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Natural White Akoya Studs - pic 1 Thoughts?

Ann

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White Akoya 1.jpeg

Spoke with PP - McKenna. Very nice and prompt with her reply. This is their only 8-8.5 Nat white
Hanadama. Inventory is extremely low. This will be a gift for my DIL - her first real pearls. I'd like these to be nice but they do not have to be gem quality. Thoughts? Apologize for the large pic.
 

Ann

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Pic 2
fullsizeoutput_f03.jpeg
 

Ann

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One seems pinker than the other but maybe it's just reflecting color?

Other than that, I like them.

I'm wondering about that too. But I'm a total novice on this, so I'm clueless
 

pearlsngems

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I'd ask them for a another few pictures, with the card rotated first one way and then the other, to see if one pearl is actually pinker.
 

Ann

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I'd ask them for a another few pictures, with the card rotated first one way and then the other, to see if one pearl is actually pinker.

Looking at the last picture, I don't see the pink that "might" have been a reflection. But I really don't have enough pearl knowledge to assume anything, haha.
 

yssie

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Not matched. Non trivial mismatch IMO - will def be visible IRL.

Any Hanadama that aren’t natural white? Or is natural white a must for your DIL?
 

Ann

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Not matched. Non trivial mismatch IMO - will def be visible IRL.

Any Hanadama that aren’t natural white? Or is natural white a must for your DIL?

I think my DIL's preference is white. No obvious pink or high silver tones.
 

Ann

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Not matched. Non trivial mismatch IMO - will def be visible IRL.

Any Hanadama that aren’t natural white? Or is natural white a must for your DIL?

Funny, it never occurred to me they were not perfectly matched - I just didn't notice
 

Ann

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white pearls 3.jpeg
new picture from PP. The left pearl looks darker ?
 

yssie

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white pearls 3.jpeg
new picture from PP. The left pearl looks darker ?

Left is more lustrous and metallic - more contrasty, stronger iridescence and more pink! I’m confident it would wow you more in-person (except that it does have stronger pink, so if you don’t care for pink that’s a detriment)
 

Ann

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Any suggestions for alternate sources - Moline ($$$) or sources you feel comfortable with? Takahashi? Do I contact them thru IG? This isn't a large purchase but I want to feel I'm getting what I pay for. Thanks!
 
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yssie

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Any suggestions for alternate sources - Moline ($$$) or sources you feel comfortable with? Takahashi? Do I contact them thru IG? This isn't a large purchase but I want to feel I'm getting what I pay for. Thanks!
I was curious what Takahashi might have… I took the liberty of asking them about options in the 8-8.5mm size. They already know the quality I want in terms of luster and matching. Here’s what they sent me.

Strong pink:
F9CE2CC8-8D39-4907-A9D2-FD0A9D071D87.jpeg

Less strong pink:
65289415-9F36-4251-9DA1-5EC027FE7DAD.jpeg

White (these may not be strictly natural white in the 100% guaranteed no pinking at all sense - I didn’t ask):
4F85786A-F0B0-4426-BB33-351975E1D11F.jpeg

Comparison of the three colours:
FD58EC79-E1A8-4E34-BE35-003D51084AB6.jpeg


So here’s the thing with white akoya. They’re never totally, completely white-bodied. The “white” always errs eggshell - it’s got a touch of warmth. There’s also often a touch of green to the overtone.

When you combine that touch of body warmth and touch of green overtone with strong pinking, the strong pink overrides the warmth so you get a “glowy white pearl” on the skin. It doesn’t look pink, exactly... Not like a pink FW say. If you find a pair with pink and silver overtone the pink + silver cools the warmth, so you get truly “cool toned” white pearls.

Natural white pearls can be hard to wear. I think they’re often actually rather unflattering on most skin colours! Because the pearls aren’t actually white - they have that touch of body warmth and the touch of green overtone, but there’s nothing to tone the warmth down…

So if she really doesn’t care for pink in any sense, then the visibly pinked pearls aren’t a good fit. But if she wants a pearl that reads “cooler white” on the skin, then for almost all skin colours - kind of unintuitively - a pinked pinked pearl is most likely going to make her happier. What colour is her skin? I personally think skin that has a lot of orange and red wears natural white best.

Takahashi akoya are of excellent quality. My experience with them has been consistent - their best akoya are nicer than pre-certed (English) Hanadama. They’re my go-to for “I want really nice akoya but I don’t need tippy top super duper uber gemmies”. All of these options are just over $200 per pair. That’s for the pearls alone (half-drilled) - findings, shipping, and customs will be additional.
 
