Male in need of pearl advice

[n00bdiamond]

Hi PS members. Months back I went through an exciting and intense learning experience picking out a diamond ring, setting, and wedding band (I eventually got a Brian Gavin signature diamond and used Victor Canera).

Yep, as painful as the process was to learn everything it seems like I have more work cut up to do.

My mother insists that I get my fiance a pearl necklace (she's paying). I did my basic investigations on pearl paradise and tahitianpearls.biz

I learned about the various pearls and there are a few things that concern me that I cannot learn through vendor descriptions.

1. Age appropriate pearls and sizing. My fiance is 30. What is "size" and "color" appropriate? Based on my observations, I rarely if ever see young professionals wear extremely big pearls nor necklaces that are long (hanging down to the chest area). Also, I was looking at golden south sea pearls (budget can go up to 6-7k), and I could not help but notice that these look more appropriate for an older person. Am I wrong in assuming this?

2. Color of pearls. I noticed that two types are in high demand because of rarity. One is the Akoya Blue and the other is the South Sea Golden Pearl. Excuse my ignorance and beg your pardon because I have no idea about this stuff, but the golden pearls give me a tingling feeling that it may get perceived by others as some cheap mardi gras necklace. Is there really a striking difference from a distance? Also, for someone who uses this particular pearl necklace as the primary pearl necklace would it be more appropriate to go with a white??? That's my feeling but I would hope to get some answers from more experienced folks. It looks like the blue and golden colored ones are more appropriate for someone with multiple pearl necklaces.

Any advice would be appreciated....thank you.

n00bdiamond

 

[n00bdiamond]

Oh and she loves to wear black dresses more than anything else. I keep thinking that natural white is the answer but would love to get an opinions from female experts.

 

[Kay]

For a young professional woman, classic white akoyas are a great choice for a first strand of pearls. I bought my akoyas at 32, and they look great with black dresses and with all my business suits. White pearls would also look good with her wedding dress, if she chooses to wear them for that day.

I bought 3 strands so I can wear a single, double or triple strand. Mine are 7-7.5 mm, but I really regret not getting the 7.5-8 or even 8-8.5 mm size. (DH thought the larger size would be over the top in a double or triple strand, but I would like the more substantial look, especially now that I am a decade older.)

With your budget, I would buy two strands of Hanadama or AAA white akoyas in the 7.5-8 mm or 8-8.5 mm size. (Don't forget the matching earrings. )

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-132-1845inch-7465458460-mm-white-hanadama-akoya-pearl-necklace.aspx

Double strand -- 18" and 19":



Triple strand:

 

[NacreLover]

I have a strand of Medium golden south sea pearls from PP. They are beautiful but don't compliment all skin tones, so unless she said she want's them, I would wait on this color. Madama grade blue akoyas or Hanadama grade silver or rose` (rose-ay) 8-9mm would be a great size. Some buy a bracelet and necklace with the same clasp so they can clip them together to wear with turtlenecks in winter or to make longer strands in the future. Buying matching earrings with the necklace will save you a headache later trying to find matching pearls...

 

[ckrickett]

I am going to second a Hanadama strand or 2 in the 8-8.5 MM range.

 

[NacreLover]

PS. You may want to consider a solid color strand of smaller MM Tahitians. They are everywhere on TV and can be worn dressed up or with jeans and tee shirts. White pearls are more formal and may be worn less than a strand of Tahitians. At least I seem to grab them for all occasions.

 

[n00bdiamond]

Is there a reason why you are not recommending the White South Sea Pearls? Is it the size? My understanding is that it's considered upscaled compared to akoyas.

 

[n00bdiamond]

Thank you for the quick replies

 

[Kay]

Is there a reason why you are not recommending the White South Sea Pearls? Is it the size? My understanding is that it's considered upscaled compared to akoyas.

I didn't recommend White South Sea pearls because you seemed concerned about not going too large. I tried on a strand of graduated WSS pearls at Pearl Paradise last week that was stunning. The largest pearl in the center was about 14 mm, and the price was around $6000.

 

[NacreLover]

The bead they insert into the mollusk is larger than akoya, so if you are looking for smaller pearls White, golden SS pearls may not be what you're shopping for. In this photo , the white south sea pearls are the large strand.

