My first "pinky" gem-quality Akoyas

[Cerulean]

I was in the market for petite, high quality blue Akoya pearl studs, but found out that they are rather hard to come by. I didn't want silver...I wanted blue. And petite. I love big pearls on other folks, but am not sold on whether I can pull them off.

So, what to do? I still wanted daily pearls to tide me over as I patiently waited for my blues and have always enjoyed the rosy, white-pinks I have seen as well. I wanted a really special pair too.

@molinePDG had these darling 7mm, rosy white gem quality Akoyas up for grabs, and though I am supposed to be on a bit of a tighter leash this year - how could I say no?? You mean...someone passed on these....on purpose? (An overwhelming thank you to Andrew for his delightful, congenial demeanor and helpfulness!)

It worked out perfectly. I mean...they GLOW - they are so soft, feminine and beautiful. I have not yet known pearls like this...and they are really special. It does astound me that they come from the sea in such perfect form.

This will mark the true beginning of my pearl obsession...I already have other project ideas churning....oh PS is a blessing and a curse!

I am naming these my little "pinkies" after my cat - Pinky! Who is also round, white and has pink overtones



Vendor photos (very accurate)


My photos



Comparison shots with these antique, ivory "unknowns" from my grandmother. They are at least 50 years old



Ear shots...

 

[mustangchi]

so pretty!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Wow that luster
huge difference to my mall jewler freshies !

I hope you will still wear your grandma's pears too

Adorable kitty you are Pinky

blue akoya is my pearl dream too
but its a long long way off
i look forward to your blue dream coming true soon

 

[Cerulean]

Wow that luster
huge difference to my mall jewler freshies !

I hope you will still wear your grandma's pears too

Adorable kitty you are Pinky

blue akoya is my pearl dream too
but its a long long way off
i look forward to your blue dream coming true soon

I will still wear her pearls, I promise! I am sure your freshwater pearls still have their beauty and charm! what is so amazing about pearls is how different they all are - and beautiful in their own way.

Pinky knows he is cute - it is why he gets away with murder
And I hope you get your dream blue pearlies too, they really are captivating.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

They look amazing! Welcome to the nacre side

I hope you find your blues someday. I really wish it were easier to find a range of high end pearl types in the US but I guess they aren’t popular enough here.

I’m low key hoping that with our new VPs love on pearls, we might see more demand and subsequent supply!

 

[Cerulean]

They look amazing! Welcome to the nacre side

I hope you find your blues someday. I really wish it were easier to find a range of high end pearl types in the US but I guess they aren’t popular enough here.

I’m low key hoping that with our new VPs love on pearls, we might see more demand and subsequent supply!

Thank you so much! You have an admirable collection - so I appreciate the compliment! I am hoping my blues pop up too! Who knew wanting smaller could make it so hard

I am just getting my feet wet...I can't wait to explore more. And I agree - I don't know why the perception is so "bleh" for pearls in the US - they just aren't trendy right now.

I toooootally agree w/ Kamala - I saw all of these IG posts about wearing pearls and was so excited.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

They look amazing! Welcome to the nacre side

I hope you find your blues someday. I really wish it were easier to find a range of high end pearl types in the US but I guess they aren’t popular enough here.

I’m low key hoping that with our new VPs love on pearls, we might see more demand and subsequent supply!

Very good point about the VP
VP's dont get a lot of news time here- i completly forgot Mr Biden had visited NZ when he was VP
Hopefully VP Harris will buck that trend and maybe even bring her pearls down under.

Our PM has rather eclectic taste in jewlery but 1. At least she managers to still wear jewlery on an every day basis despite having a painful looking dermatitis looking condition on her fingers and 2. I suspect she gets gifted a lot of her earings and pendents and has nice manners so she wears them - but it would be good for her to be inspired by Kamala's pearls
Pehaps Clarke Gayford (that's the PMs equivalent to Doug Emhoff) could be inspired to buy her some - he did give her an antique ER

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

@Cerulean -They are beautiful and they look like the perfect size for your ear lobes. I wonder if your grandmother's pearls started out white with rose overtones. I am sure she would be thrilled with your choice of pearl stud earrings.

 

[Cerulean]

@Cerulean -They are beautiful and they look like the perfect size for your ear lobes. I wonder if your grandmother's pearls started out white with rose overtones. I am sure she would be thrilled with your choice of pearl stud earrings.

Aww thank you for your kind words! I just adore the size. I don’t see small pearls very often and feel lucky I found them!

I wonder what my grandmothers must have looked like too when they were new. Hopefully they are around to pass on to the next generation!

 

[Bluemuse]

So pretty, @Cerulean! Such beautiful luster and soft pink overtones! Enjoy!

 

[Cerulean]

So pretty, @Cerulean! Such beautiful luster and soft pink overtones! Enjoy!

