Need some help picking out earrings, please!

[CDNinNYC]

Hello everyone,

I'm hoping you can help me out making a decision on some pearl drop earrings. I am not that well versed on pearls, although I have been reading the posts in this new forum to get myself a bit more educated.

I had purchased these Mikimoto 'Pearl in Motion' earrings. They are 7.5mm/7mm Akoya Cultured Pearls and 0.14ct of Diamonds in a 18k Yellow Gold Chain. The pearls move along the chain and stay in place. I don't have any other information on them as of yet. (They were a pre-sale buy and I can only pick them up on Wednesday.)

However....

I also really like a pair of drop earrings from The Pearl Outlet. According to the description these pearls are 10mm, AAA quality, Golden South Sea pearls. The settings are 18k yellow gold with diamonds that are G/H .50 tcw round briliants.

I am not so much concerned with name brand as much as I am with quality. Based on the info I have on hand, do you think the earrings from The Pearl Outlet warrant the doubling of price of the Mikimotos? Also, how do you know that what you buy is what you get from these online vendors? Is there a way to confirm the quality is what they are advertising?

The Mikimoto earrings in this photo are in white gold. Please note the ones I purchased are in yellow gold and the pearls have an ivory tint.

 

[CDNinNYC]

These are the earrings from The Pearl Outlet.

 

[CDNinNYC]

I don''t know if this matters, but thought I''d mention these are earrings I''m planning on wearing for my wedding.

 

[jmtomaui]

I can''t speak to the quality of the diamonds from The Pearl Outlet but I can tell you that I have purchased a couple of strands of pearls from them and the quality of the pearls are great! They have beautiful luster and I enjoy wearing them!

TPO employees seem to be very knowledgable and courteous. Their return policy seems to be a good one.

Knowing how important your wedding jewelry is, this will be a tough decision to go with the known vs unknown.

Julie

 

[CDNinNYC]

Hi Julie,

thanks for the feedback on The Pearl Outlet; I appreciate it. I think I''ll give them a call and ask about their restocking fee.


Cheers!
CDN

 

[simplysplendid]

The mikimotos are overpriced. The south seas from TPO looks a lot more glamorous. TPO has great service and return policy so I would also suggest ringing them up. Even if they both cost the same, it is a no brainer. That said, the colour of the golden south seas vary from pearl to pearl, you may wish to tell TPO what you expect and see if they can send you a picture before shipping.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Thanks for the tips, simplysplendid. The TPO earrings are double the price of the mikimotos. That''s what I''m trying to wrap my head around. I''ve taken your suggestion and emailed TPO''s customer service with questions, including one asking for photos.

 

[CDNinNYC]

So.... I contacted TPO and they let me know that if I ordered the SS pearls in yellow gold, I could return them with no restocking fee as they are a stock item (and not custom).

In the meantime, I've also been reading as much info on pearls as I can find online. I can see this becoming a new area of interest for me! I came across Hanadama pearls and was quite interested in them. Long-story-short, I ordered a pair of Hanadama studs from PP. They just got them in and aren't listed on their website yet. (They only had 3 pairs available, fyi

) My earrings should arrive some time next week.

I still like the miki "pearls in motion" and the TPO SS but am wondering if the reason I've been hesitating with them is because they are a more dressy look than what I'm wanting, especially for a beach wedding. The hanadamas might be enough of a 'look' for me.

I'll wait until next week before making any final decisions but in the meantime, I got me some studs!

 

[rainwood]

The drop earrings are quite a different look from the pearl studs, and the PTO ones are the blingiest because of all the diamonds. If you have time before the wedding, I''d put on the dress (and veil if you''re doing one) with the studs and see if you like the look. If so, you''re good to go. If you think you want something more, it''s probably worth thinking about which pair of the drops you think would look best with your dress and which you''d get the most use out of later.

 

[simplysplendid]

Date: 4/23/2009 4:48:10 PM
Author: CDNinNYC
So.... I contacted TPO and they let me know that if I ordered the SS pearls in yellow gold, I could return them with no restocking fee as they are a stock item (and not custom).

In the meantime, I''ve also been reading as much info on pearls as I can find online. I can see this becoming a new area of interest for me! I came across Hanadama pearls and was quite interested in them. Long-story-short, I ordered a pair of Hanadama studs from PP. They just got them in and aren''t listed on their website yet. (They only had 3 pairs available, fyi

) My earrings should arrive some time next week.

I still like the miki ''pearls in motion'' and the TPO SS but am wondering if the reason I''ve been hesitating with them is because they are a more dressy look than what I''m wanting, especially for a beach wedding. The hanadamas might be enough of a ''look'' for me.

I''ll wait until next week before making any final decisions but in the meantime, I got me some studs!

Hi, did you order the Hanadama studs or Freshadama studs? Sorry to pry but as far as I know, the Hanadama grade is given to a 18" strand, never to individual pearls. As such, vendors are not able to see individual pearls or anything less than 18" as Hanadamas. As long as they are not certified Hanadamas, they cannot be represented as Hanadamas and PP practices that.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 4/23/2009 5:50:31 PM
Author: rainwood
The drop earrings are quite a different look from the pearl studs, and the PTO ones are the blingiest because of all the diamonds. If you have time before the wedding, I''d put on the dress (and veil if you''re doing one) with the studs and see if you like the look. If so, you''re good to go. If you think you want something more, it''s probably worth thinking about which pair of the drops you think would look best with your dress and which you''d get the most use out of later.

Thanks for the suggestion rainwood. I actually have my second fitting next Friday, so hopefully the studs will be in by then so I can compare how they look against the drop earrings. I have a feeling the studs will do ok since I''m going with a bird-cagey kind of veil.

I admit, the TPO ones are my favourite; the Mikimotos were just more economical.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 4/23/2009 7:57:52 PM
Author: simplysplendid

Date: 4/23/2009 4:48:10 PM

Hi, did you order the Hanadama studs or Freshadama studs? Sorry to pry but as far as I know, the Hanadama grade is given to a 18'' strand, never to individual pearls. As such, vendors are not able to see individual pearls or anything less than 18'' as Hanadamas. As long as they are not certified Hanadamas, they cannot be represented as Hanadamas and PP practices that.

Hi simplysplendid,

the studs I ordered are Hanadamas. I had initially emailed PP asking for them, then read on their website that they are not available as studs due to the very reason you stated above. However, PP got back to me today saying they actually did have a few pairs of Hanadama stud earrings available. Apparently they have been campaigning for a long time to get them. They just got them in and hadn''t yet updated their website. My earrings will come with the official Certificate of Identification and Grading from the Pearl Science Laboratory from Japan that I believe accompanies Hanadamas.

I hope I''m not stepping on PP''s ''toes'' by posting this.

 

[jmtomaui]

The pearl studs sound beautiful! However, IF they do not look / work as you want them to, have you asked PP if they have any earrings set on french wires? Or some on plain chains? Something to add a bit of length and yet still be more beachy?

PP will sell you loose pearls so again, if the studs aren''t quite right, you could buy 2 loose pearls and have them mounted by a local jeweler. Or someone on Etsy.

Whatever you decide, you can''t go wrong w/ PP.

Julie