to go with what appeals to your eyes and personal preferences, based on skin and hair colour etc...

Below is a pic posted in another board back in 2008 by Miriam Reed of the Pearl Distributors, and she described the colours as following (back row being No. 1):

1) white with ivory/rose' overtones; silver; silver with aqua overtones; light blue grey with rose' overtones; pistacio;
2) light gold; aqua; peacock; pewter with rose' overtones; copper;
3) bronze with aubergine overtones; cherry brown; charcoal; dark green -almost green black with mostly green overtones and a bit of peacock overtone; dark green blue with green and silver overtones.



When I first saw it, I thought I liked the peacock in the middle of the middle row the most, followed by the blue to its left, and the drop shape on the first right of the front row.

About a year or so later, after having seen more Tahitians in person (got a pair of 10mm studs from PP with "light Peacock" overtone) as well as online, I changed my mind and now I prefer blues to peacocks.

I also prefer lighter body colours as I believe they bring out the colours better.

To me, blues and greens with medium body colour are what I prefer, as they "pop" at me, whereas peacocks with dark body colours don't.

Have a look at the Show Me Your Pearls thread and see what takes your fancy.

Personally, I have always liked the colour choices in Tahitian pearls by HHPmom of PS, who is also a regular contributor on another board. Try and search for her posts in the Pearls forum and have a look at the pearls she has chosen.

And if I were to choose for a pair from the pic in the original post, I would go for the second pair from top down, as they are the bluest to me.

Not sure if the above helps, however, I hope it has given you some ideas of the colours available in Tahitians.

Good luck with your purchase.

DK

 

[baby monster]

Are you looking for a rare color for its own sake or looking for something that appeals to you? What do you plan to wear the earrings with?

I prefer lighter colors next to the face so my choice would be the 3rd pair from the top. I also have dark hair and find that darker smaller pearls can't be seen next to dark hair, especially the drops. At least the studs have the background of skin but my hair tends to swallow up earrings so I'd go for at least 10mm pearls for drops.

 

[Pattye]

That's an excellent color chart DK has provided and sound advice. Every single pearl is unique, and Tahitians are no exception! To find a well matched pair is not easy at all, and PP has a huge selection. Please know the Tahitian pearls you are seeing are anything but generic. I've seen some recently I'd consider generic~medium gray, low luster, no overtones, but round, with few blemishes and expensive!

Probably 2 & 3 would show up best against your hair color.

Finding Tahitians with strong purple, blue and pink all in the same pearl probably isn't realistic. Colors that intense and varied are more likely to be found in baroque/ringed Tahitian pearls, if at all. But that's just a good reason you'll need more earrings!

Can't wait to see which pair you choose!

 

[aprilzephyr]

Oh wow, DK, thank you so much for your detailed post! This is incredibly helpful! even if, almost every single of those colors on the chart appeal to me on some level LoL

I really appreciate all of your input, ladies! It helps greatly as I felt #2,3 and 5 appealed a lot, but I haven't seen enough Tahitian earrings in person to train my eye. I've seen many strands but I find strands are a different beast. I'm choosing 14k yellow gold findings, but it should work beautifully with #2 or #3. *edited to add* I'm hoping these earrings would become my go to pair for casual and evening outings - I really enjoy wearing the PP dyed black FW strand I bought in May as I wear them often. As a result, I'm more determined to begin a Tahitian collection.

Pattye, I should've chosen my words more carefully as generic didn't convey what I meant - I agree, PP's pearls are far from generic! I did say to PP that I didn't mind mismatched colors either - I like unconventional pairings.

Baby monster, I'm not looking for a rare color for its own sake. It's to educate my eye. However, if two or more colors appeal to me, I'd rather snap up the color that occurs less frequently - buy the more special colors when I have the opportunity to do so. Strange logic perhaps. All the options PP sent through are gorgeous in their own way. The title is rather misleading as rarity wasn't my top concern - I wanted to see if knowing a pair was of rarer color would help in the decision making

One more thing, Pattye, circle drops / baroques are next on my project list Though I thought to save this project for when I'm in LA next - I'd rather choose these in person.

My baroque inspirations for the next project - the silvery purple-blue that occurs at the top of the Maison de la Perle drop just wows me:



Thanks again for your help, everyone - your knowledge never ceases to amaze.

 

[Pearlescence]

Pure blue Tahtian pearls are possible -

http://www.pricescope.comfiles/images/single_blue_tahitian.JPG

I just sold this one.
Cherry red is also possible but I've not had one that colour.

edit: I don't think I have the picture upload system figured - I get the pop up box and the pic to that but not then into the post...help?

 

[aprilzephyr]

Pearlescence, I think the link is missing a "/" - https://www.pricescope.com/files/images/single_blue_tahitian.JPG

I would've loved to see that blue Tahitian in person

 

[dk168]

I'll post a pic of my pair of blues picked up from Hong Kong in Nov 2009 against my light peacocks purchased from PP later.

The light peacocks look brown to me compared to my blues, and am unlikely to buy more peacocks in future.

To me, blues rule!

DK

 

[Pearlescence]

It is beautiful. I will be half drilling it with trembling fingers and be a little sad to see it go. But that is what I am here to do.
I will certainly look out for more blues in future.

Thanks for the / - I don't know where it went...and how is it that some posts have pix in them while my post made a link only? Can someone give a lesson?


did it - you have to add an attachment not insert an image. of course,t hat's perfectly clear!

