Dull pearls

[iota15]

I heard you ladies might be bored here. Well, I just came across a pearl question or two today. I definitely feel like a pearl newbie (so be gentle?).

I met a friend for lunch today and she was wearing a stand of white pearls as well as two large single pearl earrings. Now my peer group generally does not wear pearls, and this is the first time I've ever seen her wear this set. But looking at the luster and shine of the pearl pictures posted here - her pearls looked so... um, dull? dead?

So, the questions - Can you restore the luster? Or are her pearls done like dinner? Are some kinds of pearls just duller looking? Can you clean the pearls? What makes them loose their shine? (feeling really dumb, but I'm curious - do really lustrous pearls ever look plastic-y?)

I didn't think much of the pearls when I saw them today, so I didn't ask her where they were from. She might have inherited it, or bought it (who knows?). I complimented her on them because she doesn't generally wear jewelry and she looked polished with them on.

 

[iLander]

Thanks for coming over iota!

It sounds like your friend's pearls are very low quality or very dirty. Or she might have ruined them with bad cleaning!

The only way to clean pearls is with gentle soap and water. Don't soak them, the silk thread that holds them together could fall apart. Just a quick rinse and pat dry. Pearls are not really delicate (they've been inside a slimy oyster for crying out loud!) but they should never be cleaned with jewelry cleaning chemicals or an ultrasonic cleaner.

Does your friend use a lot of hairspray? That will ruin the luster. Any chemical that the oyster wouldn't encounter in it's natural life (like perfume, face/neck cream, cosmetics) can affect the luster. The way to deal with this is to put the pearls on last thing when you're dressing, so you don't spray them accidentally.

High quality white pearls, like these from http://www.catherinecardellinipearls.com should be glowy, with a lot of luster.

Also, you don't have to wear pearls with pearl earrings, hoops or studs are fine. I was happy to find that out! See this link:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-earrings-with-pearl-strand.149711/?hilit=earrings%20hoops']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-earrings-with-pearl-strand.149711/?hilit=earrings%20hoops[/URL]

 

[movie zombie]

question iLander: i checked catherine's website and these are listed as AA......however, the luster is so good! why are then not AA+ or AAA? i thought AAA was better than AA......

MoZo

ps i'm in communication with catherine and have a wish list several pages long at her website! really a nice woman!

 

[that_someone_special]

I think AA could be due to blemishes then or them being off round... usually a bunch of factors

 

[cushioncutnut]

question iLander: i checked catherine's website and these are listed as AA......however, the luster is so good! why are then not AA+ or AAA? i thought AAA was better than AA......

MoZo

ps i'm in communication with catherine and have a wish list several pages long at her website! really a nice woman!

I have not contacted her but I too have a wish list..... and I have only looked at about 65 pages on her site. This could be dangerous.............!! In a good way!

 

[movie zombie]

heard from Catherine: its because of the blemishes.

MoZo

eta: cushioncutnut: no charge for that wish list! have fun going through all the pages....its worth it!

 

[cushioncutnut]

heard from Catherine: its because of the blemishes.

MoZo

eta: cushioncutnut: no charge for that wish list! have fun going through all the pages....its worth it!

Indeed I will! Sure doesn't hurt to peruse... or does it???

 

[movie zombie]

well, its certainly fun eye candy......but the more i look the "hungrier" i'm getting.....so, you may be right......the temptation is killing me!

MoZo

 

[iLander]

question iLander: i checked catherine's website and these are listed as AA......however, the luster is so good! why are then not AA+ or AAA? i thought AAA was better than AA......

MoZo

ps i'm in communication with catherine and have a wish list several pages long at her website! really a nice woman!

Hi MZ

I think AAA is a REALLY strict parameter for vendors that honestly conform to it. I think it means no blemishes at all, anywhere on the entire strand. From the pics on that one, it looks like there are very few blemishes if any (I didn't see them), and if there are some they're tiny. I seriously doubt anyone will notice them when you're wearing it. I think Catherine seems to be pretty picky (in a good way) if you ask me.

It's confusing when different vendors use different interpretations. Some of the ebay pearls that I've seen marked as AA are pretty pitiful. The strand that I bought from Jose at tahitianpearls.biz were marked as "AA to AA+, light to moderate blemishes", and I only saw tiny bumps on a few of the pearls, completely within my acceptable range.

So, it seems to be up to the particular vendor, IMHO.

 

[iLander]

MZ,

Here's a pic of what counted as a blemish on my strand, making it AA. Pretty teeny if you ask me.

You can also see the off-roundedness of a couple of the pearls. Again, something that is AA rather than AAA.