Thank you so much

 

[yssie]

Ohhh they're here!! And they're lovely And your pics are phenomenal!! And you have such petite earlobes - this size is PERFECT on you!

Add me as another who would love pristine, lustrous, blue blue perfectly round akoya one day!! Hen's teeth. Seems like you can have either blue blue or everything else, but never both

I've been thinking about pearls changing with age a lot lately. I'd like to believe that the really nice akoya like yours have sufficiently thick nacre to last at least through our generation. I don't know what causes yellowing - most websites say dryness? I'd like to believe that regular wear and care would prevent that, too. But almost all modern akoya have been bleached, have had their skins tightened chemically, have had god only knows what else done to them under the maeshori umbrella - and I think a lot of those treatments are newer, so noone really knows how they'll age...

So let's plan to circle back in thirty years and see how our pearls are doing

 

[Snowdrop13]

Love these! I’ve just received a Hanadama pair and I honestly think they are going to become my favourite earrings. So easy to wear.

I also have a pair of teeny Vietnamese blue akoyas (4-5mm ish), they came from PP from the VIP page. They don’t have them in stock very often but they are available occasionally.

 

[Rhd3]

They look beautiful and I think are a great size for daily wear!

 

[molinePDG]

Oh, they ended up being a great proportion! I hope you wear your new piece in great health.

And lol at your cat also having overtones.

 

[Cerulean]

Ohhh they're here!! And they're lovely And your pics are phenomenal!! And you have such petite earlobes - this size is PERFECT on you!

Add me as another who would love pristine, lustrous, blue blue perfectly round akoya one day!! Hen's teeth. Seems like you can have either blue blue or everything else, but never both

I've been thinking about pearls changing with age a lot lately. I'd like to believe that the really nice akoya like yours have sufficiently thick nacre to last at least through our generation. I don't know what causes yellowing - most websites say dryness? I'd like to believe that regular wear and care would prevent that, too. But almost all modern akoya have been bleached, have had their skins tightened chemically, have had god only knows what else done to them under the maeshori umbrella - and I think a lot of those treatments are newer, so noone really knows how they'll age...

So let's plan to circle back in thirty years and see how our pearls are doing

Aww thank you so much! Considering that I am a giantess - I do have rather small earlobes! Basically the only think that is petite about me I definitely think 7mm is my sweet spot for earrings. If I go much larger, they just hang off my earlobe. I guess it doesn't help that my piercings are crooked - I got them done in the 90s at Claire's my some teenager with a piercing gun in a mall. Yikes.

And I will be sure to let you know if @molinePDG unearths my dream blue studs. I will wait as long as it takes. Fingers crossed! I may have to settle (settle...LOL) for some blue baroques for a bracelet...which I love too! But there is something special about those perfect spheres that occur in nature. It boggles the mind.

I am curious about aging too - and for the sake of transparency, I think those older pearls were woefully neglected for years. They've been unworn, bouncing around in a box just piled with other earrings and jewelry. I need to dig through my mother's jewelry box and rescue anything else from my grandmother....I can't restore them, but at least I can take better care of them!

I plan on treating these a BIT more gingerly - so yes, TBD on how they look! Hopefully they age gracefully....like Helen Mirren...

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Any thoughts about blue circle Tahitians?
I find circles to be fascinating and the colors can be very punchy.
Here’s my silver blue akoya and my circles.

 

[Cerulean]

Any thoughts about blue circle Tahitians?
I find circles to be fascinating and the colors can be very punchy.
Here’s my silver blue akoya and my circles.

I love them! Awesome bracelets you have!

I was actually thinking of a pearl tin cup bracelet - I desperately want blue pearls with rose gold! May I ask where you got yours from and what size they are? (Both if it’s simple enough!)

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Soooo pretty, and you can definitely pull off some pearls. I'm fascinated and terrified by them. One day I'll be brave, and not poor , then I'll get some of my own!

 

[Cerulean]

Soooo pretty, and you can definitely pull off some pearls. I'm fascinated and terrified by them. One day I'll be brave, and not poor , then I'll get some of my own!

Aww you are sweet!

I think I put pearls out of my mind for so long too - as "not my style" - but honestly I lurrrrv them....they are...amazing. Like, one killer pair and I am hooked. Sh** I need another jewelry obsession like I need a hole in my head. Not sure if you've avoided them due to style, price or a knowledge gap, or all of the above...

For me, style kept me away (well, cost too...heh). So many of my friends are artsy and funky (I am no exception) - suckers for chic millennial marketing over quality, would NEVER covet high-end jewelry and might even scoff at it...

What does that have to do with pearls? My identity as an artsy, laid-back weirdo can co-exist with my inner, ultra-femme jewelry snob. I still know diddly about pearls, and I don't have the biggest jewelry budget either so these are a big deal for me (although am grateful to be able to get what I am able to, which is more than many..).. so it was nice to get a "fail-proof" classic pair!