 

[icy_jade]

Hi AprilZ,

DK, Baby Monster and Pattye all gave good advice. I've also found that the colours that I like may not be the ones that flatter my skin/hair colouring best. Not sure if it helps but these are the pearls that 'passed' the skin/hair test for me:

[the 4 pairs in front, pls ignore the strand in the background]


Esp for the studs, the darker (and usually more valuable??) tahitian colours simply look awful. I can't wear pure dark blues too, no matter how much I love them.

 

[LitGeek]

Gosh they are all beautiful! If it were me, I would ask your PP contact to choose the prettiest/their favorite pair. They know their pearls

 

[LtypeI]

Those are all beautiful (and thanks for all of the info, folks!).

With dark hair, I'd echo the above and go with 2 or 3. They would pop more against your hair. But they'd all be beautiful choices!

 

[4Ranch Girl]

My go to earrings are dark green body with bright cherry overtones. Dark hair does work with dark pearls. They are the earrings I wore on the PP visit video. You can't go wrong if you pick the color of the pair that calls to you. Any of the ones you have shown I would love to wear.

 

[dk168]

Apology for the bad quality pics in advance as I am no good with photography and don't have a light box etc...

My Tahitian earrings in different lighting, the smaller light peacocks just look brown to me compared to the bigger blues.

The quality of my blues are not great, however, they were what I could afford at the time.



A pair of better quality blues with lighter body colour is on my wish list for 2016!


DK

 

[aprilzephyr]

DK, I wished we were able to see your pearls' overtones better, though I can think of a few outfits those peacocks would suit I'm glad others have chimed in and agreed with me that they are all beautiful choices - I felt I was being unnecessarily indecisive. It's a testament to Allison's great eye - she waded through PP's pearls to find and match these pairs for me. Icy jade, your collection is amazing... your mixed multicolor strand is unreal

I'm still waiting on clearer photos but I think I'll go with #2. Allison described cool blue purple overtones which sounded very appealing I also asked her which ones stood out for her and she said the overtones on #2, #5 & #6 were special, not ones she sees very often at PP. Hmm, makes me want to buy #5 too but really should restrain myself Hopefully these Tahitian earrings are only just the beginning for me, so I shouldn't feel I have to buy everything now. Not sure what I'll do when I start venturing into SS and goldens - what is the equivalent "gateway drug" saying for jewelry?

 

[YC]

Choosing Tahitians without seeing them in real life is very very difficult and so, it is perfectly natural to take a while to decide. You are too harsh on yourself by labelling yourself as being indecisive.
I have black hair and am usually drawn to light to medium colour pearls for earrings cos they stand out more. The difficulty is that some colors work better than others and unfortunately, the only way to find out are to try them out. I would not completely dismiss dark pearls but they must be very lustrous to look good.
By the way, my personal favorite in the first photo is the second pair too! Whatever you decide, do remember to post photos when you receive them.

 

[periwinklegirl]

DK, I wished we were able to see your pearls' overtones better, though I can think of a few outfits those peacocks would suit I'm glad others have chimed in and agreed with me that they are all beautiful choices - I felt I was being unnecessarily indecisive. It's a testament to Allison's great eye - she waded through PP's pearls to find and match these pairs for me. Icy jade, your collection is amazing... your mixed multicolor strand is unreal

I'm still waiting on clearer photos but I think I'll go with #2. Allison described cool blue purple overtones which sounded very appealing I also asked her which ones stood out for her and she said the overtones on #2, #5 & #6 were special, not ones she sees very often at PP. Hmm, makes me want to buy #5 too but really should restrain myself Hopefully these Tahitian earrings are only just the beginning for me, so I shouldn't feel I have to buy everything now. Not sure what I'll do when I start venturing into SS and goldens - what is the equivalent "gateway drug" saying for jewelry?

I think gateway drug is apt!

Still, the first purchase from PP does that for many of us. I had no idea natural blue pearls even existed before joining the pearl forum here (and I have a blue diamond!). Then I bought some blue akoyas from PP. Now I see all these beautiful blue Tahitians!
Where does it end?!

The second pair with blue or purple overtones sounds fantastic!
Good luck!

 

[HHPmom]

Buy whichever colors that are suitable for your complexion, hair, etc. If the color is rare but does not look good on you then there is no point in wearing it. Mikimoto claims peacock green and gold are rare for South Sea pearls http://www.mikimotoamerica.com/about-pearl-jewelry/how-to-buy-pearls/qualities-of-pearls/ . "Color of a Pearl
Pearls vary widely in color, based on the type of oyster that produces them. The rarer the shade, the more valuable the pearl. Colors range from cream, pink and grey to black, green and blue. White and
pink rosé are among the most popular Akoya colors; peacock green and gold are among the rarest South Sea shades. While color choice is a matter of personal preference, always look for rich color that is evenly distributed throughout the pearl."

South Sea here includes Tahitian, WSS and GSS. Although from my observation I see a lot of peacock green (do not confuse with true peacock) so I don't think they are rare. The most abundant colors are dull silver and grey that are sold in most B&M storefronts. In my experience, I don't see a lot of blue, cherry, deep peacock, aubergine, chocolate, and pastel shades. Pastel Tahitians are very pretty especially pink, blue, light yellow, aqua. BTW, do not overlook those silvery strands. I have one silver with slight green and pink overtone and one silver with light green overtone (both from PP). They don't look too special on white background but they pick up colors when they lay on top of my skin.

 

[NacreLover]

So April, What did you buy?

 

[aprilzephyr]

Apologies for never returning and resurrecting a 4 year old thread, but I went with #5! They're one of my favorite earrings of all time

 

[NacreLover]

Great threads should surface many have bought more pearls to add to it.

 

[katbran]

Wonderful ! Thanks for coming back to post !!!