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Anyone else a J. Hunter Pearl Fan?

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 1, 2011
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I love, love, love his tahitian pearls. Obviously, since many are pastels they are not everyone's cup of tea- but they are all my favorite colors. He recently posted this photo on his Facebook page. I would take any of these pieces!!!! They are my holy grail pearl strands :love: :love: :love:

10561763_10152244640971709_8037838392126560270_n.jpg
 

HHPmom

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
814
Those are nice pictures. I do like some pastel Tahitians and have some. I find that most of Fiji pearls have pastel yellowish, or bronzy overtones which don't do well with my coloring. The lip of shells exhibit a lot of those colors too. Other colors are very beautiful including the bluish and greenish ones. It's interesting how the drop shape pearls are finished. The pointy ends all face the same way going from one end of the clasp to the other end. It's more pleasing to me to have the pointy ends face away from the center pearls in opposite directions.

One thing I learn is that darker eggplant (aubergine) is really hard to buy online. They look great on white background. In real life, depending on the intensity the very dark ones can turn brownish on certain skin color (like mine).
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
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HHPmom|1407592941|3729148 said:
Those are nice pictures. I do like some pastel Tahitians and have some. I find that most of Fiji pearls have pastel yellowish, or bronzy overtones which don't do well with my coloring. The lip of shells exhibit a lot of those colors too. Other colors are very beautiful including the bluish and greenish ones. It's interesting how the drop shape pearls are finished. The pointy ends all face the same way going from one end of the clasp to the other end. It's more pleasing to me to have the pointy ends face away from the center pearls in opposite directions.

One thing I learn is that darker eggplant (aubergine) is really hard to buy online. They look great on white background. In real life, depending on the intensity the very dark ones can turn brownish on certain skin color (like mine).

I agree that I prefer the blues and greens- they really appeal to me. The brownish, aubergine ones-not so much. Although copper colored clothing is a very good color for me- so ones that move in that direction would do well for me, but not they are not the ones that call to me. I also love the pistachio colored ones.

I hadn't really looked at how the longer, pointier necklace was made as I was mainly looking at the colors- but good point, it looks kind of odd the way they all go in the same direction.
 

HHPmom

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
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I have an aubergine one with green halo at the bottom and I think it suits me well. You can definitely see purple on my skin. My husband has one that is much darker. It looks brownish on him but he loves it like that.

Fiji is unique in that most pearls have golden and chocolate overtones which distinguishes them from Tahitian pearls. I like the room keys made out of MOP on their FB pics.
 

movie zombie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
11,879
those colors would work very well for me. better I think than the darker ones.
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
2,362
HHPmom|1407596770|3729181 said:
I have an aubergine one with green halo at the bottom and I think it suits me well. You can definitely see purple on my skin. My husband has one that is much darker. It looks brownish on him but he loves it like that.

Fiji is unique in that most pearls have golden and chocolate overtones which distinguishes them from Tahitian pearls. I like the room keys made out of MOP on their FB pics.

I have seen some controversy on whether these should actually be called tahitian or black pearls since they come from Fiji. It would seem funny, though, calling them black pearls when they are more pastel colored-lol.

eta- Oh, yes- aren't the room keys cute!!! I'd love to stay in one of those little resorts!!
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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movie zombie|1407602377|3729215 said:
those colors would work very well for me. better I think than the darker ones.

You know- I never even looked at Tahitian pearls before as I felt they were too dark for me. Of course, most of that was before I've been on the forum and seen all the shades available and that the "tahitian" pearls that most jewelers carried were just those dark grey/black type or lighter gray/silver with no overtones. But still, I think these Fiji colors work better for me, too. Dark pearls often seem too "harsh" against my skin-especially as I've gotten a bit older. At least for a shorter strand- ropes are a different story. :bigsmile:
 

HHPmom

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
814
pinkjewel|1407612552|3729281 said:
HHPmom|1407596770|3729181 said:
I have an aubergine one with green halo at the bottom and I think it suits me well. You can definitely see purple on my skin. My husband has one that is much darker. It looks brownish on him but he loves it like that.

