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- Aug 14, 2009
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I've got an extra pair of 9.5-10mm round white akoya that I need to find something to do with... Something other than Yet More Studs. I've had good luck with Blue Nile melee and prefab mounts in the past so I thought I'd check a couple out in-person, see if the ubiquitous pearl-stud-in-diamond-jacket style works for me.
I got both of these:
www.bluenile.com
www.bluenile.com
The tahitian pair - the pearls are muddy and dreary. Plastic-ey luster and no interesting overtone. And the halos - this "smooth-curved bowl with sparkly edges" is a style that I've seen a fair amount around the internet... Doesn't work for me at all!! On the ears the side of the metal bowl is very visible (noone's ears face fully forward!), and the curved base both highlights the metal, visually, and makes the whole stud want to droop unless you shove the backs on really tightly. And the fact that the pearls are a bit larger and spherical doesn't help, that means there's even more depth to encase - a friend suggested that this smooth-curve bowl halo style would probably work nicely for button pearls and I totally agree. Posts are 0.75mm diameter on these - the thinner cheaper sort (but they're a full 10mm long).
The white FW pair - these feel very Kataoka-esque to me actually. And okay, these pearls are seriously astonishingly nice, and even moreso given the pricepoint!! I'm attaching some comp pics with Mikimoto AAA akoya, Mikimoto AAA equivalent akoya (not purchased from Mikimoto but compared in-boutique), and Mikimoto A+ equivalent akoya (again, not purchased from Mikimoto but compared in-boutique). FW pearls - FW pearls from Blue Nile, of all places - really have no business looking like this next to some of the nicest akoya available!! The scatter halo design is much nicer - the sides are flat and diamonds are layered in depth, which makes that half-sideways look you get when they're on the ear much more palatable, and they've got large flat bases so they really don't droop at all. The scatter design is super cute face-up, too. Posts are 0.85mm thick and 10mm long, and the "I1" melee sparkle more than the Tahitian "SI2" stuff, go figure. Downsides to this pair... Well, the pearls are round, so they've still got the problem of sticking out off the ear a fair amount...
The Tahitian pair is definitely going back. Bowl halos do NOT work for larger pearls. The scatter pair - I'm on the fence. For me. My ears don't face forward the same amount, so I see some difference in how much metal is visible and how much the pearls stick out. For folks blessed with symmetric ears these are really really nice - highly recommend!!
I got both of these:
Tahitian Cultured Pearl and Diamond Halo Stud Earrings in 14k White Gold (8.0-9.0mm) | Blue Nile
With a flash of brilliance, these Tahitian cultured pearl and diamond earrings take classic up a notch. Two lustrous black pearls are surrounded by a subtly glittering halo of round diamonds set in polished 14k white gold for a look that's both easy and elegant.
Freshwater Cultured Pearl Earrings with Scatter Diamond Halo in 14k White Gold (7.5-8mm) | Blue Nile
These elegant pearl earrings present two freshwater cultured pearls surrounded by twelve diamonds each in a scatter-style halo style for an elegant effect that make the sparkle appear to be bursting around the sides.
The tahitian pair - the pearls are muddy and dreary. Plastic-ey luster and no interesting overtone. And the halos - this "smooth-curved bowl with sparkly edges" is a style that I've seen a fair amount around the internet... Doesn't work for me at all!! On the ears the side of the metal bowl is very visible (noone's ears face fully forward!), and the curved base both highlights the metal, visually, and makes the whole stud want to droop unless you shove the backs on really tightly. And the fact that the pearls are a bit larger and spherical doesn't help, that means there's even more depth to encase - a friend suggested that this smooth-curve bowl halo style would probably work nicely for button pearls and I totally agree. Posts are 0.75mm diameter on these - the thinner cheaper sort (but they're a full 10mm long).
The white FW pair - these feel very Kataoka-esque to me actually. And okay, these pearls are seriously astonishingly nice, and even moreso given the pricepoint!! I'm attaching some comp pics with Mikimoto AAA akoya, Mikimoto AAA equivalent akoya (not purchased from Mikimoto but compared in-boutique), and Mikimoto A+ equivalent akoya (again, not purchased from Mikimoto but compared in-boutique). FW pearls - FW pearls from Blue Nile, of all places - really have no business looking like this next to some of the nicest akoya available!! The scatter halo design is much nicer - the sides are flat and diamonds are layered in depth, which makes that half-sideways look you get when they're on the ear much more palatable, and they've got large flat bases so they really don't droop at all. The scatter design is super cute face-up, too. Posts are 0.85mm thick and 10mm long, and the "I1" melee sparkle more than the Tahitian "SI2" stuff, go figure. Downsides to this pair... Well, the pearls are round, so they've still got the problem of sticking out off the ear a fair amount...
The Tahitian pair is definitely going back. Bowl halos do NOT work for larger pearls. The scatter pair - I'm on the fence. For me. My ears don't face forward the same amount, so I see some difference in how much metal is visible and how much the pearls stick out. For folks blessed with symmetric ears these are really really nice - highly recommend!!
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