Fruition: 9.5-10mm "top quality" white akoya from Takahashi

[pearaffair]

More of @LLJsmom's akoya next to my mother's.

If there wasn't a tiny size difference (and a slight colour difference - which of course isn't a quality factor) there would be no way to tell these apart. They're a quality-matched quartet in every way that matters


My mother's on top and @LLJsmom[/USER]'s on the bottom:



- - - - - - - - - -

My mother's left and @LLJsmom[/USER]'s right:

Wow these pictures are so helpful! And the different lighting is amazing at showing how they can look different! Thank you!

 

[pearaffair]

I've got a few more photos to share today!! First up - @LLJsmom gave me permission to share some photos of her Takahashi white akoya. These are also "top quality" (with PSL Ten-nyo).


Here they are next to my blue akoya (also from Takahashi):



- - - - - - - - - -

The blues are "Madama quality" (uncerted). They're very very nice, but the whites outclass them!

I don’t want to totally hijack but may I ask- are blue studs at this quality level “blued” the same way other pearls are “pinked”? Or are they bluer than that?

(and if you’ll forgive me another question: is blue less expensive than white?)

 

[LLJsmom]

More of @LLJsmom's akoya next to my mother's.

If there wasn't a tiny size difference (and a slight colour difference - which of course isn't a quality factor) there would be no way to tell these apart. They're a quality-matched quartet in every way that matters


My mother's on top and @LLJsmom[/USER]'s on the bottom:



- - - - - - - - - -

My mother's left and @LLJsmom[/USER]'s right:

I'm so biased. I all these pearls. And I love wearing them too. I cannot get over my good fortune that @yssie was able to vet them for me. I'm gonna have to name them. Hmmmm...

 

[yssie]

Oh!! Before I forget to add this here!! For anyone who's interested - here's Takahashi's history page (Google will translate it into English):

ƒ^ƒJƒnƒVƒp[ƒ‹

_ŒËŽs’†‰›‹æB^Žì‚¨‚æ‚щž—p»•i‚̉ÁHE—Ao“üE‰µB‰ïŽÐŠT—vE‰ˆŠvA»•iЉîB“ú–{^Žì‰ÁH‹ÆŠE‚̃pƒCƒIƒjƒA‚Æ‚µ‚ÄAí‚ÉÅV‚̉ÁH‹Zp‚ðŒÖ‚èA“Á‚É—Ç•iŽ¿‚̤•i•ª–ì‚É‚¨‚¢‚ÄŽÀÑ‚ðŽ‚ÂB

takahashi-pearl.co.jp

I admit I found the geneology totally confusing. I was chatting with Yy a couple of days ago and she gave me a much better explanation - apparently Takahashi has been around for a long time. Like, a really really long time - it was started in the 1920s, same as where that timeline starts!! And the folks who started it are apparently responsible for some pretty significant innovations in processing/treating/enhancement. The company's been through a couple of incarnations since then, of course, with various branches of family taking over.

I knew that Takahashi was #SomewherePrettyEarlyInTheSupplyChain but I didn't understand just how early. Yy mentioned that the first few months of the year are for buying raw materials. I asked what "raw materials" were. Turns out Takahashi buys pearls from farms and literally processes them themselves - they bleach, they pink, they enhance, they polish, they sort, they string, they sell... Before 2020 they sold only to retailers, now they sell direct to consumer as well. Which, okay, so yeah, that kind of explains their pricing

I've got a million more questions but I told her I'd wait for her to tell me when I could usurp her time I did ask about maeshori, and she explained that those enhancements are different for different types of pearls - so the word "meashori" might mean something very different for an akoya and a WSS. (And apparently WSS are normally just polished, no pinking).

Oh, and Takahashi had their own farm once upon a time, too But they sold it a good many years ago. So... Well, long story short, this company is seriously embedded in the pearls industry, from start to finish. I didn't realize!!


Okay - a few more pics of my mother's new pair with some of my pearls, they're getting jealous

Mikimoto AAA 9.25mm, Takahashi 9.5-10mm, Mikimoto AAA 7.5mm. Hmm. I never made a thread for the Miki babies did I? Or add them to my older Miki thread. I guess I wasn't technically supposed to be keeping them... Oopsies. Andrew sent me a pair of 7.4mm gemmies for a friend's daughter and I was smitten with the size, I thought I'd buy a pair of my own and exchange them if I never reached for them. Well, I never reach for them, but I'm still smitten with the size



- - - - - - - - - -

A few pics of my Miki 9.25, my mother's Takahashi studs, and a small natural white strand (no pinking, but I assume bleaching and maeshori). These photos show the overtone difference quite well I think

The NW doesn't suit me at all, honestly. White-bodied akoya err green, the pinking cuts the green. I'll keep it for now as a curiosity.