Now I am lounging around in a chunky wool sweater and sweatpants...but still twirling about with the song "I feel pretty, oh-so-preeetttyyyy"

 

[Cerulean]

Oh, they ended up being a great proportion! I hope you wear your new piece in great health.

And lol at your cat also having overtones.

Thank you! I am delighted

And LOL I swear he does - when he was a kitten - his fur was so thin he nearly glowed pink, hence the name

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

And witty and wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise
I used to be very cool. Very cool. Still definitely weird. I'm presently an approaching middle aged hausfrau in the middle of nowhere and I didn't care too much before, but now I really don't give a sh!t.
They were for me what the ladies who lunched of my childhood wore. That, and big art piece gold. My mom had occasions to wear these things. I, honestly, do not.
I will make some small pearl addition, someday.

 

[Cerulean]

And witty and wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise
I used to be very cool. Very cool. Still definitely weird. I'm presently an approaching middle aged hausfrau in the middle of nowhere and I didn't care too much before, but now I really don't give a sh!t.
They were for me what the ladies who lunched of my childhood wore. That, and big art piece gold. My mom had occasions to wear these things. I, honestly, do not.
I will make some small pearl addition, someday.

You are kind.

"Ladies who lunch" - spot on. I used to live in NYC, and whenever I went to the upper east side to visit the museums (I'd walk about 75 blocks because I was too broke to take the train), I'd encounter older women just dripping in pearls and Chanel No. 5...they oozed grace and poise. I wore Converse with holes in the bottom. HAH!

I think not giving a sh!t is waaay cooler than anything else. Godspeed.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Aww you are sweet!

I think I put pearls out of my mind for so long too - as "not my style" - but honestly I lurrrrv them....they are...amazing. Like, one killer pair and I am hooked. Sh** I need another jewelry obsession like I need a hole in my head. Not sure if you've avoided them due to style, price or a knowledge gap, or all of the above...

For me, style kept me away (well, cost too...heh). So many of my friends are artsy and funky (I am no exception) - suckers for chic millennial marketing over quality, would NEVER covet high-end jewelry and might even scoff at it...

What does that have to do with pearls? My identity as an artsy, laid-back weirdo can co-exist with my inner, ultra-femme jewelry snob. I still know diddly about pearls, and I don't have the biggest jewelry budget either so these are a big deal for me (although am grateful to be able to get what I am able to, which is more than many..).. so it was nice to get a "fail-proof" classic pair!

Now I am lounging around in a chunky wool sweater and sweatpants...but still twirling about with the song "I feel pretty, oh-so-preeetttyyyy"

Lol. I can just imagine the twirling and singing "I feel so pretty, oh so preeettyyy." That is probably every one of us. I always feel so glamorous grabbing a pic of what I am wearing to share on the forum, and then reality hits when I try to crop out the dog hair and animal themed sherpa socks.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Yeah I used to find pearls too stuffy but then got my first high quality akoyas and realized how beautiful they are. And also realized I can wear them in ways that weren’t just a strand of white pearls. Playing with the length, colors, sizes and styles makes it feel more fresh and funky to me!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Any thoughts about blue circle Tahitians?
I find circles to be fascinating and the colors can be very punchy.
Here’s my silver blue akoya and my circles.

Your skin tone makes them really pop
i am pasty pinky sickly white (red in the sun)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

You are kind.

"Ladies who lunch" - spot on. I used to live in NYC, and whenever I went to the upper east side to visit the museums (I'd walk about 75 blocks because I was too broke to take the train), I'd encounter older women just dripping in pearls and Chanel No. 5...they oozed grace and poise. I wore Converse with holes in the bottom. HAH!

I think not giving a sh!t is waaay cooler than anything else. Godspeed.

I just answered the door in a singlet and jean shorts - no shoes with mum's pearls on

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

And witty and wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise
I used to be very cool. Very cool. Still definitely weird. I'm presently an approaching middle aged hausfrau in the middle of nowhere and I didn't care too much before, but now I really don't give a sh!t.
They were for me what the ladies who lunched of my childhood wore. That, and big art piece gold. My mom had occasions to wear these things. I, honestly, do not.
I will make some small pearl addition, someday.

All in our own time

I think pearls find their way to us, not the other way around

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I love them! Awesome bracelets you have!

I was actually thinking of a pearl tin cup bracelet - I desperately want blue pearls with rose gold! May I ask where you got yours from and what size they are? (Both if it’s simple enough!)

We need to get a bulk deal on blue pearls

 

[stracci2000]

I just answered the door in a singlet and jean shorts - no shoes with mum's pearls on

You go girl
I wore my Tahitian strand and hanadama studs to the thrift store today.