Intro pearl purchase help— $200 budget

[KristinTech]

Hello pearl lovers!

I am itching to buy my first pearl purchase. I’d love a bracelet or a necklace (strand or pendant). I’m brand new to pearls! I’m loving this forum and seeing all the gorgeous glowy glory of everyone’s treasures.

Anyone willing to help me spend about $150-$200 or so? I’ve been browsing Pearl Paradise and also the sale at Blue Nile. The budget can stretch just a bit, but I’d prefer for this purchase to be really budget-friendly and then save later for something higher-end.

Thank you, all! And thank you for sharing all the lovely pics and knowledge here!

 

[BlingDreams]

I’m pretty new myself but I love looking! We’d need to know:

Color preference?
Shape preference?
Type presence?
Rating preference?

 

[Snowdrop13]

Ha, you have found the other rabbit hole to fall down........! Pearls are just as as addictive as diamonds imho.

I have a very small collection so far but I wear my PP Freshadama 7.5-8.0mm bracelet a LOT, it stacks well with other things too.

Have you looked at Kojima Pearl? They often have gorgeous one of a kind pieces.

Don’t forget most of the retailers will be doing Mother’s Day specials or money off coupons very soon.

 

[missy]

I love Pearl Paradise for getting the most for your money especially for your "starter" pearls. Do you want choker length or opera length or something in between? I love pearl chokers. Classic and elegant and the epitome of sophistication.

I would look at their Freshadama collection and get as large pearls as your budget allows.

They can shorten this to 16" if you would like and if you wait for their Mother's day sale it probably will be within budget.

https://www.pearlparadise.com/colle...ch-white-freshadama-freshwater-pearl-necklace


Enjoy your Pearlicious search.

 

[KristinTech]

I’m pretty new myself but I love looking! We’d need to know:

Color preference?
Shape preference?
Type presence?
Rating preference?

Color—for starters, either something in the white/cream family, or multicolor (organic dyed, I’m reading?). The peaches and pale lavenders may not look great with my skin tone, so I’ll need to try some of those colors on in person to be sure. I love bright, vivid gemstone colors, so I’m drawn to the Tahitians (out of my budget for this purchase unless a pendant). I have been reading about the dyed freshwater, but I’m not sure about dyeing in the pearl world—still doing my reading.

Shape—round, but they don’t have to all be perfect for this purchase. I read about AAA strands, and I think only a bracelet would be in my budget? I’d be fine with a bracelet for now and saving up for a necklace after I do a little more research! I like the wonky Tahitian shapes and colors, but again, out of my league right now!

I don’t have a preference right now for type of pearl, so I’d prefer to have more of a classic look. As my tastes change or progress with pearls, at least I’ll have this classic first purchase to say “this is where it all started.

Rating preference— AA+/AAA is what I’ve been looking at, just for general uniformity.

Thanks for the questions! It helps me organize my thoughts!

 

[KristinTech]

Ha, you have found the other rabbit hole to fall down........! Pearls are just as as addictive as diamonds imho.

I have a very small collection so far but I wear my PP Freshadama 7.5-8.0mm bracelet a LOT, it stacks well with other things too.

Have you looked at Kojima Pearl? They often have gorgeous one of a kind pieces.

Don’t forget most of the retailers will be doing Mother’s Day specials or money off coupons very soon.

Ooh, what else do you stack your bracelet with?! Would you mind posting some quick photos? I thought evens classic white with a multicolor dyed would look pretty. The 6.5-7.0 size is what I was thinking, but I don’t want to regret the size and wish I’d have gone larger. I’m new to pearls and I don’t wear costume jewelry, so I really have no idea about what to expect in terms of looks. Maybe I should browse some department store jewelry to get a feel for size.

I’m off to browse Kojima—thanks for the suggestion! When do you expect vendors will start the sales? Last week of April?

 

[KristinTech]

I love Pearl Paradise for getting the most for your money especially for your "starter" pearls. Do you want choker length or opera length or something in between? I love pearl chokers. Classic and elegant and the epitome of sophistication.