- - - - - - - - - -

And just a fun pic of everything I've bought from Takahashi so far (minus the NW - and 'course thread subject also excluded )

 

[pearaffair]

I'm so biased. I all these pearls. And I love wearing them too. I cannot get over my good fortune that @yssie was able to vet them for me. I'm gonna have to name them. Hmmmm...

They are really really gorgeous!! Haha I’ll start standing in line waiting for Yssie to vet some for me one day!

 

[pearaffair]

Oh!! Before I forget to add this here!! For anyone who's interested - here's Takahashi's history page (Google will translate it into English):

ƒ^ƒJƒnƒVƒp[ƒ‹

_ŒËŽs’†‰›‹æB^Žì‚¨‚æ‚щž—p»•i‚̉ÁHE—Ao“üE‰µB‰ïŽÐŠT—vE‰ˆŠvA»•iЉîB“ú–{^Žì‰ÁH‹ÆŠE‚̃pƒCƒIƒjƒA‚Æ‚µ‚ÄAí‚ÉÅV‚̉ÁH‹Zp‚ðŒÖ‚èA“Á‚É—Ç•iŽ¿‚̤•i•ª–ì‚É‚¨‚¢‚ÄŽÀÑ‚ðŽ‚ÂB

takahashi-pearl.co.jp

I admit I found the geneology totally confusing. I was chatting with Yy a couple of days ago and she gave me a much better explanation - apparently Takahashi has been around for a long time. Like, a really really long time - it was started in the 1920s, same as where that timeline starts!! And the folks who started it are apparently responsible for some pretty significant innovations in processing/treating/enhancement. The company's been through a couple of incarnations since then, of course, with various branches of family taking over.

I knew that Takahashi was #SomewherePrettyEarlyInTheSupplyChain but I didn't understand just how early. Yy mentioned that the first few months of the year are for buying raw materials. I asked what "raw materials" were. Turns out Takahashi buys pearls from farms and literally processes them themselves - they bleach, they pink, they enhance, they polish, they sort, they string, they sell... Before 2020 they sold only to retailers, now they sell direct to consumer as well. Which, okay, so yeah, that kind of explains their pricing

I've got a million more questions but I told her I'd wait for her to tell me when I could usurp her time I did ask about maeshori, and she explained that those enhancements are different for different types of pearls - so the word "meashori" might mean something very different for an akoya and a WSS. (And apparently WSS are normally just polished, no pinking).

Oh, and Takahashi had their own farm once upon a time, too But they sold it a good many years ago. So... Well, long story short, this company is seriously embedded in the pearls industry, from start to finish. I didn't realize!!


Okay - a few more pics of my mother's new pair with some of my pearls, they're getting jealous

Mikimoto AAA 9.25mm, Takahashi 9.5-10mm, Mikimoto AAA 7.5mm:



- - - - - - - - - -

A few pics of my Miki 9.25, my mother's Takahashi studs, and a small natural white strand. These photos show the overtone difference quite well I think

The NW doesn't suit me, honestly. I'll keep it for now as a curiosity.







- - - - - - - - - -

And just a fun pic of everything I've bought from Takahashi so far (and kept for myself - thread subject excluded )

WOW! What a fascinating history and absolutely sumptuous photos!!

 

[AntiqueSparkle]

Yep, how can I sign up for the @yssie pearl program? You get the fun and the hunt, we reap the rewards like little eager pearl gremlins!

 

[yssie]

I don’t want to totally hijack but may I ask- are blue studs at this quality level “blued” the same way other pearls are “pinked”? Or are they bluer than that?

(and if you’ll forgive me another question: is blue less expensive than white?)

So the "pinking" is literally just leaving white akoya in a bottle of pink dye for a few weeks. But the blue/grey akoya, that's the pearls' natural body colour, they aren't "blued" with blue dye. And I asked Yy about overtone and pinking, Takahashi doesn't pink their blues!! The pink that's so common in blue akoya is totally natural. And sometimes there's some green and/or purple as well - also natural.

