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looking for advice from pearl experts

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jul 31, 2014
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Hi all,
I am looking to buy myself a pearl present for my upcoming bday and wanted some advice from the experts here :) I really like the look of "graduated color" pearl strands (like an ombre effect), and found a few potential options. But 2 are from Honora, which I am somewhat wary of in terms of quality. Is Honora like the Kays/Zales/Jared's of diamonds (e.g. horribly overpriced and bad quality)? Or are they just fairly priced freshwater pearls (in which case I"m all for it!)?


Here are the strands I'm thinking about in case that helps (a jeweler had one in stock so took an IRL pic, but the other I just have the online pic). Feel free to be critical, I know very little about pearls and am happy to learn :) I looked on WenPearls (via Etsy) for alternative options, but don't see anything that really fits the bill there. I'd also be open to non-ombre strands FWIW, but I'd be looking for something either golden in color (but definitely not $$ like GSS) or that peacock green/black color (again, probably freshwater because the super high quality tahitians are out of budget).

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Siameseroo

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
1,475
Hi lovedogs I LOVE ombré pearl strands! Depending on your budget I suggest contacting Pearl Paradise, Pearls of Joy or Pure Pearls to see if they would be able to make something for you.

I think freshwater pearls would work nicely - they come in a range of natural colours including white, peach, lavender and pink. Perhaps peach for that golden look?

I don't have experience buying from Honora, the pearls you posted look okay, quite potato in shape and I'm not sure if the colours are dyed or natural. I think they maybe dyed.
 

katbran

Brilliant_Rock
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I know nothing about Honora - I'm in Australia and as far as I know we don't have them here. Those (hard to tell from photo) may be white and lavender - colour graduated. If they are grey and Freshwater then they are dyed. The graduation is a bit wonky at the bottom - it looks like there are a few pearls to the right of the middle that might be less potato shaped than the rest. That said they look to be quite clean with a reasonable lustre.

What is the cost?

As for Gold...well it's either GSS $$$$$$$ or Gold Akoya $$$$$ or dyed gold ... ugh Not much else out there in the colour gold. Freshwater pearls don't come in gold .

And Grey will either be dyed Freshwater or dyed Akoya $$ .... or you get Tahitians $$$- $$$$ ( lots of sellers do a pretty pale grey Akoya and then Ombre Tahitians .. bit pricey though)
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
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995
Is Honora like the Kays/Zales/Jared's of diamonds

That's a good way to describe it. Yes. I have some Honora that I purchased before I became educated about pearls, and many that I still wear. Their white freshwater pearls are fine for work and casual wear.Their quality is all over the place, they do have some very nice things and some very cheap things. For the most part, Honora sells dyed freshwater pearls. I, personally, would never buy Honora from a jewelry store. The jewelry store prices are far too high, especially for Honora. Check eBay or Amazon. Helzberg Jewelry sells Honora on their website, and they offer discount coupons if you sign up for email.

There are some Honora ombre bracelets on eBay that match your necklaces, if you want to see better photos. They look very pretty!

Just a tip, but the holidays are approaching here in the US. I (eagerly!) anticipate some Black Friday sales, and holiday discount coupons.

I don't know where you are, or what your budget might be. I know Pearl Paradise has done some ombre designs in the past, but they were Akoya and Tahitians and out of my personal price range.

Have you thought about collecting the loose pearls and having them strung?

I was just thinking, there are some vendors who might be able to help you ... Kojima Pearl, or Catherine Cardelini (sp?), they can probably whip something up for you in freshwater pearls.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate all of the help! I'll definitely reach out to some of those vendors to see if an ombre strand could be made.

Has anyone purchased from the Ebay seller "collect-world-jewelry"? They don't have "ombre" strands, but I've seen some really cool multi-color ones. The ones I'm considering (below) are all less than $700 (some more like 200-400). They kind of look too good to be true, so wanted to check if they are a company I should stay away from.

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NacreLover

Brilliant_Rock
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Yes, they look too good to be true. Avoid this seller. Some are dyed and some appear created. The sellers descriptions of some items on their ebay page are in error. They have to know they are selling dyed freshwater and calling them Tahitians.... Just say'n. If you are curious how they have a 100 feedback?

When the items was deliverived to buyers but my buyer is not completely happy about them , please contact me, I will respond very soon, I can resend a placement, partly refund or full refund.I only hope my buyers can leave us a positive comment and four 5-star Detailed Seller Ratings to us, which are of vital importance to the growth of our small company.