This is what you're looking at in the photo.
1.Caitlin's Persian Gulf Bahrain wild natural pearls
2.Next are rare Gem Grade South Sea Pearls hand selected by Jeremy
3.Metallic freshwater pearls
4.Natural color Hanadama grade akoya
5.Pinked Hanadama grade akoya.

 

[n00bdiamond]

The necklace immediately adjacent (inwards) to the largest necklace seems like the best size. i'm guessing those are the akoyas.

 

[NacreLover]

There is a list of what they are on that post. Metallic freshwater pearls.

 

[ckrickett]

The necklace immediately adjacent (inwards) to the largest necklace seems like the best size. i'm guessing those are the akoyas.

Do you like the size or color/luster/overtones?

 

[NacreLover]

I can measure mine. They came out of that lot of metallic freshwaters. I'll be right back.

 

[bsomlo]

If this is her first pearl necklace, I would get the hanadama -- and a larger mm than you think since most of us can attest to feeling our pearls are "too small" very quickly (leading to not wearing them).

I have a pinked (not natural white) hanadama strand and the pearls are 9 to 9.5 mm. It's a gorgeous size, though at first they felt enormous (briefly!).

So I'd recommend a single (larger mm pearls) or double (smaller mm pearls) hanadama strand with matching earrings as a timeless, classic, beautiful first necklace. If she ends up loving pearls, she/you can branch out in terms of colors and shapes and styles.

The white metallics are glorious BUT they are generally off-round. They are also a fraction of the price of hanadama and if your Mom is offering the possibility of you purchasing the best, go for it!

Have fun and keep us posted.

 

[baby monster]

So this is from perspective of a young professional in response to your points.

1. There's no appropriate size = age. If she likes larger scale jewelry, go for more substantial pearls. I don't like to wear anything under 10mm because I like my pearls to have lots of presence. no one else at my job wears nice pearls and I don't care about that. I also wear longer opera length necklaces and also ropes.

2. White is the classic color and can be worn with everything including a wedding gown. White SSPs are a great choice. However, I'd also suggest you look into tahitians. They can less less formal if you are concerned with pearls perceived as old lady and come in lots of colors.

Your mother sounds like a great future MIL. I wish I received pearls from mine.

 

[NacreLover]

The pile when I selected mine. 8-8.5mm

 

[bsomlo]

I definitely have mother-in-law envy!!!

 

[ckrickett]

If this is her first pearl necklace, I would get the hanadama -- and a larger mm than you think since most of us can attest to feeling our pearls are "too small" very quickly (leading to not wearing them).

I have a pinked (not natural white) hanadama strand and the pearls are 9 to 9.5 mm. It's a gorgeous size, though at first they felt enormous (briefly!).

So I'd recommend a single (larger mm pearls) or double (smaller mm pearls) hanadama strand with matching earrings as a timeless, classic, beautiful first necklace. If she ends up loving pearls, she/you can branch out in terms of colors and shapes and styles.

The white metallics are glorious BUT they are generally off-round. They are also a fraction of the price of hanadama and if your Mom is offering the possibility of you purchasing the best, go for it!

Have fun and keep us posted.

+1 to this!

 

[leyhuong]

Just a suggestion, for your budget, I think a strand of hanadama 9 to 9.5mm will be lovely.

Equivalently for the budget, my other vote will be 200cm pearl rope of hanadama 7 to 7.5mm. Akoya pearl rope is chick but classic, and versatile. Good luck with your search.

 

[dk168]

How about this lovely strand of AAA "baby" white South Seas?

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3392...-mm-round-white-south-sea-pearl-necklace.aspx

Given the choice between Freshadamas and Hanadamas, I personally would rather get a strand of 9-9.5mm white Freshadamas from PP than to spend a few times more to get a strand of Hanadamas myself, and to use the money saved and get other goodies such as matching bracelets, earrings, may be another necklace and bracelet in the form of a tin-cup, perhaps a nice big SSP pendant and earrings etc. etc..., so that she can mix and match.

IMHO, for the untrained eyes, it is not easy to differentiate between Freshadamas and Hanadamas, unless they are placed side by side. Hence I strongly believe that for the best value for money, one cannot beat top quality CFWPs.