Even natural white akoya very-not-infrequently have some pink overtone, but IMO the green in NW can be pretty overpowering. I definitely don't subscribe to the "natural white is better white" philosophy that I know used to be super prevalent

- - - - - - - - - -

I'm so biased. I all these pearls. And I love wearing them too. I cannot get over my good fortune that @yssie was able to vet them for me. I'm gonna have to name them. Hmmmm...

And I will *forever* kick myself for not getting a pair like your champagnes. OMG. I love those pearls too.

You have, like, zero meh pearls. And here's the crazy part, you never did!!!! You started at the very top with your inherited Miki and you've just stayed there
Goodness knows that ain't my story but I sure wish it was!!

 

[Pearlescence]

No definitely go in the first few hours. Such a pity if someone grabs your holy grail just a few hours before you right? Early bird catches the worm etc…

I really want to go to a Japan show actually, as I think the preloved section will be fabulous.

I once overheard someone on the first day of a show complaining because there were no outstanding pearls. I chortled inside as I had already been there for a week going round wholesale offices and the pearls I had selected never even got to the show.

 

[Pearlescence]

So the "pinking" is literally just leaving white akoya in a bottle of pink dye for a few weeks. But the blue/grey akoya, that's the pearls' natural body colour, they aren't "blued" with blue dye. And I asked Yy about overtone and pinking, Takahashi doesn't pink their blues!! The pink that's so common in blue akoya is totally natural. And sometimes there's some green and/or purple as well - also natural.

Even natural white akoya very-not-infrequently have some pink overtone, but IMO the green in NW can be pretty overpowering. I definitely don't subscribe to the "natural white is better white" philosophy that I know used to be super prevalent

- - - - - - - - - -




And I will *forever* kick myself for not getting a pair like your champagnes. OMG. I love those pearls too.

You have, like, zero meh pearls. And here's the crazy part, you never did!!!! You started at the very top with your inherited Miki and you've just stayed there
Goodness knows that ain't my story but I sure wish it was!!

Lots of blue pearls are dyed. The blue colour seems to be fading from blue akoya and blue south sea pearls. Fewer pearls and those which can be found are generally more grey/silver than blue. A few years ago blue akoya really were blue. Not quite microsoft strength blue but defo blue. Now ...anything blue is suspect.
Why is the blue disappearing? Good question! I asked several akoya farmers and they have no idea..they can sell blues easily (again, a few years ago coloured akoya were an embarrassing also tucked down the side of one or two show stands and CHEAP. unbelievably cheap!)
Also be aware that probably the majority of gold akoya in the west are dyed. Real gold akoya aren't deep gold.

 

[icy_jade]

I definitely don't subscribe to the "natural white is better white" philosophy that I know used to be super prevalent

I do cos I’ve seen natural whites and I love how they look on me. They are so WHITE. For people like me who don’t do well in pastels, they really do look better on.

 

[pearaffair]

So the "pinking" is literally just leaving white akoya in a bottle of pink dye for a few weeks. But the blue/grey akoya, that's the pearls' natural body colour, they aren't "blued" with blue dye. And I asked Yy about overtone and pinking, Takahashi doesn't pink their blues!! The pink that's so common in blue akoya is totally natural. And sometimes there's some green and/or purple as well - also natural.

Even natural white akoya very-not-infrequently have some pink overtone, but IMO the green in NW can be pretty overpowering. I definitely don't subscribe to the "natural white is better white" philosophy that I know used to be super prevalent

- - - - - - - - - -




And I will *forever* kick myself for not getting a pair like your champagnes. OMG. I love those pearls too.

You have, like, zero meh pearls. And here's the crazy part, you never did!!!! You started at the very top with your inherited Miki and you've just stayed there
Goodness knows that ain't my story but I sure wish it was!!

Thank you for the info about blues!

 

[pearaffair]

I do cos I’ve seen natural whites and I love how they look on me. They are so WHITE. For people like me who don’t do well in pastels, they really do look better on.

That makes sense to me! I look bad in pastels and bad in pinked pearls.

 

[yssie]

@pearaffair let me elaborate on what I said earlier regarding blue:

A reputable vendor will not sell blue akoya that have been dyed or irradiated blue without disclosure. Pinking white akoya is considered a normal enhancement, and it’s not explicitly disclosed. Any sort of treatment - dye or irradiation or anything else - that’s used to achieve a blue colour in akoya is not considered normal in any reputable arena, and will be disclosed by a reputable vendor.

