Differences in online vendors for SS pearl studs?

[Mondayschild]

Hi!

Have been tasked with finding 11mm white SS studs for my mum (bday present) - is there much difference in the "AAA" from each of main retailers in your opinion? E.g.
Pearl source
Pearls of joy
Pearl paradise

Thanks

 

[pearlsngems]

I've always been happy with Pearl Paradise's quality.

Just a point about size: pearls are created in oysters, not factories, so it is most common for them not to be exactly a round number, e.g. 11.0mm, 10.0mm etc. This is why you'll usually see studs listed in a size range (e.g. 10-11mm, 11-12mm etc.)

I would assume if buying a pair of studs listed as "11mm" that they would actually be somewhere between 10-11mm. Take this into consideration when comparing listings.

If you really want a pair closer to 11mm, I'd contact the company and communicate that, and ask what they have, to avoid disappointment.

 

[katbran]

All much the same, I'd go for whomever is having the best sale. PP does have an office with sales assistants so you could call and tell them you want a pair with high lustre and 11mm or close to it. That way you won't have to depend on a stock photo and you will know exactly what you're getting.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Make sure to be very specific about what you want, maybe ask to see photos of a few pairs. My biggest pearl disappointment was a SS pendant bought sight unseen from PP- I was expecting a lovely white pearl and got a silvery, bluish one instead!

 

[Pearlescence]

Just a point about size: pearls are created in oysters, not factories, so it is most common for them not to be exactly a round number, e.g. 11.0mm, 10.0mm etc. This is why you'll usually see studs listed in a size range (e.g. 10-11mm, 11-12mm etc.)

I would assume if buying a pair of studs listed as "11mm" that they would actually be somewhere between 10-11mm. Take this into consideration when comparing listings.

If you really want a pair closer to 11mm, I'd contact the company and communicate that, and ask what they have, to avoid disappointment.

I would assume that a pearl listed as 11mm would be 11mm or over.

 

[pearlsngems]

I would assume that a pearl listed as 11mm would be 11mm or over.

Not my experience as a buyer. The number represents the upper limit of the range, in my experience.
In any case, it's wise to communicate with the vendor and be specific.

 

[Mondayschild]

Thank you.

I have contacted them - one response so far- that they cannot send photos as "made to order".

 

[pearlsngems]

Surely they could, if they choose, send photos of a few pairs of pearls for your consideration, with exact measurements.

If they won't, you have to wonder why. I mean, it's a pricey item. You deserve to know exactly what you're buying.

 

[Pearlescence]

Thank you.

I have contacted them - one response so far- that they cannot send photos as "made to order".

Wouldn't they still have the pearls in stock?

 

[Mondayschild]

Wouldn't they still have the pearls in stock?

Yes. Hence ruling one out!!!

 

[Mondayschild]

Well, pearl paradise responded quickly & with multiple pictures - excellent customer service.

 

[Mondayschild]

Thoughts? @Pearlescence @Daisys and Diamonds @katbran @pearlsngems @Snowdrop13

She has fair but red-based complexion and light hair (blonde/silver)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I don't trust.my phone enough im sorry

 

[pearlsngems]

I'd go for the second pair. With a red-based complexion I'd avoid pearls with rose overtones.

 

[yssie]

Can you explain what you mean by red-based completion a bit more?

Did Pearl Paradise send more photos? If so post them. I too lean away from rose for “red complexion” if that means cool and pink. In this photo the second pair is less well matched (in luster and strength of iridescence) than bottom; more photos can confirm or deny.

One more consideration: An 11mm+ round pearl is not a small or light stone - are you confident that your mother will be comfortable wearing studs this large?

Please note that by PS rules neither @Pearlescence nor @katbran are able to comment on other vendors’ goods as they are both tradepeople. This means they will be unable to help you review these options.

 

[yssie]

Not my experience as a buyer. The number represents the upper limit of the range, in my experience.
In any case, it's wise to communicate with the vendor and be specific.

This is unfortunate. It should be the bottom end… And of the width of the pearl, not the length, when those measurements differ… As much as there’s an industry standard. That’s certainly what I would expect from any reputable vendor.

@Mondayschild, definitely take pearlsngems’ advice and ask for a specific diameter measurement on the pair(s) you’re most interested in. This is info you’ll probably want anyway, and Pearl Paradise will be happy to provide it.

 

[Mondayschild]

I sure can post more pics @yssie !

The ones PP sent pics are 10.7, 10.9 & 11.2 top to bottom.

Here are the pics!