I would look at their Freshadama collection and get as large pearls as your budget allows.

They can shorten this to 16" if you would like and if you wait for their Mother's day sale it probably will be within budget.

https://www.pearlparadise.com/colle...ch-white-freshadama-freshwater-pearl-necklace


Enjoy your Pearlicious search.

Oh my goodness, their prices will go even lower soon for a mother’s day sale?! How long will I have to wait?

I do love that classic look you posted in the link. I actually have a choker necklace that has a broken clasp. I bought it in high school with a little bit of Christmas money my grandparents gave me. I am going to bring it into my local jeweler to see if they’re even real and how much it would cost for a new clasp. I’ll post a pic later this morning.

I’m thinking 18-22 inches or so for a necklace. Probably should go 18 for this one and save for a longer one down the road...

On second thought, maybe I should go for a bracelet right now, then tell hubby and kids about a necklace for mother’s day? The budget would probably be about $300 or so in that case.

 

[missy]

Oh my goodness, their prices will go even lower soon for a mother’s day sale?! How long will I have to wait?

I do love that classic look you posted in the link. I actually have a choker necklace that has a broken clasp. I bought it in high school with a little bit of Christmas money my grandparents gave me. I am going to bring it into my local jeweler to see if they’re even real and how much it would cost for a new clasp. I’ll post a pic later this morning.

I’m thinking 18-22 inches or so for a necklace. Probably should go 18 for this one and save for a longer one down the road...

On second thought, maybe I should go for a bracelet right now, then tell hubby and kids about a necklace for mother’s day? The budget would probably be about $300 or so in that case.

All good thoughts. Would you wear the bracelet? I ask because I am not one to wear bracelets often and when I do I don’t like matching per se so if I’m wearing a pearl necklace I will not wear a pearl bracelet. So while it’s a good idea to get the bracelet and then wait for mother’s day to get the necklace you want I think if it were me and I wanted both I’d just save for both and get both at the Mother’s Day discount. If you still want both. So my vote is wait for the savings. I don’t recall how much the sale is for but it was significant at least iirc.


My vote is save for the best necklace you can get... if that will get the most wear and enjoyment from/for you ...that’s my vote.

 

[KristinTech]

@missy I’m so casual for my job—I think I would wear a bracelet more often, and save the necklace for church and dressier days. I don’t see myself wearing them together often. I was also thinking about those multicolored strand bracelets, since they seem more casual? I’ll try to be patient!

Above are pics from my broken necklace that I bought around 1990 when I was in high school. I don’t even remember where I got them. We believe they were about $50 back then and they’re small—about 4mm? The clasp was gold fill. These are the ones I’m going to take in to the jeweler that strings pearl strands in town.

 

[KristinTech]

I’m taking them in to see if they’re even real! I do see blemishes, so I’ll take that as a good sign. They are also knotted between each pearl.

 

[missy]

Very pretty @KristinTech. Looking forward to seeing what you decide.
Not to muddy the issue but the PP metallics are gorgeous if you’re looking for something different.
I have a choker metallic necklace from them and it’s so pretty. I can’t find pics of thst one and no clue where it is in my safe. Need to reorganize lol. But here’s another metallic strand I have. Keishi. Super affordable.

36" 7.0-9.0 mm Metallic Multicolor Freshwater Keshi Pearl Necklace

Haha they look better on my dh. Story of my life.





And of course HRH wears them best of all. No question.

 

[BlingDreams]

Color—for starters, either something in the white/cream family, or multicolor (organic dyed, I’m reading?). The peaches and pale lavenders may not look great with my skin tone, so I’ll need to try some of those colors on in person to be sure. I love bright, vivid gemstone colors, so I’m drawn to the Tahitians (out of my budget for this purchase unless a pendant). I have been reading about the dyed freshwater, but I’m not sure about dyeing in the pearl world—still doing my reading.

Shape—round, but they don’t have to all be perfect for this purchase. I read about AAA strands, and I think only a bracelet would be in my budget? I’d be fine with a bracelet for now and saving up for a necklace after I do a little more research! I like the wonky Tahitian shapes and colors, but again, out of my league right now!