My question to Takahashi was whether naturally blue akoya are pinked like white akoya are. Yy told me Takahashi does not pink their natural blue akoya. They can’t speak to other other vendors of course, so I can’t say whether “pinking” of blues would be considered par for the course by the industry at large… But I would strongly suspect not.

When I bought my Madama strand from Pearl Paradise I asked this same question, and at that time their natural blue akoya were non-pinked. I assume that’s still the case but anyone who feels pinking is an important consideration should verify for their own purchase! But again, Pearl Paradise would never sell akoya that had been treated to achieve a blue colour without disclosing that fact.

I hope that helps!! It does come down to trusting your vendor to be forthright about both treatments and enhancements. Etsy and eBay are minefields - there are some very reputable operations there, but definitely some that are… Less so. Just be sure to check any vendors you’re considering against the Trusted Vendors sticky at the top of the forum

 

[yssie]

I do cos I’ve seen natural whites and I love how they look on me. They are so WHITE. For people like me who don’t do well in pastels, they really do look better on.

Ooooh. Yes!! And thank you!! I made a pretty sweeping statement there.

Lemme dial that back into the context I was thinking of. A decade ago, even half a decade ago, on PS and the other pearl forum, when I first started to learn about nice akoya - my takeaway was that NW was really an upgrade over the regular stuff. Not so much a personal preference as just #ObjectivelyBetter. I think partly because they’re more rare. And of course many vendors price them a bit higher which adds to that sensibility.

I reckon NW are extra special in that to make a full strand you need a certain quantity of a certain quality of pearl that can be used as-is, without the visual equalization that pinking provides… That’s gotta be much harder to find!! But at the same time - in this case more rare doesn’t automatically mean higher quality, pinked akoya and NW akoya can be of equally high quality! What’s “better” totally depends on what suits you best. Icy_jade I remember you saying that you didn’t like pinked pearls on you, and @pearaffair is the same - so for y’all’s NW is perfect

So five years ago to when I wanted my first pair of nice akoya studs… I picked up on the NW is an upgrade zeitgeist real quick (but I didn’t make nearly as much effort to piece through that as I should have!) so of course I wanted NW, because y’all know me. But pinked pearls look better on me. And I knew that!! What a dilemma Pearl Paradise found me a pair of NW studs that had such strong (natural) pink overtone that they might as well have been pinked. Seriously - they just looked like normal pinked akoya… And I paid a non-trivial premium for that…

I’ve decided that my husband is a “soft summer”. I’m a “deep autumn”. Icy I know you’re a winter. My black cats are equal-opportunists, they look phenomenal in all my pearls.

 

[pearaffair]

Ooooh. Yes!! And thank you!! I made a pretty sweeping statement there.

Lemme dial that back into the context I was thinking of. A decade ago, even half a decade ago, on PS and the other pearl forum, when I first started to learn about nice akoya - NW was really considered an upgrade over the regular stuff. Not a personal preference, but #ObjectivelyBetter. I think partly because they’re more rare. And of course many vendors price them a bit higher which adds to that sensibility.

I reckon NW are extra special in that to make a full strand you need a certain quantity of a certain quality of pearl that can be used as-is, without the visual equalization that pinking provides… That’s gotta be much harder to find!! But at the same time - in this case more rare doesn’t automatically mean higher quality - pinked akoya and NW akoya can be of equally high quality! What’s “better” totally depends on what suits you best. Icy_jade I remember you saying that you didn’t like pinked pearls on you, and @pearaffair is the same - so for y’all’s NW is a perfect fit

So go back to five years ago to when I wanted my first pair of nice akoya studs. I picked up on that older NW is an upgrade zeitgeist real quick and of course that’s what I wanted, because y’all know me. But pinked pearls look better on me! And I knew that!! What a dilemma Pearl Paradise found me a pair of NW studs that had such strong (natural) pink overtone that they might as well have been pinked. Seriously - they just looked like normal pinked akoya… And I paid a non-trivial premium for that…

I’ve decided that my husband is a “soft summer”. I’m a “deep autumn”. Icy I know you’re a winter. My black cats are equal-opportunists, they look phenomenal in all my pearls.

Lol about your cats looking great in all pearls! (Or should I say, puuuurrrls? Hehehe) I believe it!

such a newbie question but what does “NW” stand for?