Fair/pale skin but tends to be red in tone / areas of red

 

[yssie]

K. New photos are helpful. Couple things.

I took two of your photos and removed all colour, but made no other changes, so they're B&W. Just easier to see what I'm going to say. See how in the top pair the left pearl has higher contrast (blacks are more black)? The left pearl of the middle pair also has higher contrast. Of the bottom pair, the right pearl has higher contrast. In my experience more contrasty = more "iridescent" = more "glowy", 100% of the time. This gets lumped into the word "luster". But these aren't significant differences. Yes, you'll see the difference on close inspection if you look for it, but from arm's length (or on the ear) they'll look luster-matched just fine.

Pearl Paradise did an excellent job of matching overtone colour.

So the other photos show me that the bottom pair is not in fact a better contrast/luster match. Given that, and given that #2 (middle pair) has less warmth, I'm going to recommend #2 as well.




Back to whether your mother can comfortably wear studs this large and heavy? It’s not the weight alone - a stud earring’s center of mass is in front of the lobe. You might consider adding some BlingDots to the gift just in case
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B5ASQZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0DKBB9TAVQW8CT69SCY8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Pearl Paradise can use heavyweight findings. Their normal posts are about ~0.75mm diameter. The thicker posts are ~0.85mm diameter (same post thickness as Mikimoto’s standard). Thinner posts are more comfy for people with very small piercings, but for a woman who’s worn earrings her whole adult life the slightly thicker posts will both hold the studs up straighter and will be less likely to elongate a piercing.

Whether you choose to upgrade the posts or not, the earring backs that Pearl Paradise provides by default have small (4-5mm) pads - way too small for studs this big. I’m not sure if Pearl Paradise can provide “jumbo” backs - worth asking. If they can’t, you can buy them off Amazon for not too much. These will all fit Pearl Paradise’s regular or heavyweight posts just fine.
14k gold-filled:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRFRPVV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_81SZRKZQ28H51CRGEPKB
14k solid gold in 7mm or 9mm:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C2NP3YK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_H78G00AFFXFW1SFWAKCW?psc=1

 

[Pearlescence]

I've worn pierced for decades but going up in post size by even one mm can be a subtle torture. Check with the recipient before opting for this.

 

[pearlsngems]

I agree that heavyweight posts are better for larger pearls-- I have them on my 10.8mm GSS studs and they hold the pearls up well.

But Pearlescence is right that they can be very uncomfortable if the wearer is accustomed only to thinner posts. If I haven't worn studs for a while, I have to ease back up to my thickest post earrings.

 

[yssie]

I've worn pierced for decades but going up in post size by even one mm can be a subtle torture. Check with the recipient before opting for this.

Not 1mm, 1/10 mm. 0.85mm is the Mikimoto, Paspaley, Richemont, and Tiffany standard post diameter for stud earrings, and those luxury houses wouldn’t be using that width if wasn’t a ubiquitously comfortable diameter. ~20gauge. The thinner posts are significantly cheaper for vendors… ~21gauge.

 

[Pearlescence]

I must have delicate lobes then.
Instead of a thicker post, it may be that a heavier butterfly (nut) will be better for a heavy stud. It helps the pearl to balance like a see-saw

 

[yssie]

I’ve never actually understood why pearl findings with skinny posts are so common. In the US, anyway, maybe untrue in other parts of the world. For pretty much every other type of "fine jewellery" stud earring the post is by default ~0.8-0.9mm thick, but with pearls ~0.65-0.75 is the norm outside of the luxury brand market.

The only explanation I can come up with is the [non-luxury-brand] industry normalizing these thinner posts due to the lower costs of those findings. But Stuller has lightweight (skinny-posted) basket findings, too, and using those for fine jewellery would be frowned upon! The notion that people who wear pearl studs usually aren’t wearing any other type of fine jewellery in the ears (which would most likely have a thicker post or wire, per that non-pearl “normal”) kind of defies logic at scale - it's true for some, for sure, but far from common.

Thinner wires behave more like knives in the piercing - slicing downward - than thicker wires. So I always wear the thickest wire that’s comfortable. Using BlingDots negates the whole discussion though, of course.

a heavier butterfly (nut) will be better for a heavy stud. It helps the pearl to balance like a see-saw

I do a heavy jumbo back for exactly this reason… Well - and pad size. A big “yes” to moving center of mass as close to the middle of the earlobe as possible! These are my favourite backs. Love the concave shape and the weight, and they grip earring posts like little vices. Expensive compared to other jumbo nut options though.