I don’t have a preference right now for type of pearl, so I’d prefer to have more of a classic look. As my tastes change or progress with pearls, at least I’ll have this classic first purchase to say “this is where it all started.

Rating preference— AA+/AAA is what I’ve been looking at, just for general uniformity.

Thanks for the questions! It helps me organize my thoughts!

Okay, based on what you’ve said I’d suggest getting either of these two:

https://www.pearlparadise.com/colle...oducts/65-70-mm-white-akoya-aa-pearl-bracelet

https://www.pearlparadise.com/colle...ucts/65-70-mm-white-freshadama-pearl-bracelet

They both would be a classic, beautiful pearl bracelet and very wearable with pretty much any outfit!

 

[redwood66]

@missy I’m so casual for my job—I think I would wear a bracelet more often, and save the necklace for church and dressier days. I don’t see myself wearing them together often. I was also thinking about those multicolored strand bracelets, since they seem more casual? I’ll try to be patient!

Above are pics from my broken necklace that I bought around 1990 when I was in high school. I don’t even remember where I got them. We believe they were about $50 back then and they’re small—about 4mm? The clasp was gold fill. These are the ones I’m going to take in to the jeweler that strings pearl strands in town.

Ooh I totally recommend Pearl Paradise for restringing pearls. My local shop wanted to charge $100 to string my Tahitians but PP did it for under $40, and they will do pearls not purchased from them. Though I had already bought the clasp and shipped it with the pearls since my plan was to do it myself. I would recommend an Orbit clasp unless you have no problem with the fish hook or ball ones. I cannot work either of those to save my life. I would also recommend the Freshadamas. They are beautiful.

 

[Pearlescence]

Color—for starters, either something in the white/cream family, or multicolor (organic dyed, I’m reading?). The peaches and pale lavenders may not look great with my skin tone, so I’ll need to try some of those colors on in person to be sure. I love bright, vivid gemstone colors, so I’m drawn to the Tahitians (out of my budget for this purchase unless a pendant). I have been reading about the dyed freshwater, but I’m not sure about dyeing in the pearl world—still doing my reading.

Shape—round, but they don’t have to all be perfect for this purchase. I read about AAA strands, and I think only a bracelet would be in my budget? I’d be fine with a bracelet for now and saving up for a necklace after I do a little more research! I like the wonky Tahitian shapes and colors, but again, out of my league right now!

I don’t have a preference right now for type of pearl, so I’d prefer to have more of a classic look. As my tastes change or progress with pearls, at least I’ll have this classic first purchase to say “this is where it all started.

Rating preference— AA+/AAA is what I’ve been looking at, just for general uniformity.

Thanks for the questions! It helps me organize my thoughts!

 

[Pearlescence]

It's actually quite hard to find dyed freshwater pearls these days, even blacks and greys can be hard to find. If you like the idea of coloured pearls look for ones which are listed as 'natural colour' as they will not have been treated with dyes or any colour processing - natural colours for freshwaters are near white, gold, peach, pink, violet, purple, sometimes blue sometimes green.
You should be able to get a 'wonky' tahitian bracelet for $200 if you are willing to have a silver or vermeil clasp instead of carat gold.

 

[Rubybrick]

Color—for starters, either something in the white/cream family, or multicolor (organic dyed, I’m reading?). The peaches and pale lavenders may not look great with my skin tone, so I’ll need to try some of those colors on in person to be sure. I love bright, vivid gemstone colors, so I’m drawn to the Tahitians (out of my budget for this purchase unless a pendant). I have been reading about the dyed freshwater, but I’m not sure about dyeing in the pearl world—still doing my reading.

Shape—round, but they don’t have to all be perfect for this purchase. I read about AAA strands, and I think only a bracelet would be in my budget? I’d be fine with a bracelet for now and saving up for a necklace after I do a little more research! I like the wonky Tahitian shapes and colors, but again, out of my league right now!

