Gellner pearls

[Snowdrop13]

Hi folks, does anyone know of a seller for Gellner pearl designs? I've seen their Fiji Rain necklaces and think they are gorgeous, I can't seem to find much about them online. I'm in Europe and I think they are a German company so it's a bit surprising....

 

[ennui]

I found a few jewelry stores carrying Gellner, but not the Fiji Rain items.

 

[Pirard]

From their website:

GELLNER Store
Kurt-Schumacher-Platz 6
44787 Bochum
Germany

 

[Snowdrop13]

Thank you, ennui and Pirard! I find it very frustrating to see lovely pics of things online and not have prices or a shopping cart to get on with purchasing! I wonder why retailers do that these days? Maybe the Fiji pearls are limited in availability?

 

[NacreLover]

You can find jewelry stores online who carry this brand. Can't post links or I'll get in trouble. Many use these styles as guides and have others make them up for them at a fraction of the price. From the looks of it they don't use the highest quality pearls for these designs but sure want the highest prices for them. The brown diamond pearl station necklace for instance is being recreated by many using spinell, laboradite and other semi precious gems.

 

[Pirard]

I do love the design, and will say, this is very easy to accomplish using keshi pearls and gemstone rondelles. This isn't an "exclusive" design, per se...wire wrapped pearls and rondelles are done by a number of different designers (professional and hobbyists like me!). I think you could recreate a look like this fairly easily either on your own or by a local jewelry shop. I wouldn't think it would be outrageously expensive to recreate because it isn't all that complicated.

 

[ennui]

Maybe the Fiji pearls are limited in availability?

Are the pearls from Fiji, or is "Fiji Rain" simply the name of the design? I suspect the latter.

 

[NacreLover]

FIJI EXCLUSIVE

The Fiji Cultured Pearls Sales – Partnership: Boundless enthusiasm at Gellner regarding the worldwide exclusive distribution of Fiji Cultured Pearls by Justin Hunter.

Fiji evokes dreams of the South Seas. An archipelago made up of more than 300 small islands in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Deep blue bays, solitary beaches surrounded by turquoise waters. For jewelry-lovers however, Fiji evokes very particular dreams. Dreams about the world’s rarest, most precious and beautiful cultured pearls and their magical radiance.

The volume of an annual Fiji harvest is very limited, the international interest accordingly large, and the distribution now exclusive. Longstanding personal friendship and mutual trust between Justin Hunter and Jörg Gellner have evolved into a global distribution-partnership: With Gellner becoming the worldwide exclusive distributor for J. Hunter Pearls Fiji.

 

[ennui]

Oh ... when you said "From the looks of it they don't use the highest quality pearls," I got confused.

 

[Pirard]

I think maybe she was referencing keshi vs. rounds?

 

[ennui]

Could be ...

 

[NacreLover]

If you look at Justin Hunters page you see colorful perfect pearls. Since Gellener seems to pride themselves on high end jewelry one would think they would be selecting cream of the crop for their collection. This doesn't seem to be the case if you look at the examples on the ads. Any pearl farm creates a wide range of quality of pearls during the harvest, what quality would you say these are? After buying pearls for your collection and looking at the price points do you think they are a good value?

 

[NacreLover]

$9,100.00 Stainless steel 9.5-12mm tahitian and black diamonds

 

[NacreLover]

$1,142.00 Oxidized silver and 13-14 Tahitian

 

[Pirard]

Wow, that's a pricey piece!

 

[NacreLover]

$714.00 Black sterling with 10-11 tahitians

 

[NacreLover]

$2150.00 hematite and tahitian bracelet no size given for pearls

 

[seaurchin]

Wow. Those do look very overpriced!

 

[cmd2014]

I love Gellner designs, but every time I've looked at what the authorized vendors are actually selling vs the ad photos, I've been struck by how blemished the pearls are for the prices being asked. That said, I'd love to go to their headquarters and shop if I ever win the lottery!

 

[NacreLover]

So instead of paying $8135.00 for this version with brown diamonds, many are making their own with under a hundred dollars worth of spinel or other semi precious gems and either buying fancy color Tahitians or recycling something they already own.

 

[Pirard]

Nacre, this is done with brown diamonds, right? I actually thought of using andalusite (don't know if I've spelled that correctly!) and some citrine in a similar fashion.

 

[NacreLover]

Yes. I bought some 2.5mm spinel and though of making one. I've seen it done with different mixes of gems and labradorite. I would think garnet might be nice too. I was looking at price points of hematite after looking at the bracelet above yesterday. A 15" strand is only $5.00.

 

[Pirard]

I've made several of this type of necklace, using labradorite, aquamarine, rhodolite, amethyst, and blue sapphire. The bead stringing of those teeny tiny gems is a bit tedious, but the outcome is really a smashing look. I have to say, though, I've never thought of mixing in different stones near the pearls...I may have to do one with black spinels and amethyst as I love purple and black together.

 

[NacreLover]

Can you post photos of your necklaces you've made please?

 

[Purranha]

Hi Ladies!

Pirard has made some amazing pieces - love her Mermaid piece which I'm sure she will share.

To be honest, while I really like Gellner's designs, they are incredibly overpriced and I mostly only check them out because they have a choke hold to Justin's Fiji pearls. We need to be able to get our hands on some!

I have made a Gellner Big Bang myself and I fashioned it off of this particular piece. The mix of stone colors as well as the addition of the larger nuggets really adds interesting layers of texture for me.


Here is the piece I made, layered with Octo_girl's octo baby, and another necklace I made out of 4 strands of small bracelets I had when I was younger but no longer wear.

 

[Lovinggems]

Hehe I love the Gellner's gem and pearl designs and made a few myself. If you really like the Fiji rain collection I saw it in person last August in Fiji, maybe you could contact J Hunter pearls and see if they still stock it?

 

[Pirard]

Hehehe...here's what happens when you ask me to post photos! These are just some of the pieces I've made. And with Purranha as my inspiration, I've also made gemstone tassels to wear with the rhodolite and labradorite sets

 

[Pirard]

And here are the tassels:

 

[NacreLover]

Thank you. Now that's what I'm talking about. All those necklaces and I bet you didn't spend as much of one of the one above. Great job!

 

[Purranha]

With the length of the strands I made, it took a bit less than 2 strands of rondelles each.
Labradorite, rhodolite garnet, black spinel etc will cost anywhere from $10-$15 per strand.
Other gemstones such as tourmaline, sapphire, etc will cost more.
Yes it makes me really happy how affordable these "interpretation" strands are.
And when you get tired of them, chop them up and remake them!

Aww Pirard love our tassel strands!!!
And I really love the light & dark version of the mermaid strands!
BTW did we name them Ariel & Ursula? Can't quite remember lol.