But the box pic shows their overall impression, which is beautiful, so for the price trade-off AA is a good deal for me. Jose has a AAA strand that is over $4K, but that's beyond my budget. Maybe if you look at that one, you can see the differences:

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace/top-golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace-gnda.php

(sorry for bringing up my one strand again, but it's the only pix I have)

 

[cushioncutnut]

MZ,

Here's a pic of what counted as a blemish on my strand, making it AA. Pretty teeny if you ask me.

You can also see the off-roundedness of a couple of the pearls. Again, something that is AA rather than AAA.

But the box pic shows their overall impression, which is beautiful, so for the price trade-off AA is a good deal for me. Jose has a AAA strand that is over $4K, but that's beyond my budget. Maybe if you look at that one, you can see the differences:

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace/top-golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace-gnda.php

(sorry for bringing up my one strand again, but it's the only pix I have)

I don't think we will ever get tired of seeing that strand iLander! I don't know how you can hold out until Christmas!! I agree.... AA, when graded conservatively by a Reputable vendor is more than exceptable in my book! My tahitian baroque pearl strand is graded AA by Pearl Paradise. Jeremy (the owner), hand selected it and it has a few blemishes but nothing that is an eye sore or deminishes it's beauty. For the price I paid, I am beyond thrilled!

 

[iLander]

MZ,

Here's a pic of what counted as a blemish on my strand, making it AA. Pretty teeny if you ask me.

You can also see the off-roundedness of a couple of the pearls. Again, something that is AA rather than AAA.

But the box pic shows their overall impression, which is beautiful, so for the price trade-off AA is a good deal for me. Jose has a AAA strand that is over $4K, but that's beyond my budget. Maybe if you look at that one, you can see the differences:

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace/top-golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace-gnda.php

(sorry for bringing up my one strand again, but it's the only pix I have)

I don't think we will ever get tired of seeing that strand iLander! I don't know how you can hold out until Christmas!! I agree.... AA, when graded conservatively by a Reputable vendor is more than exceptable in my book! My tahitian baroque pearl strand is graded AA by Pearl Paradise. Jeremy (the owner), hand selected it and it has a few blemishes but nothing that is an eye sore or deminishes it's beauty. For the price I paid, I am beyond thrilled!

Thanks, Cushion, you're so nice.

For those of you that came in late, here is CCN's strand of SPECTACULAR tahitians from Pearl Paradise:

I am plain jealous!

 

[movie zombie]

iLander, post that gold strand everyday if you want: i'll never tire of looking at it. the golds have been an acquired taste for me and i have YOU to blame....so perhaps you need to continue to feed my fix for golden eye candy!

MoZo

 

[cushioncutnut]

MZ,

Here's a pic of what counted as a blemish on my strand, making it AA. Pretty teeny if you ask me.

You can also see the off-roundedness of a couple of the pearls. Again, something that is AA rather than AAA.

But the box pic shows their overall impression, which is beautiful, so for the price trade-off AA is a good deal for me. Jose has a AAA strand that is over $4K, but that's beyond my budget. Maybe if you look at that one, you can see the differences:

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace/top-golden-south-sea-pearl-necklace-gnda.php

(sorry for bringing up my one strand again, but it's the only pix I have)

I don't think we will ever get tired of seeing that strand iLander! I don't know how you can hold out until Christmas!! I agree.... AA, when graded conservatively by a Reputable vendor is more than exceptable in my book! My tahitian baroque pearl strand is graded AA by Pearl Paradise. Jeremy (the owner), hand selected it and it has a few blemishes but nothing that is an eye sore or deminishes it's beauty. For the price I paid, I am beyond thrilled!

Thanks, Cushion, you're so nice.

For those of you that came in late, here is CCN's strand of SPECTACULAR tahitians from Pearl Paradise:

I am plain jealous!

Ah Shucks! Thank you! I am wearing them as I type this! I would really like to own a more expensive strand in the near future but honestly, I am thrilled with this strand especially for the price I paid for them. I honestly thing they graded these very conservatively at AA. Some of the strands I see listed on Pearl Paradise's website are twice as much and are graded higher and they don't look as nice as these. I really think it is in the best interest of anyone who reads this and is contemplating buying some pearls.... call Pearl Paradise and have to pull a few strands/pearls or whatever you may be "hankering" for......... They can steer you in the right direction and they can find you something within your budget. They will also take pictures as they did for me and it can make your selection process so much easier.

iLander, I have bookmarked that website though as I can never keep my eggs in one basket!!

 

[iLander]

iLander, post that gold strand everyday if you want: i'll never tire of looking at it. the golds have been an acquired taste for me and i have YOU to blame....so perhaps you need to continue to feed my fix for golden eye candy!

MoZo

Thank you, MoZo! You're so nice!