We BEG that PLEASE DO NOT leave us 1, 2, 3 or 4-star Detailed Seller Ratings because they mean "you are NOT satisfied", equaling negative feedback. Like what we said before, if you are not satisfied in any regard, please contact us for solution. otherwise , if you are very particular buyer, please buy from other salers, please understand


They assume you won't call them out because you don't know they are not as described. If you do you complain and they give them to you for free to keep the 100 feedback.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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NacreLover|1479323370|4099367 said:
Yes, they look too good to be true. Avoid this seller. Some are dyed and some appear created. The sellers descriptions of some items on their ebay page are in error. They have to know they are selling dyed freshwater and calling them Tahitians.... Just say'n. If you are curious how they have a 100 feedback?

When the items was deliverived to buyers but my buyer is not completely happy about them , please contact me, I will respond very soon, I can resend a placement, partly refund or full refund.I only hope my buyers can leave us a positive comment and four 5-star Detailed Seller Ratings to us, which are of vital importance to the growth of our small company.

We BEG that PLEASE DO NOT leave us 1, 2, 3 or 4-star Detailed Seller Ratings because they mean "you are NOT satisfied", equaling negative feedback. Like what we said before, if you are not satisfied in any regard, please contact us for solution. otherwise , if you are very particular buyer, please buy from other salers, please understand


They assume you won't call them out because you don't know they are not as described. If you do you complain and they give them to you for free to keep the 100 feedback.

Ugh yeah, I was afraid of that. Just SO SHADY to sell dyed freshwater as Tahitians! I have no problem with freshwater, but just be honest! grrrr :angryfire:
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
995
Pearls of Joy is having a sale on Tahitians right now, with more strands being added. Kevin sent out a code for his email subscribers, so definitely sign up for emails from vendors!

If you have a budget of "less than $700," I think you could find a very nice strand of Tahitians.

Unless you know exactly what you're buying, I'd stay away from eBay. I ponder those who are selling "freshwater Akoya," for example.

I've heard rumors that a lot of those Chinese vendors are in cahoots, and they own multiple eBay stores and leave feedback for each other. I'm also a little suspicious of some of the vendors in Vancouver.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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ennui|1479324110|4099372 said:
Pearls of Joy is having a sale on Tahitians right now, with more strands being added. Kevin sent out a code for his email subscribers, so definitely sign up for emails from vendors!

If you have a budget of "less than $700," I think you could find a very nice strand of Tahitians.

Unless you know exactly what you're buying, I'd stay away from eBay. I ponder those who are selling "freshwater Akoya," for example.

I've heard rumors that a lot of those China vendors are in cahoots, and they own multiple eBay stores and leave feedback for each other.

That's really unfortunate. Just out of curiosity, what are they selling?! Dyed freshwater? Fake pearls? I love eBay for the ease of browsing, but hate that it's such a minefield.
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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995
They are selling freshwater pearls, but they put Akoya in the subject line to capture people looking for Akoyas.

You also need to be suspicious of some ads for "Tahitian black" pearls, because what they are referring to is the color, not the pearl itself.

eBay really is a minefield; I've gotten some good deals, but I was confident in what I was buying. For example, every once in a while you find people who are selling their Pearl Paradise items with all the paperwork included.
 

NacreLover

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This freshwater strand is screaming dyed. Golden South sea pearls for instance are not this color.

dyed.jpg
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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NacreLover|1479337149|4099465 said:
This freshwater strand is screaming dyed. Golden South sea pearls for instance are not this color.

Yeah, the more I looked at that one versus real GSS pearls I realized it has to be dyed. Thanks for the info!
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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12,492
Not an expert, just a consumer.

Lavender SSP???!!! 12-13mm for less than 700 USD for round SSP??? Not sure I can trust a vendor that has one of them on sale!!!

I too would advise checking out POJ for their Tahitian sale.

DK :))
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
995
There is an eBay vendor that is reportedly reliable (pearl_source, in Hong Kong). A few people here have purchased from them and been pleased. They have a few Tahitian strands listed that are just under $300. I check his listings every day while I'm having coffee. :angel:
 

NacreLover

Brilliant_Rock
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Love Dogs. Your original question was about Honora. Honora sells many qualities of pearls but many are just commercial grade and not worth the prices they sell for. If you are interested in a hombre freshwater strand in better quality for your birthday call the vendors on our page with the trusted vendor sticky and ask for pricing and photos. You should get round pearls with great luster for your price point listed.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/trusted-vendors-sticky.205233/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/trusted-vendors-sticky.205233/[/URL]
 
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