Fiji is unique in that most pearls have golden and chocolate overtones which distinguishes them from Tahitian pearls. I like the room keys made out of MOP on their FB pics.

I have seen some controversy on whether these should actually be called tahitian or black pearls since they come from Fiji. It would seem funny, though, calling them black pearls when they are more pastel colored-lol.

eta- Oh, yes- aren't the room keys cute!!! I'd love to stay in one of those little resorts!!

As I understand they are Fiji pearls not Tahitians. Tahitian black pearls, from the black lip oysters, are grown in French Polynesia. That is why they are called black pearls. They come in a rainbow of colors from white to as dark as black. Fiji pearls are from the same type of oysters Pinctada Margaritifera but they are slightly different. We received some Fiji pearl shells at one ruckus (maybe 2010?). Most of the shells' lip colors are gold, bronzy shades, not green and blue like Tahitian pearl shells from FP.

pinkjewel|1407612968|3729285 said:
movie zombie|1407602377|3729215 said:
those colors would work very well for me. better I think than the darker ones.

You know- I never even looked at Tahitian pearls before as I felt they were too dark for me. Of course, most of that was before I've been on the forum and seen all the shades available and that the "tahitian" pearls that most jewelers carried were just those dark grey/black type or lighter gray/silver with no overtones. But still, I think these Fiji colors work better for me, too. Dark pearls often seem too "harsh" against my skin-especially as I've gotten a bit older. At least for a shorter strand- ropes are a different story. :bigsmile:

I see most B&M stores carry the gray, silver, dark gray. They aren't even pretty. But that's how most people know it. They assume black pearls mean just that, not knowing they come in a rainbow of colors. For beautiful pearl photos check out Gellner's website or Tara & Sons http://www.tarapearls.com/collection....... Some styles are too fussy though. The owner, Sonny Sethi, was the president of CPAA a few years ago. If you live near a Saks Fifth Avenue or Off 5th location, go check out their pearls. They come with huge price tags though. They were sold on flash websites like Ruelala and Gilt as returnable items within 21 days. I bought 3 strands at 2 separate times from both websites few months apart about 3 - 4 years ago. The strands are 8-10mm round to near round AAA colorful pearls with excellent luster. Two of them were $1,200 each. Every now and then they are on Gilt but the bargain isn't there any more and they are now final sale.

A picture of a Tara & Sons rope I saved from a few years ago.

tara_tah_rope.jpg
 

baby nurse

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
2,551
Is this the rope that you wore to the Ruckus cocktail party? It was really gorgeous! Have you seen others like it on those sites since you bought yours? It seems like these would be difficult to find.

I love the colors of the J. Hunter pearls, pinkjewel. This would be my dream strand! I'm a little daunted by the prices though :blackeye: .
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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The blues and the greens appeal to me too, thanks for sharing! :love:

DK :))
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
2,362
HHPmom|1407630498|3729420 said:
pinkjewel|1407612552|3729281 said:
HHPmom|1407596770|3729181 said:
I have an aubergine one with green halo at the bottom and I think it suits me well. You can definitely see purple on my skin. My husband has one that is much darker. It looks brownish on him but he loves it like that.

Fiji is unique in that most pearls have golden and chocolate overtones which distinguishes them from Tahitian pearls. I like the room keys made out of MOP on their FB pics.

I have seen some controversy on whether these should actually be called tahitian or black pearls since they come from Fiji. It would seem funny, though, calling them black pearls when they are more pastel colored-lol.

eta- Oh, yes- aren't the room keys cute!!! I'd love to stay in one of those little resorts!!