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yssie

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And here are my personal picks.

7BDF0472-FBD4-4624-BD43-BAC199E38701.jpeg

You can contact them on IG if you’re interested - @takahashi_pearl_official. Let them know you’re Yssie’s friend.
 

adlgel

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Wow those Takahashi pearls look beautiful. I have a 7.5-8 mm pair of gem quality studs in flight with Andrew Moline which will probably ending up being 2-3x the cost of the 8-8.5s shown above. He does have 8-8.5 gem quality but the budget for those was just too high for me AND fortunately I think the 7.5-8s will look fine on my lobes.

But seeing these kinda has me questioning whether it's really worth it to go for gem quality. I went down that road because a part of me really wants a piece of jewelry that I can say is the "best of the best". I can enjoy wearing it but also enjoy the anticipation of handing down to my daughter. And a pair of gem quality akoya earrings at that size (wouldn't want to go smaller) is probably the least expensive version of "the best of the best" of a piece of jewelry that I can realistically obtain.
 

Ann

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And here are my personal picks.

7BDF0472-FBD4-4624-BD43-BAC199E38701.jpeg

You can contact them on IG if you’re interested - @takahashi_pearl_official. Let them know you’re Yssie’s friend.

You are the best! Wow - thank you sooo much for doing this and the detailed analysis of the pearls. This forum is just awesome. I did email Takahashi this morning but I have not heard back. You must have a direct email :). To answer your question about skin tone. My DIL has very fair skin, strawberry blonde/pale red hair. And beautiful green eyes. When I questioned her about pearl color I just said, pinkish, silverish or white white. She answered white. I don't think her knowledge about pearls is enough to understand what that means but I do want to steer away from anything that presents as pinkish. I'm leaning towards the bottom pair, 8-8.5. But I really need to study these pics more. Can Takahashi set the pearls as studs or do I have to find someone to do that? Yessie thank you so much for this. I've been agonizing over it for weeks. I will reach out to Takahashi now.
 

yssie

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Wow those Takahashi pearls look beautiful. I have a 7.5-8 mm pair of gem quality studs in flight with Andrew Moline which will probably ending up being 2-3x the cost of the 8-8.5s shown above. He does have 8-8.5 gem quality but the budget for those was just too high for me AND fortunately I think the 7.5-8s will look fine on my lobes.

But seeing these kinda has me questioning whether it's really worth it to go for gem quality. I went down that road because a part of me really wants a piece of jewelry that I can say is the "best of the best". I can enjoy wearing it but also enjoy the anticipation of handing down to my daughter. And a pair of gem quality akoya earrings at that size (wouldn't want to go smaller) is probably the least expensive version of "the best of the best" of a piece of jewelry that I can realistically obtain.

If yours are from his latest batch then they will be stunning. I had a pair from that batch shipped out to see in-person and they were glorious!! Pearls are def just like most things in that it costs 80% to cross the final 20% to perfection :lol: But if you want #best then you won’t regret it. For tippy top super duper uber akoya - Andrew and Mikimoto. ❤️
 
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yssie

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You are the best! Wow - thank you sooo much for doing this and the detailed analysis of the pearls. This forum is just awesome. I did email Takahashi this morning but I have not heard back. You must have a direct email :). To answer your question about skin tone. My DIL has very fair skin, strawberry blonde/pale red hair. And beautiful green eyes. When I questioned her about pearl color I just said, pinkish, silverish or white white. She answered white. I don't think her knowledge about pearls is enough to understand what that means but I do want to steer away from anything that presents as pinkish. I'm leaning towards the bottom pair, 8-8.5. But I really need to study these pics more. Can Takahashi set the pearls as studs or do I have to find someone to do that? Yessie thank you so much for this. I've been agonizing over it for weeks. I will reach out to Takahashi now.
I’ve only ever contacted them through IG! Their handle from my last post. They’re really responsive on IG ::)

Yeah, if you want to steer clear of anything pink then the bottom is the safest bet, I agree! I’m sure they have have other sizes available as well, I only asked about 8-8.5 only because that was the original Hanadama size.