 

[yssie]

Lol about your cats looking great in all pearls! (Or should I say, puuuurrrls? Hehehe) I believe it!

such a newbie question but what does “NW” stand for?

NW is Natural White “White akoya” refers to body colour, the body colour of white akoya is white or very slightly creamy. White akoya often have natural pink or green overtones - actually often both!

All akoya go through maeshori - which I think actually means “enhancement”? Or something similar to that? Not sure. That word can mean a bunch of things that aren’t considered “treatments”… But these enhancements don’t have the negative connotations that “treatments” convey. Depending on the establishment and type of pearl maeshori can be different - luster tightening, stain removal… Everyone’s got their own secret sauce.

“Treatments” are, like, dyeing pearls (you’ve seen those super brightly coloured pearls that look fake? Usually cheap freshwaters), irradiating pearls… I’m not sure where bleaching falls. I’ve seen “bleaching” - as in, left to soak in a dilute acid solution for a while - called a “treatment”. The GIA article that Pearlescence mentioned in your WSS thread discusses use of (and identification of use of) optical brightening agents in depth, worth a read if you’re interested. But I’ve also seen descriptions of maeshori explicitly include “stain removal”, which sounds an awful lot like bleaching…

To be honest I don’t get why pinking isn’t considered a treatment. It’s clearly a form of dyeing, and it’s permanent. Just creates confusion IMO. But hey, I’m not in charge.

Edit - oh yeah. NW akoya aren’t pinked. And assume all akoya go through maeshori. Some vendors say their NW aren’t bleached either, some don’t specify that. I would assume all white akoya are bleached unless specifically told otherwise. And if specifically told otherwise I would be probably wondering if maeshori had maybe included any stain removal Honestly by the time pearls get to most retailers vendors - they quite possibly wouldn’t even know for sure!!

Takahashi is really unique in that regard, since they do all their own processing

 

[Pearlescence]

Takahashi isn't unique. I know of pearl suppliers who retail, wholesale, process and have their own farms and factories (akoya, south sea and freshwater)

 

[pearaffair]

NW is Natural White “White akoya” refers to body colour, the body colour of white akoya is white or very slightly creamy. White akoya often have natural pink or green overtones - actually often both!

All akoya go through maeshori - which I think actually means “enhancement”? Or something similar to that? Not sure. That word can mean a bunch of things that aren’t considered “treatments”… But these enhancements don’t have the negative connotations that “treatments” convey. Depending on the establishment and type of pearl maeshori can be different - luster tightening, stain removal… Everyone’s got their own secret sauce.

“Treatments” are, like, dyeing pearls (you’ve seen those super brightly coloured pearls that look fake? Usually cheap freshwaters), irradiating pearls… I’m not sure where bleaching falls. I’ve seen “bleaching” - as in, left to soak in a dilute acid solution for a while - called a “treatment”. The GIA article that Pearlescence mentioned in your WSS thread discusses use of (and identification of use of) optical brightening agents in depth, worth a read if you’re interested. But I’ve also seen descriptions of maeshori explicitly include “stain removal”, which sounds an awful lot like bleaching…

To be honest I don’t get why pinking isn’t considered a treatment. It’s clearly a form of dyeing, and it’s permanent. Just creates confusion IMO. But hey, I’m not in charge.

Edit - oh yeah. NW akoya aren’t pinked. And assume all akoya go through maeshori. Some vendors say their NW aren’t bleached either, some don’t specify that. I would assume all white akoya are bleached unless specifically told otherwise. And if specifically told otherwise I would be probably wondering if maeshori had maybe included any stain removal Honestly by the time pearls get to most retailers vendors - they quite possibly wouldn’t even know for sure!!

Takahashi is really unique in that regard, since they do all their own processing

Ok I think I will need to read this a few times to absorb it all! Ha! I love diving into this! So much to learn. Thanks for sharing!

 

[icy_jade]

That makes sense to me! I look bad in pastels and bad in pinked pearls.

Go for Tahitians and wssps. But even for Tahitians certain colors/overtones can be more flattering and same for wssp. Like avoid the creamy wssp like plague. For Tahitians,
blues and cherries look awful on me which sucks.

Ooooh. Yes!! And thank you!! I made a pretty sweeping statement there.