As I understand they are Fiji pearls not Tahitians. Tahitian black pearls, from the black lip oysters, are grown in French Polynesia. That is why they are called black pearls. They come in a rainbow of colors from white to as dark as black. Fiji pearls are from the same type of oysters Pinctada Margaritifera but they are slightly different. We received some Fiji pearl shells at one ruckus (maybe 2010?). Most of the shells' lip colors are gold, bronzy shades, not green and blue like Tahitian pearl shells from FP.

pinkjewel|1407612968|3729285 said:
movie zombie|1407602377|3729215 said:
those colors would work very well for me. better I think than the darker ones.

You know- I never even looked at Tahitian pearls before as I felt they were too dark for me. Of course, most of that was before I've been on the forum and seen all the shades available and that the "tahitian" pearls that most jewelers carried were just those dark grey/black type or lighter gray/silver with no overtones. But still, I think these Fiji colors work better for me, too. Dark pearls often seem too "harsh" against my skin-especially as I've gotten a bit older. At least for a shorter strand- ropes are a different story. :bigsmile:

I see most B&M stores carry the gray, silver, dark gray. They aren't even pretty. But that's how most people know it. They assume black pearls mean just that, not knowing they come in a rainbow of colors. For beautiful pearl photos check out Gellner's website or Tara & Sons http://www.tarapearls.com/collection........ Some styles are too fussy though. The owner, Sonny Sethi, was the president of CPAA a few years ago. If you live near a Saks Fifth Avenue or Off 5th location, go check out their pearls. They come with huge price tags though. They were sold on flash websites like Ruelala and Gilt as returnable items within 21 days. I bought 3 strands at 2 separate times from both websites few months apart about 3 - 4 years ago. The strands are 8-10mm round to near round AAA colorful pearls with excellent luster. Two of them were $1,200 each. Every now and then they are on Gilt but the bargain isn't there any more and they are now final sale.

A picture of a Tara & Sons rope I saved from a few years ago.

thank you HHPmom for your explanations. I realize there is just so much to learn in the world of pearls. I am not familiar with Tara & Sons and the Saks near me does not carry pearls by them. I will check out their website. They carry pearls by Assal (spelling?) for their higher end pearls. I tried on a golden SS necklace there the other day where the price tag was over $40,000.00. :$$): Around Christmas they had a tahitian pistachio necklace I drooled over- price was over $20,000. :shock: They have a pearl trunk show coming soon which I plan to visit to try to educate myself more and view some luscious pearls.

I believe it is Gellner that purchases the J. Hunter pearls- I agree they have lovely photos. :love: If you have a chance please post a photo of your 3 Tara & Sons strands. You always have the most exquisite taste!!
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
2,362
baby nurse|1407634158|3729456 said:
Is this the rope that you wore to the Ruckus cocktail party? It was really gorgeous! Have you seen others like it on those sites since you bought yours? It seems like these would be difficult to find.

I love the colors of the J. Hunter pearls, pinkjewel. This would be my dream strand! I'm a little daunted by the prices though :blackeye: .

I agree, baby nurse. Their pearls are gorgeous, but the prices are scary high!!! :$$):
 

HHPmom

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
814
baby nurse|1407634158|3729456 said:
Is this the rope that you wore to the Ruckus cocktail party? It was really gorgeous! Have you seen others like it on those sites since you bought yours? It seems like these would be difficult to find.

I love the colors of the J. Hunter pearls, pinkjewel. This would be my dream strand! I'm a little daunted by the prices though :blackeye: .

Thanks baby nurse. The picture above is one of the necklace that was sold on either Rue or Gilt in the past. I don't check them as often anymore. The last time was a few months ago. At that time prices were much higher and they are FINAL sale which is a no for me. When I bought them they were returnable within 21 days. Being Tahitian pearls each necklace can be different, the picture you see is not the exact strand you get. So it was not a gamble when I bought them. Although of the ones I bought I did not have to return or exchange because they were all colorful and lustrous. Merchandise were exactly as described.

pinkjewel, Gilt used to sell Assael on their website. They were still very expensive. Assael is sold at my local Neiman. They have lots of styles that combine other gemstones to their pearl necklaces.