They can mount them for you. I would recommend having them do it!! They do good work. They have a few different post options - my favourite from them is nice and sturdy, has a 0.9mm post diameter (same as Mikimoto). Really inexpensive for what you get. Cups on those are small (3mm) but for an 8-8.5mm stud that’s no worry. They can do 18k YG or 18k WG. You can ask for what we Americans would call “nickel-free” WG… There is a bit of a language barrier though, and the first time I asked about nickel-free they responded that whilst they weren’t made with nickel they couldn’t guarantee that there wasn’t any nickel in the facility, etc… In general most Japanese vendors seem to have very very very exacting definitions with zero wiggle room! I don’t know what their options for earring backs are. You’d have to ask. But if they don’t have any backs you like those are easy to buy elsewhere.

I’ve always paid by bank wire. Don’t know if they offer other payment options. And shipping is pricey. I’ve paid $90 in the past and I think it’s gone up to $100 now. I think @GeliL had them ship for significantly less - slower and without insurance. That’ll depend on your comfort with liability in case of loss. If you go the $100 shipping route they use FedEx and you’ll get a customs bill from FedEx in the mail a few weeks later. For me (MD and NY shipments) customs has been anywhere between $0 and ~15% of total, depending on what I bought.
 
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yssie

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@Ann I had asked the Takahashi rep which of the white tone pairs was her favourite and she responded saying she likes the top two pairs best too! ::)
 

adlgel

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If yours are from his latest batch then they will be stunning. I had a pair from that batch shipped out to see in-person and they were glorious!! Pearls are def just like most things in that it costs 80% to cross the final 20% to perfection :lol: But if you want #best then you won’t regret it. For tippy top super duper uber akoya - Andrew and Mikimoto. ❤️

I believe they are Yssie. Can’t wait to see them in person.
 

Ann

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@Ann I had asked the Takahashi rep which of the white tone pairs was her favourite and she responded saying she likes the top two pairs best too! ::)

thanks a bunch! She reached out to me that they will follow up with me on Monday. So the top 2 pairs? I will definitely ask for more pics!
 

Ann

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This is the sales associate's top choice. She mentioned it was her choice. She said it looked pink but the blue was strong.
You can see the No.62284 one more clear shape and a powerful luster. In the photo, the outside looks a little pink, but when you actually wear it, the blue color in the center is strong, so I don't think it's that much of a concern." pearls 62284.jpeg "
 

Ann

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This is the sales associate's top choice. She mentioned it was her choice. She said it looked pink but the blue was strong.
You can see the No.62284 one more clear shape and a powerful luster. In the photo, the outside looks a little pink, but when you actually wear it, the blue color in the center is strong, so I don't think it's that much of a concern." pearls 62284.jpeg "

pearls 62284 a.jpeg
 

Ann

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Hmmm, does the left pearl look larger? I asked for more pics but I won't get those til tomorrow their time.
 

Ann

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Hmmm, does the left pearl look larger? I asked for more pics but I won't get those til tomorrow their time.
pearl snow white left.jpeg
I'm not sure which pearls are what in this pic. But the far left is her Natural White. She said it was snow white. At this point, it is not my first choice.
 

yssie

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Okay so looks like the SA picked the top pair of 62284 - same one I had picked. That’s my overall choice as well, most iridescent and lustrous. But… kind of going back to the pink vs. cool thing. 62284 is pretty strongly pinked. When they’re worn they won’t read pink, but you’ll definitely see pink when you look at them.
 

yssie

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I don’t know if this is helpful at all, but here are two of my strands. Neither natural white but one is much more strongly pinked than the other. They still both read white pearls against skin, but against say a white paper towel - you can clearly see the pink iridescence.

0866958A-9A1A-4BA8-8C99-B486D5B0E167.jpeg 4CCF5360-E3D2-4228-A9C6-D06949F0A29D.jpeg 205CEB92-958A-4A1E-9F38-98B82A76D6F4.jpeg C8181CE3-AE4F-4299-A1AE-120E9EC23D9B.jpeg A99139E5-8B39-4BA4-B49F-87B484357097.jpeg 58B48730-9BA1-4462-912E-BA409464658F.jpeg
 
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yssie

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And strongly pinked pearls compared to non-pinked nice not-pearls. This is prob the most realistic “pinked vs natural white” comp I’ve got.

DD4F849A-2689-4882-891E-E240B25F88B7.jpeg C649FEA7-241E-4BBA-8F5B-01370D64192C.jpeg A87BE64F-3CE9-4E2E-A409-8570BA7E972E.jpeg
 
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