Lemme dial that back into the context I was thinking of. A decade ago, even half a decade ago, on PS and the other pearl forum, when I first started to learn about nice akoya - my takeaway was that NW was really an upgrade over the regular stuff. Not so much a personal preference as just #ObjectivelyBetter. I think partly because they’re more rare. And of course many vendors price them a bit higher which adds to that sensibility.

I reckon NW are extra special in that to make a full strand you need a certain quantity of a certain quality of pearl that can be used as-is, without the visual equalization that pinking provides… That’s gotta be much harder to find!! But at the same time - in this case more rare doesn’t automatically mean higher quality, pinked akoya and NW akoya can be of equally high quality! What’s “better” totally depends on what suits you best. Icy_jade I remember you saying that you didn’t like pinked pearls on you, and @pearaffair is the same - so for y’all’s NW is perfect

So five years ago to when I wanted my first pair of nice akoya studs… I picked up on the NW is an upgrade zeitgeist real quick (but I didn’t make nearly as much effort to piece through that as I should have!) so of course I wanted NW, because y’all know me. But pinked pearls look better on me. And I knew that!! What a dilemma Pearl Paradise found me a pair of NW studs that had such strong (natural) pink overtone that they might as well have been pinked. Seriously - they just looked like normal pinked akoya… And I paid a non-trivial premium for that…

I’ve decided that my husband is a “soft summer”. I’m a “deep autumn”. Icy I know you’re a winter. My black cats are equal-opportunists, they look phenomenal in all my pearls.

Yeah I figured that’s one reason why I don’t have white akoyas despite LOVING the mirror luster. All the usual ones are pinked and look bleh on me and the natural whites cost a bomb and yet are on the small side (compared to wssp and Tahitians sizes that I’m used too). I think the advantage I have is that I buy most of my stuff in real life so I can really try and assess how they look against my skin before I buy as opposed to buying online.

NW is Natural White “White akoya” refers to body colour, the body colour of white akoya is white or very slightly creamy. White akoya often have natural pink or green overtones - actually often both!

All akoya go through maeshori - which I think actually means “enhancement”? Or something similar to that? Not sure. That word can mean a bunch of things that aren’t considered “treatments”… But these enhancements don’t have the negative connotations that “treatments” convey. Depending on the establishment and type of pearl maeshori can be different - luster tightening, stain removal… Everyone’s got their own secret sauce.

“Treatments” are, like, dyeing pearls (you’ve seen those super brightly coloured pearls that look fake? Usually cheap freshwaters), irradiating pearls… I’m not sure where bleaching falls. I’ve seen “bleaching” - as in, left to soak in a dilute acid solution for a while - called a “treatment”. The GIA article that Pearlescence mentioned in your WSS thread discusses use of (and identification of use of) optical brightening agents in depth, worth a read if you’re interested. But I’ve also seen descriptions of maeshori explicitly include “stain removal”, which sounds an awful lot like bleaching…

To be honest I don’t get why pinking isn’t considered a treatment. It’s clearly a form of dyeing, and it’s permanent. Just creates confusion IMO. But hey, I’m not in charge.

Edit - oh yeah. NW akoya aren’t pinked. And assume all akoya go through maeshori. Some vendors say their NW aren’t bleached either, some don’t specify that. I would assume all white akoya are bleached unless specifically told otherwise. And if specifically told otherwise I would be probably wondering if maeshori had maybe included any stain removal Honestly by the time pearls get to most retailers vendors - they quite possibly wouldn’t even know for sure!!

Takahashi is really unique in that regard, since they do all their own processing

I think NW are untreated, and the creamy ones will be picked away to be bleached anyway. At least that’s what I recall from when I explored akoyas a few years ago.

 

[pearaffair]

Go for Tahitians and wssps. But even for Tahitians certain colors/overtones can be more flattering and same for wssp. Like avoid the creamy wssp like plague. For Tahitians,
blues and cherries look awful on me which sucks.



Yeah I figured that’s one reason why I don’t have white akoyas despite LOVING the mirror luster. All the usual ones are pinked and look bleh on me and the natural whites cost a bomb and yet are on the small side (compared to wssp and Tahitians sizes that I’m used too). I think the advantage I have is that I buy most of my stuff in real life so I can really try and assess how they look against my skin before I buy as opposed to buying online.



I think NW are untreated, and the creamy ones will be picked away to be bleached anyway. At least that’s what I recall from when I explored akoyas a few years ago.