It seems J. Hunter only sells to a small group of exclusive buyers which probably is a factor keeping the pearl prices high. I doubt J. Hunter sells loose pearls to the public. However it was either here or the other forum that someone posted for opinion about few Fiji pearls she was considering. She did not disclose who was the seller.

The first picture is from tarapearls.com. I saw the same style with similar colors sold at my local Saks; and that necklace sang to me. The clasp makes it versatile. The second picture was one of three strands I bought from the flash sales, before I cut it up. I combined three of them to make the rope I wore to the ruckus.

tandsstrand_copy.jpg

img_4244xx_1.jpg

img_4783_copy.jpg
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
2,362
HHPmom|1407678533|3729650 said:
baby nurse|1407634158|3729456 said:
Is this the rope that you wore to the Ruckus cocktail party? It was really gorgeous! Have you seen others like it on those sites since you bought yours? It seems like these would be difficult to find.

I love the colors of the J. Hunter pearls, pinkjewel. This would be my dream strand! I'm a little daunted by the prices though :blackeye: .

Thanks baby nurse. The picture above is one of the necklace that was sold on either Rue or Gilt in the past. I don't check them as often anymore. The last time was a few months ago. At that time prices were much higher and they are FINAL sale which is a no for me. When I bought them they were returnable within 21 days. Being Tahitian pearls each necklace can be different, the picture you see is not the exact strand you get. So it was not a gamble when I bought them. Although of the ones I bought I did not have to return or exchange because they were all colorful and lustrous. Merchandise were exactly as described.

pinkjewel, Gilt used to sell Assael on their website. They were still very expensive. Assael is sold at my local Neiman. They have lots of styles that combine other gemstones to their pearl necklaces.

It seems J. Hunter only sells to a small group of exclusive buyers which probably is a factor keeping the pearl prices high. I doubt J. Hunter sells loose pearls to the public. However it was either here or the other forum that someone posted for opinion about few Fiji pearls she was considering. She did not disclose who was the seller.

The first picture is from tarapearls.com. I saw the same style with similar colors sold at my local Saks; and that necklace sang to me. The clasp makes it versatile. The second picture was one of three strands I bought from the flash sales, before I cut it up. I combined three of them to make the rope I wore to the ruckus.

Beautiful necklaces, HHPmom- as usual. ;-) Buying pearls as a final sale would not work for me, either. Pictures can look so different from the actual item even when it is the actual strand you're supposed to receive-let alone just a representative picture.

It will be fun to see the Assael trunk show. If they allow- I'll try to take some photos if there is anything very unique. I checked Tara pearls website. They do have some unique and beautiful items, but it always bothers me when a company copies their own designs with cheaper materials and then sells them on HSN. And although the Saks near me is listed as carrying their items, they didn't have anything a few days ago when I was in there.

I know you can buy J. Hunter pearls if you go to their shop in Fiji. Not sure that they're sold loose anywhere else. I don't need J. Hunter pearls per se- I just love the pastel colors. I'm sure I can put together some pastel pieces over time. I have already been working on the bracelet I got at Christmas which has lovely blues, pink, and green tahitians. I have picked out a few more pearls to add to it and once I have enough for the whole bracelet I'll have it restrung. Then I'll need a pastel baroque rope, earrings, ring... you get the idea. I think I need to go to Hawaii to stop by the shop where you've bought so many beautiful pastel pearls!!!! Of course, I could buy a lot of pearls for the price of going to Hawaii-lol. =)
 

movie zombie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
11,879
to clarify: my comment was based on what I've seen here, not on what I've seen in B&M stores because frankly I don't go to B&M stores. LOL.

I love the Tahitians I've seen on here. they look lovely on their owners as well.
but for me and my skin color and hair color they are too dark.

I need color to really Pop.....subtle isn't my thing for the most part. [obviously since I have an orang e-ring!

