Natural Colored Green Pearls...A Question?

[Arcadian]

Of the pearl species how common is the color green? I see that it can be common with tahitians but how about any of the others?

Also what denotes a pearl to the color 'pistachio' which appears to be highly prized versus just plain ol green?

There are reasons why I'm asking of course I bought these two pearls.





The seller called them "Olive Green" which ok I can see that. but what is the difference of Olive, versus Pistachio, versus regular ol green, or, is it just up to interpretation?

For those who don't know the seller, its es_store. I don't know them from a hole in the wall but have heard they're honest about their products.

I also want to ask about the color green in freshwater pearls. is it common to see green in freshwaters or, is that a dyed color? I know green overtones can exist as I have seen that on a few pearls, but I'm talking about a pearl with a green body color.


Y'all are probably going to get sick of my crazy arse questions...lol




-A

 

[PearlsOfJoy]

The round ends of both those pearls show pistachio coloring, like any color it is somewhat subjective - what someone calls pistachio another might call olive, its why good pictures of pearls are better then good descriptions.

A green body color doesn't really exist with Freshwater pearls, but the farmed never seem to amaze me with the quality and fancy exotic colors they are producing, so never say never with Freshwater pearls. If you do see a strand or matched pair of earrings in a strong green body color they are dyed, there could be the odd single floating around out there though.

 

[Arcadian]

awesome, thank you for your response! So the bottom shows pistachio but not the entire pearl, so would be considered just plain ol green? I'm a colored gemstoner so in that world certain color combinations can mean the difference between a gem that is so so but pretty or a gem thats stellar and pretty.



I don't know if the pearl world works on that same premise (I think I need a color chart for pearls).

-A

 

[y2kitty]

FutureFashionista had some lovely pistachio earrings I wanted to buy, but then she went off the rails.

 

[iLander]

Love those pearls, they are very cool!

For pearls the value is the scarcity and quality, just like colored stones. I have a rough idea of rarity, so this is my understanding. I hope 4Ranch and HHPmom and some of the smarter ladies will chime in;

Most rare at top
Queen Conch Pearls
Golden South Seas
White South Seas
Tahitian Pearls
Akoya Pearls
Freshwater Pearls
to least rare at the bottom

Dyed versions of any of these are not as desirable, but sometimes the colors are so nice, it's impossible to resist.

Here's excellent info from Sarah about various types of pearl; http://kojimapearl.com/about-the-pearls

The highest value is the flawless round high lustre pearl. I've attached a good chart comparing Akoya pearls and their luster, color, etc. The pinnacle pearl gets really expensive when it's bigger; http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/south-sea-pearl-pendant/17mm-south-sea-pearl-pendant-with-diamond-wpsd.htm

I personally love a drop shape pearl for a pendant or earrings, even though it's not considered as valuable as a round. Some like circled pearls because that allows them to purchase stunning colors for less money. This necklace is an example of HUGE pearls (16mm!) that are less expensive because they're circled. If they were perfect pearls this necklace would be in the tens of thousands of $$.
http://shop.kojimapearl.com/products/circle-circle-pearl-necklace

For freshwaters, you can wander around Catherine's site, and if you look up the color you like, she'll say if it's natural or dyed. http://www.catherinecardellinipearls.com/ Her pictures are in low light, so the pearls will show less color in bright light, but it gives you a great idea of types of colors and tones.

So all this info just makes my head spin so I just buy what I like at a price I think is fair.

 

[Arcadian]

iLander thank you, thats a great chart!!!! I also buy what I like too, and having some insight to make better buying choices is the EABA of pricescope.

The more responses the better of course! No idea what I'll even do with these or even if I'll like them in person (I'll find out for sure late june or so)

@herekitty: I've heard a lot about her so I had to go look her up (OMGEEEEEEEE )



-A

 

[K9]

FutureFashionista had some lovely pistachio earrings I wanted to buy, but then she went off the rails.

She had some fabulous things, didn't she? It's too bad how it all went sour last year. I'd totally be spending more $$ with her. She had a pistachio strand that was to die for at one time.. mmmm...

 

[Lovinggems]

Arc they are very interesting, the first one looks like a cute melon.

 

[Arcadian]

Thanks Lovinggems. I can't wait to see what they look like in person. The top one measures 21.75x11.72mm, the bottom measures 19.53 X 14.31mm They both are half drilled so depending on what they look like in person, they'll likely be pendants of some type.

-A

 

[iLander]

I am so looking forward to seeing your lovelies in real life!

Lots of pics, please!

I also wanted to clarify that I posted the chart and all that since you have so many questions about pearls and I finally had time to write a lot of info. It wasn't a criticism or anything, I really like the cool colors on your pearls!

Isn't it amazing what a nasty old oyster can make?

 

[Arcadian]

No problems ilander, I don't know a whole lot about pearls and tend to dip my toes in sparingly. So any info I can glean to make better choices is great!


I'm anxiously awaiting these myself!

I also had looked at these

http://www.black-pearls-tahiti.com/batches-of-australian-pearls-semi-baroque-c-93.html



They're using a different grading system than I'm used to seeing.

-A

 

[Arcadian]

Missed the mailman yesterday because we went to the Isabella Stewart Garner Museum. Mail is usually at our house by noon, so if they're not in there, I'll just go pick the package up.


-A

 

[Arcadian]

Knowing that monitors can be different and all, I have to say that I think that the greens on the pearls I purchased were maybe slightly off. They're no less pretty, because they're very obviously green. But the description matched the what they really look like versus the vendor image.

They're keepers (they're freaking HYOOGE! ) and for single pearls very very heavy.


I took a few pictures with the pearls I got from Pearl_Society. One of the pearls (the silvery green tahitian) tends to look quite a bit blue when put up against the olive green pearls. The golden SS I think looks more golden. One is definitely going to be a gift for a friend, the others I have to think about.

Sizes on the 2 newest:
Both of them was purchased from es_store


-A

 

[Lovinggems]

They're lovely, their colours more natural than the vendor's photos. Can't wait to see what you do with them.

I also got some from ebay but much smaller than yours.

 

[Arcadian]

Thanks Lovinggems. I'm really happy with the color, but it was one of the first things I noticed...the vendors pics are maybe a wee bit altered. One of my favorite colors is green, so I'll take it how I can get it They have a creaminess that I really love, and do have a fantastic luster to them. I can't really capture it on camera unfortunately.

Last night I wore my tahitian & SS necklace out and got loads of compliments. That was surprising. Then I had to spend time explaining what they were...lol

-A