I don’t have a preference right now for type of pearl, so I’d prefer to have more of a classic look. As my tastes change or progress with pearls, at least I’ll have this classic first purchase to say “this is where it all started.

Rating preference— AA+/AAA is what I’ve been looking at, just for general uniformity.

Thanks for the questions! It helps me organize my thoughts!

Sounds to me like you have a slight preference towards Tahitians. Perhaps smaller size Tahitian studs? I recently bought some 9mm studs that I found myself wearing a lot! They work surprisingly well as just the right “edge” for my white T/blue jeans look! Might be stretching the budget a bit, but maybe worth save a bit more while waiting for a sale. Just another option...

 

[KristinTech]

Very pretty @KristinTech. Looking forward to seeing what you decide.
Not to muddy the issue but the PP metallics are gorgeous if you’re looking for something different.
I have a choker metallic necklace from them and it’s so pretty. I can’t find pics of thst one and no clue where it is in my safe. Need to reorganize lol. But here’s another metallic strand I have. Keishi. Super affordable.

36" 7.0-9.0 mm Metallic Multicolor Freshwater Keshi Pearl Necklace

Haha they look better on my dh. Story of my life.





And of course HRH wears them best of all. No question.

I do love the metallics that I’ve seen here— I love how pearls are a family affair in your home! We have a black lab, and he’s a little bit of a HRH around here, himself.

 

[KristinTech]

Okay, based on what you’ve said I’d suggest getting either of these two:

https://www.pearlparadise.com/colle...oducts/65-70-mm-white-akoya-aa-pearl-bracelet

https://www.pearlparadise.com/colle...ucts/65-70-mm-white-freshadama-pearl-bracelet

They both would be a classic, beautiful pearl bracelet and very wearable with pretty much any outfit!

They seem so similar to me—does one type offer more overtones than another? Are there any big differences?

 

[KristinTech]

Ooh I totally recommend Pearl Paradise for restringing pearls. My local shop wanted to charge $100 to string my Tahitians but PP did it for under $40, and they will do pearls not purchased from them. Though I had already bought the clasp and shipped it with the pearls since my plan was to do it myself. I would recommend an Orbit clasp unless you have no problem with the fish hook or ball ones. I cannot work either of those to save my life. I would also recommend the Freshadamas. They are beautiful.

@redwood66 I will keep that in mind! I didn’t realize that they also restring pearls for customers. I have zero experience with anything aside from lobster or the ordinary round spring clasp. If my old ones are real, it would be fun to put on a decorative clasp. I don’t see myself wearing them often at all, but it was a special purchase for me at the time. I wore them all the time in my teens!

 

[KristinTech]

It's actually quite hard to find dyed freshwater pearls these days, even blacks and greys can be hard to find. If you like the idea of coloured pearls look for ones which are listed as 'natural colour' as they will not have been treated with dyes or any colour processing - natural colours for freshwaters are near white, gold, peach, pink, violet, purple, sometimes blue sometimes green.
You should be able to get a 'wonky' tahitian bracelet for $200 if you are willing to have a silver or vermeil clasp instead of carat gold.

@Pearlescence I do love the idea of a multicolor strand at some point. The pastels of freshwater/freshadama are so pretty. Maybe I will put together a wishlist for DH and the kids for mother’s day. I love the rainbow iridescence if some of the Tahitians. I’d rather save for them, I think, and plan a purchase in the future. They are striking!

 

[KristinTech]

An update on this dreary (and snowy!) Monday:

I’ve decided to wait until Mother’s Day, as many of you suggested. I am leaning heavily toward the natural multicolored freshadamas.

I did stop in to the local shop that restrings pearls. My necklace that I got in 1990 is probably glass but it’s special to me, so they are going to have their specialist look at getting a new, inexpensive clasp (about $50 or less) and we talked about restringing it. I will wait to hear the quote, but @redwood66 they said it runs $3/inch. My necklace is 15 inches. So I think this makes sense to keep it local. I wouldn’t spend a ton to rehab this, but I wore it to death and loved it so much. A lot of my high school pictures have me wearing it, and I even wore it in my formal senior portraits! So it will be fun to have it be wearable again. My oldest daughter is an old soul and a treasure hunter with me, so I know she’d appreciate me salvaging it.