We must be able to wear similar colours! I look dreadful in anything cream, it has to be white. I imagine for tahitians I could have something with purple or blues. Thanks for the tips! I’m currently on the hunt for some white white south sea pearls

but I am going to google natural white Akoya as to see what they might look like.

 

[icy_jade]

We must be able to wear similar colours! I look dreadful in anything cream, it has to be white. I imagine for tahitians I could have something with purple or blues. Thanks for the tips! I’m currently on the hunt for some white white south sea pearls

but I am going to google natural white Akoya as to see what they might look like.

@pearaffair

I have some pics of natural whites on pages 2-4 of this thread:

Singapore Jewellery & Gem Fair 2013

icy_jade - What a gorgeous Tahitian rope you selected, and I'm so delighted that my Kamoka harvest strand was an inspiration. I love all of your choices...that gorgeous Tahitian rope with the wonderful luster...I must see more photos of the individual pearls. I see a huge pink and green...

www.pricescope.com

But my pics don’t do them justice as I don’t have mad photography skills like @yssie!

I also thought purples n blue Tahitians will be good for me since I wear clothes those colors but no. Peacocks are the best. For wssp I like silvery white with pink n blue or pink n green overtones.

 

[love_pearls]

I think cultured pearls are not to be expected natural in and of itself. That's why it's called cultured just when you buy a bonsai plant, you have already learnt that that plant is not natural, it's been moded the way humans want.

If you want pearls that are untreated, maybe natural pearls are for you? But not sure if natural pearls are untreated or not. Not sure if such pearls can be found in royal collection.

 

[icy_jade]

If you want pearls that are untreated, maybe natural pearls are for you? But not sure if natural pearls are untreated or not. Not sure if such pearls can be found in royal collection.

The completely ones I’ve seen are pretty awful looking (imo) so cultured is great for me.

 

[love_pearls]

The completely ones I’ve seen are pretty awful looking (imo) so cultured is great for me.

I think different companies got different formula of treatment, just like silk and other garments. Some materials from certain companies are better than other's so they take up the dye better thus the colours are brighter shinier and look superior. The quality of the shine, luster and smoothness might depend on the quality of pearls themselves and the dye and the know-how of treatment which result in the signature of certain companies which might be difficult to imitate.

Just don't take my information too seriously as I use my logic instead of expertise.

 

[icy_jade]

I think different companies got different formula of treatment, just like silk and other garments. Some materials from certain companies are better than other's so they take up the dye better thus the colours are brighter shinier and look superior. The quality of the shine, luster and smoothness might depend on the quality of pearls themselves and the dye and the know-how of treatment which result in the signature of certain companies which might be difficult to imitate.

Just don't take my information too seriously as I use my logic instead of expertise.

Don’t believe that to be the case such that you will be able to see the difference in treated pearls from a consumer perspective. In any case by the time it gets to us, we simply select the pearls based on perceived quality so it shouldn’t matter to us which company did the treatment.

 

[love_pearls]

Don’t believe that to be the case such that you will be able to see the difference in treated pearls from a consumer perspective. In any case by the time it gets to us, we simply select the pearls based on perceived quality so it shouldn’t matter to us which company did the treatment.

Not sure if they have a trade secret of the treatment, if there was, that would explain why they kept it a secret in the first place. But this deserve a research project.

 

[icy_jade]

The completely ones I’ve seen are pretty awful looking (imo) so cultured is great for me.

Whoops dunno why “natural” was omitted but yeah I meant natural pearls

 

[yssie]

I admit I'm laughing at icy's comment. I've never seen a natural pearl I actually liked either. Even in museums. They're always misshapen and lackluster. Break out the tiny violin I know

To me a cultured pearl genuinely isn't "lesser" or "less real" than a natural peal. I genuinely don't consider keshi to be "better" or "more real"... So I guess that makes me walking proof of Mikimoto accomplishing the unbelievable and successfully altering market perception within a single lifetime

 

[yssie]

Going to drop a few more photos into this thread - these are the photos of all three pairs of 9.5-10 that Yy originally sent me. Maybe helpful for others buying from Takahashi My mother's pair is #3.





- - - - - - - - - -

Not my hand! Yy's boss' hand!





- - - - - - - - - -

I had asked for a photo comparing these three to some "top quality" smaller pearls. Because grading is often more lenient in larger sizes. I wanted to confirm I wasn't losing luster... Well, I remember thinking that this photo didn't exactly tell me much
But I trusted Yy's assessment and obviously there was nothing to worry about!