However, if one has the money to spare, and likes to have the equivalent of "mind clean" in diamonds for pearls, then by all means go for Hanadamas. That's what I would like to add to my collection, a natural blue strand of Hanadamas in 9-9.5mm, if and when I win the lottery.

Good luck, whatever the OP decides.

DK

 

[lambskin]

If someone else is paying and wants top quality and a potential heirloom piece/wedding gift go for the Hams at 8-8.5mm. She will wear them forever. I prefer the whites with the pinky luster.

 

[ckrickett]

Just a suggestion, for your budget, I think a strand of hanadama 9 to 9.5mm will be lovely.

Equivalently for the budget, my other vote will be 200cm pearl rope of hanadama 7 to 7.5mm. Akoya pearl rope is chick but classic, and versatile. Good luck with your search.

I have 2 pearl ropes (actually 4 but two of them are super low quality freshies)

one 54 inch and one 100 inch, I'd probably get another 100" or longer, they are such a luxurious length!

 

[ltlmsmfft]

No matter what you get, be sure to order from a company with a generous return policy. Pearl size, length and overtone preferences vary a lot from one person to the next. I really like Pearl Paradise because they are very happy to work with you for returns and exchanges if what you order is not quite right for you. Personally, I would pass on SS pearls for the average 30 year old women. They are quite large and might be a bit much for a women's first strand of pearls. Like others have suggested, with your budget I would go for a Hanadama strand, 18" from PP anywhere from 7.5-8.5mm (keep in mind that most women prefer larger peals the older they get, so the 8.5mm strand would still be great 10yrs from now) Upgrade the clasp since your budget allows for that (they have lots to chose from). I would also get TWO pairs of earrings, Hanadama in the same size. I would suggest one pair of plain studs and a pair of dangle earrings with diamonds. The reason for this is that the studs are great for any occasion; but, the dangles with diamonds can really give a more dressy look for special occasions. I think you would still be within your budget with these items.

I hope you post pictures and let us know what you decide on!

 

[leyhuong]

Just a suggestion, for your budget, I think a strand of hanadama 9 to 9.5mm will be lovely.

Equivalently for the budget, my other vote will be 200cm pearl rope of hanadama 7 to 7.5mm. Akoya pearl rope is chick but classic, and versatile. Good luck with your search.

I have 2 pearl ropes (actually 4 but two of them are super low quality freshies)

one 54 inch and one 100 inch, I'd probably get another 100" or longer, they are such a luxurious length!

That is great to hear. But 4 are not yet enough ? 78"-100" pearl rope is on top of my wish list right now!!!

 

[n00bdiamond]

I went to a local store and saw different sized and types of pearls. The gold definitely does not do it for me. Also the post recommending to go larger was golden advice. The longer I looked in the store the more accustomed I got to larger sized pearls. I started gravitating towards the white south sea pearls.

I'm still not certain what to get but I'm not a splurger and I like best value for the dollar. I got a si2 eye clean diamond with twinning wisp inclusion and I'm totally ok with it especially for 10 plus grand less. I will look into the pearls that a previous post mentioned about being good value. Thanks and I'd be thankful to hear more advice.

 

[bsomlo]

Are you able to discuss this with her? I think it would be best to get her input. I would definitely not have appreciated WSS pearls at 30, but maybe your wife would/will. This is a significant purchase best made with her input to ensure her happiness -- which is the goal, after all.

(My husband -- we've been together almost 32 years now -- almost cancelled the wedding when I decided to change the YG setting he'd chosen for my engagement ring to platinum. I told him I was going to wear the ring until I died, so I wanted what I wanted!)

 

[baby monster]

WSSPs are fab and amazing. Pearls, just like diamonds, are subject to the shrinkage syndrome. You can stay on the smaller yet still substantial size of 10-12mm like this strand. Great luster and round shape http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-3396-1845inch-aa43-104644512460-mm-near45round-white-south-sea-pearl-necklace.aspx..

Alternatively, if you'd like to spend less, take a look at this strand http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-253-1746545inch-104654511465-mm-white-freshwater-pearl-necklace.aspx.. Different kind of pearls but also a nice size and luster. You can ask PP to take a side by side photo to see which one you like best.

 

[bsomlo]

baby monster -- your links both took me to the main page of PP...

 

[baby monster]

thanks bsomlo. edited to fix