Help with pearls for bride''s present?

[tevyk]

So with many thanks to you all, I got an amazing ACA platinum diamond engagement ring for my [now] fiancee about a year ago through Whiteflash.

Our wedding is now coming up in about a month, and I''ve gathered that pearls are the ''traditional'' groom''s gift to the bride on the day of [I''ve got something a bit more sentimental I''m planning to include as well]. So I came back here, absolutely thrilled that PS has a pearl section now! I''m more or less going for ''classic'' strands of pearls for this, so nothing too out there. I don''t believe she currently has any pearls other than a few cheapish pair of earrings.

I''ve done an afternoon''s worth of reading and poking around, and think I''ve more or less narrowed things down. From what I''ve gathered, the Freshadamas from PearlParadise are going to be all-but-indistinguishable from high quality Akoyas -- is this right? Is the ''orient'' people talk about going to look weird? Is there a stigma associated with freshwater pearls (whether or not it''s deserved in this case)?

My current thinking is to get a freshadama pearl necklace, earrings, and maybe bracelet. The necklace and bracelet I think I''d get in 7-8mm size. She''s 24, works in a professional environment, and is fairly petite (5''4" - 5''5", 125 lbs)... though I''d like these to sort of be a ''last-forever'' style if possible.

But! I''ve still got some choices to make... let me preface this by saying I know almost nothing about jewelery except what I learned while shopping for her engagement ring.
* Should the earrings be the same size (7-8mm) as the necklace, or a little bigger?
* Should I bother with the bracelet?
* 16" or 18" necklace? What''s more versatile? Is one dressier than the other? Which would you rather have as your only pearl necklace?
* I was thinking of requesting a silver-rose overtone (mostly as a cop-out because I can''t decide between silver and rose). There are several pictures showing her skin color with the e-ring at the link at the top. She wears almost exclusively white gold/platinum/silver colored jewelery. Backings and clasps would all be white gold. Opinions?
* Should I get dangly or stud earrings?

Thanks everyone!

 

[brightlight]

Date: 5/26/2009 4:51:48 PM
Author:tevyk
So with many thanks to you all, I got an amazing ACA platinum diamond engagement ring for my [now] fiancee about a year ago through Whiteflash.

Our wedding is now coming up in about a month, and I've gathered that pearls are the 'traditional' groom's gift to the bride on the day of [I've got something a bit more sentimental I'm planning to include as well]. So I came back here, absolutely thrilled that PS has a pearl section now! I'm more or less going for 'classic' strands of pearls for this, so nothing too out there. I don't believe she currently has any pearls other than a few cheapish pair of earrings.

I've done an afternoon's worth of reading and poking around, and think I've more or less narrowed things down. From what I've gathered, the Freshadamas from PearlParadise are going to be all-but-indistinguishable from high quality Akoyas -- is this right? Is the 'orient' people talk about going to look weird? Is there a stigma associated with freshwater pearls (whether or not it's deserved in this case)?

My current thinking is to get a freshadama pearl necklace, earrings, and maybe bracelet. The necklace and bracelet I think I'd get in 7-8mm size. She's 24, works in a professional environment, and is fairly petite (5'4' - 5'5', 125 lbs)... though I'd like these to sort of be a 'last-forever' style if possible.

But! I've still got some choices to make... let me preface this by saying I know almost nothing about jewelery except what I learned while shopping for her engagement ring.
* Should the earrings be the same size (7-8mm) as the necklace, or a little bigger?
* Should I bother with the bracelet?
* 16' or 18' necklace? What's more versatile? Is one dressier than the other? Which would you rather have as your only pearl necklace?
* I was thinking of requesting a silver-rose overtone (mostly as a cop-out because I can't decide between silver and rose). There are several pictures showing her skin color with the e-ring at the link at the top. She wears almost exclusively white gold/platinum/silver colored jewelery. Backings and clasps would all be white gold. Opinions?
* Should I get dangly or stud earrings?

Thanks everyone!

Hi Tevyk. What a great gift for your future wife! When's your wedding date?

From my experience, the average person cannot tell the difference between akoyas and freshadamas. I think the only clue would be the random off-round pearl (like one or two) that may be in the freshadama strand. Also, from what I've read akoyas do not have orient. I think there may be a lingering stigma with freshwater pearls as cheap pearls among some people, because of the low quality freshwaters that flooded the market in the past. However, I'm not sure how pervasive this stigma is, and most people who see high quality freshwaters are SHOCKED by how beautiful they are. My experience has been that people don't think they're freshwater pearls.

If you want something that will last "forever" but that your fiance can still wear on a regular basis, freshadamas are the way to go. I also asked about durability when I purchased some akoyas and was told that with proper care and MINIMAL wear, all pearls can last a lifetime. Note the MINIMUM wear part. With freshadamas, you don't have to worry about the thin nacre like with akoyas. So, they can be worn on a regular basis.

Regarding the orient, it will not look weird. I think typically it's very subtle.

The size of the earrings depends on your fiance's ears. I have freakishly small ears, so I typically get earrings a size smaller.

I also think the bracelet is a personal preference. I tend not to wear bracelets. Does your fiance like wearing them? What you might want to do is pay extra for a mystery clasp on both the necklace and bracelet, so your fiance can wear the bracelet on her wrist or attach it to the necklace. That way, she can wear the necklace short or long.

Re: overtone, I think that also depends on preference and skin tone. If you want a bright white look, I would stick with silver. I don't know what the silver-rose overtone is like on the freshadamas, but I have to imagine it's similar or the same as the silver-rose on the akoyas. From my experience, I loved the silver-rose akoya pearls when I held them in my hand but did not like the look of silver-rose on my skin when I wore the necklace. However, I have tan skin. I think rose and silver-rose look better on lighter skin.

I personally prefer 16" necklaces, but that's because I'm a petite person myself.

One note about the dangles. I love, love, love the look of the dangle earrings. However, I have found them difficult to wear. The posts that go through your holes aren't round but more of a rectangular shape. I had a really hard time getting them through my holes, and my ears were swollen and red for days. It might just be b/c my ears and holes are too small for these earrings.

 

[Honey228]

I think that the freshadamas would be a great option for all of the reasons that brightlight listed.

Again, earrings are a bit dependent on the size of her lobes and/or what she''s comfortable wearing. Personally, I would be fine if the earrings were also 7-8 mm to match the necklace.

I have tiny wrists and almost never wear bracelets. It''s not because I wouldn''t want to, but it''s hard finding bracelets that fit. If I was ordering from PP, then I would ask if the length was adjustable.

I prefer 16'' because of my size (5''6, 112 lbs). I find that 18'' hangs too low for my tastes.

If she doesn''t have them, then I vote for studs hands down. To me, they are an essential part of a classic wardrobe. I like pearl dangle earrings, but I''d prefer them down the road in maybe a different type or color of pearl.

 

[tevyk]

Thanks for the input, everyone! I went with the 7-8mm freshadamas for both the necklace (18") and earrings.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 5/27/2009 2:47:09 PM
Author: tevyk
Thanks for the input, everyone! I went with the 7-8mm freshadamas for both the necklace (18'') and earrings.

Great choice! I have those earrings and think they are a great size! And an 18" strand is classic and good for anyone to have! I think that is a lovely wedding gift!

 

[Indylady]

Freshadamas are a great option. And akoya''s do have orient; they are what are generally considered the "classic" pearl.