Okay, but now the fun stuff! I was able to ask to see a few things.



This pic shows a multicolored strand -I believe the pearls measure 9.5-9.0, and it was $1800 for an 18-inch necklace! They were so pretty in real life. Really luxurious-looking.



My favorite Toi et Moi that was in the consignment case. $11,500 asking price. 1.5 carats each!

And here is a white strand pictured with my peachy/rosey choker in the middle.

I was really happy I stopped in the shop today! It helped me make the decision to wait until Mother’s Day!



Now I’m just deciding on a necklace length and pearl size.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Ooh, what else do you stack your bracelet with?! Would you mind posting some quick photos? I thought evens classic white with a multicolor dyed would look pretty. The 6.5-7.0 size is what I was thinking, but I don’t want to regret the size and wish I’d have gone larger. I’m new to pearls and I don’t wear costume jewelry, so I really have no idea about what to expect in terms of looks. Maybe I should browse some department store jewelry to get a feel for size.

I’m off to browse Kojima—thanks for the suggestion! When do you expect vendors will start the sales? Last week of April?

Just wanted to jump in to apologise for not replying sooner! No pics at present but I stack the bracelet with the watch and bangle in my avatar, I also have a couple of VCA MOP Sweets bracelets that go nicely. Lots of things match to white pearls, to be honest!

I love the photos you posted from the shop, the pearls you already have are very pretty! Freshadama pearls are much rounder than the ones you saw there and the multicolour ones are extremely flattering on- I have a string of PP metallic multicolour Freshadamas, they are stunning and I have had had MANY compliments and comments when I’ve worn them. Not sure if they still have these or not but it might be worth asking.

PS size wise- I don’t know how old you are but I started with 7.5-8.0 mm pearls then bought the metallic strand in 8.5-9.0 mm. While the bigger pearls are much heavier, I personally feel that the slightly bigger size is better now I am “of a certain age” ie 50 ish!

 

[KristinTech]

@seaurchin I saw in an older thread that you got a multicolored freshwater bracelet made without white pearls. Do you think I could request this for the necklace I’m wanting? Is it typical that they will honor those types of requests during their big sales?

Thank you in advance!

 

[baby monster]

Honora is doing a few pearl shows on QVC today. I bought a few items from Honora in the past and have been happy with their pearls for the price. Good intro before you're ready to spend a lot on tahitians and SSPs. I ended up picking up a couple of necklaces today and hope they will look good IRL.

They had some bracelets that you may want to check out - stretchy and inexpensive. I prefer not to put too much money into pearl bracelets as they get banged around when worn. And not having a clasp makes for easy wear.
http://www.qvc.com/Honora-Set-of-Three-Cultured-Pearl-&-Gem-Stretch-Bracelets.product.J354408.html

This bracelet also looked very interesting and had magnetic closure
http://www.qvc.com/Honora-Cultured-Pearl-Multi-Strand-Sterling-Bracelet.product.J346457.htm

 

[KristinTech]

Woohoo!! Hubby just ordered the 7.5-8.0 multicolor freshadama necklace today (18 inch) and I got this email! Can’t wait until next month! Thanks for the help and encouragement, ladies—I’m excited!

 

[KristinTech]

They arrived today! DH let me inspect them to be sure they were what I wanted... I snapped a quick pic and now they’re put away until Mother’s Day. I can see how this can be addictive! They’re surprisingly heavy for smallish pearls (7.5-8.0).

Now to pick out just the right neckline for Mother’s Day...

 

[pearlsngems]

Beautiful, congratulations!

 

[redwood66]

Lovely!!!!

 

[BlingDreams]

Beautiful!! Love them!!

 

[seaurchin]

Sorry Kristen, I just now saw that you had asked me a question. I've found both Pearl Paradise and Kojima (as well as some others) to be very good with special requests. But it looks like you already got a multi-color strand and it is lovely. Enjoy!