14K Yellow 10 mm pad Heavyweight Friction Earring Back

24203 / 14K Yellow / 10 mm / Each / Semi-Polished / Heavyweight Friction Earring Back

www.stuller.com

 

[Mondayschild]

K. New photos are helpful. Couple things.

I took two of your photos and removed all colour, but made no other changes, so they're B&W. Just easier to see what I'm going to say. See how in the top pair the left pearl has higher contrast (blacks are more black)? The left pearl of the middle pair also has higher contrast. Of the bottom pair, the right pearl has higher contrast. In my experience more contrasty = more "iridescent" = more "glowy", 100% of the time. This gets lumped into the word "luster". But these aren't significant differences. Yes, you'll see the difference on close inspection if you look for it, but from arm's length (or on the ear) they'll look luster-matched just fine.

Pearl Paradise did an excellent job of matching overtone colour.

So the other photos show me that the bottom pair is not in fact a better contrast/luster match. Given that, and given that #2 (middle pair) has less warmth, I'm going to recommend #2 as well.




Back to whether your mother can comfortably wear studs this large and heavy? It’s not the weight alone - a stud earring’s center of mass is in front of the lobe. You might consider adding some BlingDots to the gift just in case
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B5ASQZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0DKBB9TAVQW8CT69SCY8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Pearl Paradise can use heavyweight findings. Their normal posts are about ~0.75mm diameter. The thicker posts are ~0.85mm diameter (same post thickness as Mikimoto’s standard). Thinner posts are more comfy for people with very small piercings, but for a woman who’s worn earrings her whole adult life the slightly thicker posts will both hold the studs up straighter and will be less likely to elongate a piercing.

Whether you choose to upgrade the posts or not, the earring backs that Pearl Paradise provides by default have small (4-5mm) pads - way too small for studs this big. I’m not sure if Pearl Paradise can provide “jumbo” backs - worth asking. If they can’t, you can buy them off Amazon for not too much. These will all fit Pearl Paradise’s regular or heavyweight posts just fine.
14k gold-filled:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRFRPVV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_81SZRKZQ28H51CRGEPKB
14k solid gold in 7mm or 9mm:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C2NP3YK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_H78G00AFFXFW1SFWAKCW?psc=1

Thank you @yssie for your detailed reply!

Reserved the second pair (silver). I also sent a sneaky "which overtone do you like" to her and she also picked silver.

Yes, I'm sure that she wants this size - she had another pair this size (non south sea) and lost them & has missed them ever since hence the search parameters!

I have a pair of 9mm white south sea pearls that she liked, but said "bigger!" ha ha

PP have said they can include jumbo backs (I asked).

Really happy with the customer service I have had. Thank you all for your advice, I haven't shopped online for a number of years.

 

[katbran]

I'm glad that you found something that you like .

This brief sidetrack to post size made me break out my callipers ! Every post for 5mm cups and up, regardless of the supplier (3) or the karat gold 9-18k is .8 The only post that are .7 are on the tiny cups like 3mm .

Certainly the use of smaller .7 on larger cups is a cost saving measure- buying in that sort of volume it would make quite a difference. Just like using small cups on larger pearls...saves them a fortune.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thank you @yssie for your detailed reply!

Reserved the second pair (silver). I also sent a sneaky "which overtone do you like" to her and she also picked silver.

Yes, I'm sure that she wants this size - she had another pair this size (non south sea) and lost them & has missed them ever since hence the search parameters!

I have a pair of 9mm white south sea pearls that she liked, but said "bigger!" ha ha

PP have said they can include jumbo backs (I asked).

Really happy with the customer service I have had. Thank you all for your advice, I haven't shopped online for a number of years.

That's the pair i liked best to but i didn't want to say because i know a heck of a lot less than everyone elce

Just on the post size/piecing size thing
i only recently learnt my top 2 piercings have smaller holes than the first one

as diamond/ pearl shrinkage takes hold i move the bigger ones further up the ear

ouch ouch ouch
Months of ouch ouch ouch
untill i took them out

 

[fussykiki]

That's the pair i liked best to but i didn't want to say because i know a heck of a lot less than everyone elce

Just on the post size/piecing size thing
i only recently learnt my top 2 piercings have smaller holes than the first one

as diamond/ pearl shrinkage takes hold i move the bigger ones further up the ear

ouch ouch ouch
Months of ouch ouch ouch
untill i took them out

Re earring post. I thought my ears will adjust to the thicker post after awhile. But they never. I need to take breaks from wearing earrings with thicker post, that is so sad.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Re earring post. I thought my ears will adjust to the thicker post after awhile. But they never. I need to take breaks from wearing earrings with thicker post, that is so sad.

I thought so too
I didn't even know for months the trouble was different sized posts