Help purchasing my first pearl stud earrings

[Mom2_4]

Hi! I'm a new bee in the forum. I've been wanting to buy a nice set of stud pearl about 10-12 mm in size. I'm in Hawaii for a vacation and planning to buy here. I tried to get as much info on how to pick a nice quality one but when I compare prices online and jewelry shops here, there's such a big difference. I would really appreciate any info as where to buy them on line and in store. What would be a nice first pair be? .. I think this will be a start of a future collection.
Thanks...

 

[NacreLover]

Welcome to the forum... What type of pearls are you looking for (10-12mm) ? I was on the big island in January and went all over with my SIl shopping for pearls. We went into multiple resorts, shopping malls, downtown, different towns all over the island. We hit chain stores and independents. The quality of the pearls we saw was all over the place and prices were high. The best quality we saw of any store was actually inside a upscale hotel with a golf course on the beach. If you want the name I can call my SIL, she has stayed there multiple times with a group. We just used the valet and went down to the beach bar to have a cool drink and watch the water, it has a beautiful cove setting.

Neither of us bought any pearls that trip, she bought a new wedding diamond ring instead. Over all the quality for the price tag was not the same as what you can buy from the vendors we purchase from here on the forum. We get grading information, better selection and the quality over all is much better buying from them. There are no pearl farms in Hawaii and these stores are buying their pearls from the same pool as our vendors but they have brick and morter's in exotic locations and employees to pay for.

Many ladies like to bring home jewelry when they go on vacation and I am sure this why they have so many pearl shops to choose from. I saw no Deals or fancy color Tahitians pearls that called my name, so came back without spending anything.

 

[dk168]

For that size of pearls, I would advise either Tahitians or South Seas Pearls (SSPs).

Be warned about vendors passing cultured freshwater pearls (CFWPs) as SSPs, especially in market stalls, as they can be quite difficult to distinguish if one is not used to handling pearls.

Online pearl vendors that I can trust are Pearl Paradise, Pearl of Joy and The Pearl Outlet. I have also heard good things about Pure Pearls, Kojima Pearl and TahitianPearls.biz.

DK

 

[pkinnew]

Mom2 4 - Welcome! We love having new pearl fans drop by! I haven't purchased pearls in Hawaii (I did buy some fun shell jewelry though!) but I can recommend the online sellers mentioned in the posts. Maybe you could buy the pearl earrings you want before you leave, wear them there and then buy something fun and memorable while you're there?

 

[SMC]

I'm pretty new to pearls, but wanted to point out this pair that Pearl Paradise has available during their Mother Day's sale: http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-94-100-110-mm-aaa-white-south-sea-pearl-stud-earrings.aspx

What type of overtones are you looking for? You can email PP and ask them to select a few pairs for you in that size range and send you pictures so you can choose: http://www.pearlparadise.com/t-pearlqualityguide.aspx

I love my PP pearls. I was at Borsheim's this weekend (jewelry store in Omaha, NE) - they had a big sale for the Berkshire-Hathaway shareholders weekend - and another shopper stopped me and asked me where I got my pearls (I was wearing my Pearl Paradise Freshadamas). I told them online (not Borsheim's like she'd assumed), and she was like, "wow, they're so lustrous!". They were as beautiful as the pearls available at Borsheim's and a lot cheaper (even with the Borsheim's "Crazy Warren" discounts).

 

[YC]

Welcome to the forum! Since there are quite a number of b&m pearl shops at where you are, you can take the opportunity to try out the pearls to determine which color and overtones suit you better. In my opinion, nothing beats looking at the pearls in real life. They can look good on photos or on display but may not suit you simply because of the different skin tones. Then contact one of the trusted online vendors (those listed here and in other threads) to liase with them to help you find what you want. Choose one with good return policy, in case the pearls do not work out for you.

 

[pkinnew]

Mom2 4 - I apologize - I must have skipped over the part where you said you were in Hawaii on vacation already! SOmetimes I'm not too sharp! I agree with YC - check out pearls in B&M shops to see what suits you. The shop around online where I think you'll get a better value. Happy shopping!