I have one set of grey pearl earrings but the pearls dangle at the end of 22k gold and are a very light [not dark] grey. grey is a color I can rock.

while I love the pictures I see here of gorgeous Tahitians and would love love love to have some of them they wouldn't be worn because they are too dark for me personally and at that price I can't afford a strand to stay in the drawer.
 

cmd2014

Ideal_Rock
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I didn't know that Fiji pearls existed (or if I did, I would have assumed they were Tahitians which happened to be farmed in Fiji). Thanks for posting this! I love the blues and greens.
 

4Ranch Girl

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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HHPMom your Tahitian rope is a show stopper. I admired it at Jeremy's wedding and was so glad you wore it at the ruckus. BUT I personally think every pearl in your collection I have seen over the years is a show stopper. Your taste in pearls is impeccable :love:
 

HHPmom

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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4Ranch Girl|1407697057|3729723 said:
HHPMom your Tahitian rope is a show stopper. I admired it at Jeremy's wedding and was so glad you wore it at the ruckus. BUT I personally think every pearl in your collection I have seen over the years is a show stopper. Your taste in pearls is impeccable :love:


Thank you Sister!
 

Fly Girl

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4Ranch Girl|1407697057|3729723 said:
HHPMom your Tahitian rope is a show stopper. I admired it at Jeremy's wedding and was so glad you wore it at the ruckus. BUT I personally think every pearl in your collection I have seen over the years is a show stopper. Your taste in pearls is impeccable :love:
I second this. It was a real treat to meet you and your lovely pearls at the ruckus. I'm glad you brought them along to wear and enjoy, and for us to see and learn.

It's always best to learn from the best. :))

And, pinkjewel, you are putting together quite a collection of jewels yourself. I love those photos of J. Hunter Pearls, and have considered getting a bracelet for fun. I'd really like a strand, but the prices give one pause. Particularly, since those pastels will probably look better on others than on myself. I have to think that with your coloring, the Fiji pearls will be especially lovely.
 

Kay

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
2,573
pinkjewel|1407667533|3729624 said:
baby nurse|1407634158|3729456 said:
Is this the rope that you wore to the Ruckus cocktail party? It was really gorgeous! Have you seen others like it on those sites since you bought yours? It seems like these would be difficult to find.

I love the colors of the J. Hunter pearls, pinkjewel. This would be my dream strand! I'm a little daunted by the prices though :blackeye: .

I agree, baby nurse. Their pearls are gorgeous, but the prices are scary high!!! :$$):

I love the pastel colors. The pictures on the J. Hunter website make me go :love: , but the prices make me go :-o . I would love to have a pastel strand some day, now that I acquired some darker Tahitians at the Ruckus. I love the blue, green and purple colors.
 

Kay

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
2,573
HHPmom, those are gorgeous necklaces. Of course, everything I've seen from your collection is stunning -- you have excellent taste in pearls.

Thanks for the reference to Tara & Sons. I saw a few pendant styles on their website that are giving me inspiration for my SoC pendant.
 

pinkjewel

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
2,362
Fly Girl|1407724148|3729969 said:
4Ranch Girl|1407697057|3729723 said:
HHPMom your Tahitian rope is a show stopper. I admired it at Jeremy's wedding and was so glad you wore it at the ruckus. BUT I personally think every pearl in your collection I have seen over the years is a show stopper. Your taste in pearls is impeccable :love:
I second this. It was a real treat to meet you and your lovely pearls at the ruckus. I'm glad you brought them along to wear and enjoy, and for us to see and learn.

It's always best to learn from the best. :))

And, pinkjewel, you are putting together quite a collection of jewels yourself. I love those photos of J. Hunter Pearls, and have considered getting a bracelet for fun. I'd really like a strand, but the prices give one pause. Particularly, since those pastels will probably look better on others than on myself. I have to think that with your coloring, the Fiji pearls will be especially lovely.

thank you, Fly Girl :wavey: But, your collection of jewels is amazing- I always love to see what you select as you have impeccable taste. And, HHPMom- well, your collection of pearls is my dream. I'd love to some day see them in person!!
 

pkinnew

Brilliant_Rock
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Kamoka has a pastel Tahitian strand - it's beautiful!
 
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