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New tahitian necklace

Pearlita

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
Messages
8
Hello everyone,

So today arrived my new tahitian pearl strand, for that reason it's still without a clasp and proper knots. Graduated oval-shape pearls, 11.2-16.7mm, mixed colour, most pearls show obvious "stripy" pattern.

I'm pretty sure the pearls are coated (the luster is a way too similar on all of them) and probably irradiated (stripy pattern?), or they should have gone under some other treatment (here I'm judging by the price I paid for them :lol: something should be dodgy there :cheeky: )

Originally I bought it to send back (weird, I know). Just wanted to prove myself that cheap thing cannot be really wearable. But when arrived I kind of liked them. What do you think?.. Do you like it?.. Thanks)

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ckrickett

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 26, 2008
Messages
5,346
Love the colors!~
 

pearlsngems

Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Jan 4, 2010
Messages
2,789
Those look like natural colors to me, and I have not heard of Tahitians being coated. Looks to me like you scored a beautiful strand!
 

kalmen22

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
141
They look real pretty. Sounds like you scored a great deal. Yeah
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
995
If they're from PP, they are not treated in any way. I believe PP buys their inventory directly from the pearl farms. It's the Tahitians that are routed through China that could be treated.

I have some Tahitians with color banding. They happen!

Will you keep your strand and have them strung properly?
 

Pearlita

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
Messages
8
Thank you for replies everyone :)

ennui, oh I wouldn't doubt the quality of PP :) but they are not from them.

These are actually routed from central China through Hong Kong. And they were (can I say the price out loud here?) 230 dollars. So I refuse to believe they are the realest real thing :) however yes I'm still keeping them, as they did exceed my expectations (I expected some MOP-painted metal balls to be honest)). But I think they look descent enough to wear (see the neckshots).

And today I noticed one of the smaller pearls is cracked on one side, obviously from drilling, but still feels smooth enough to the touch. Others have imperfections, but none of them look like human-produced (at some point I thought that these pearls would be just waste from pearl factories from misfortunate drilling).

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ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
995
Don't let the price make you think they are poor quality. Maybe you just got a great deal!

The shapes look good, the colors look good. Low price = surface imperfections, but I have a pitted Tahitian that I got from PP, so it's not a deal breaker. That center pearl is enormous!

The low price is also because they aren't finished. You'll need to have them strung and add a clasp.

I think they're very nice, and I hope you wear them in good health!

Btw, direct sunlight is not flattering to pearls (which is why buyers always wait for direct sunlight at the pearl farms). If you want to really appreciate the colors, wait for a cloudy day, with indirect, diffused lighting.
 

iguanatan

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Messages
55
These look incredible for the price.
I am so jealous!
 

Pearlita

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
Messages
8
Thanks again for your replies))

Dear ennui, your reasons actually persuaded me to have a different look at them, and yes, as long as they are not radioactive (who knows how Chinese do that))) I guess it's a great necklace.

I had it finished today. Even though I think I will have to restring them soon as the knots are way too rigid and I don't really like how they changed the order of the pearls, it was confirmed that these are tahitian pearls "without obvious treatment". So here is the 18-inch multicolour tahitian strand with 10K gold clasp.

PS found another cracked nacre pearl, a bigger one, so obviously they just didn't have a great drill tip at the time. Kept all the pearls in the strand though.

Overall I'm unexpectedly happy with the purchase)) but still hardly would buy more this way.

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cmd2014

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
2,541
I really like that clasp!

I'm not sure I'd worry about restringing it. The knots will loosen up very quickly and it will drape better once it does. All of my strands have looked a bit stiff and not super even when first done (to the point where at first I called PP about having sent me a weirdly knotted strand - ha!). Plus, I actually really like the pearl arrangement now. I love the two lights around the dark in the front.

Can you tell us more about the vendor?
 

icy_jade

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
6,131
I think u scored a great deal! Enjoy n wear in good health.
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
995
I think your necklace turned out beautifully. I'm not seeing a significant change in the order of the pearls; if you flip it the other way, it looks the same as the first photo (imho). Live with it for a while, and see how you feel. And, yes, the weight of the pearls will relax the string.

Those pearls are HUGE! :D
 

Pearlita

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
Messages
8
Hello ladies, sorry it took me time to get back here) The string is already relaxing, but probably I still would like some more space between the pearls. Will see) these pearls are from wenpearls on etsy. Here is the vendor's photo of my pearls, so I think they were depicted quite accurately (mine is strand number 3). It even arrived with number label still glued to one of the pearls :D imagine that in any retailer - gluing a sticker on a tahitian pearl))) I was surprised that this vendor is not mentioned here more, so ordered it at my own risk)

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anne_h

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
1,046
Thanks for sharing! I recently ordered some metallic freshwater studs from wenpearls too. Fingers crossed...

Anne
 

Pearlita

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 16, 2016
Messages
8
Hi Anne, thanks for chiming in) I'm sure you will like your studs, no worries) I actually placed another order with wen, even though I said here that I wouldn't. Very excited with pre-shipping photos :) will see))
 

kalmen22

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
141
I've ordered from Wen before and she's been great tplace seal with. Usually I ask for photos in natural outdoor light so I get a clear idea what I'm buying.
Love her metallic drops.
And pricing makes it super tempting.

You necklace looks wonderful. Enjoy
 

alice87

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jul 21, 2012
Messages
355
The arrangement looks nice, and most pearl strands relax with wear, I would wait a little bit more. Enjoy your purchase.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,023
This is a beautiful necklace! I actually came on here to ask about how one goes about getting pearls strung + adding a clasp when ordering loose pearls (I am looking through Etsy vendors, and WenPearl is one on my list!). Will a regular jeweler be able to do it, or does it need to be sent somewhere in particular? Does anyone know the (ballpark) pricing of it? New to pearls (mostly spend time on CS and RT), so am not entirely sure how everything works :)
Thanks!
 

seaurchin

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 2, 2012
Messages
3,541
Lovedogs- I send everything to Pearl Paradise for restringing, new clasps, etc. I feel very secure about it after having done it maybe a dozen times. I just buy the appropriate amount of insurance on the package and have also started sending it to "PP" rather than "Pearl Paradise." (I've had very few problems with the U.S. postal service, ever, but I figure there's still no point announcing that jewelry is in the package).

Some of the other pearl vendors probably offer the service, too. I'm not sure I'd go with a local jeweler, personally. It seems to me that good pearl stringing takes practice and I don't know that a general jeweler would get nearly as much of that as those who work with pearls every day. Just my opinion, though.
 

ennui

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 28, 2014
Messages
995
lovedogs|1473272612|4074114 said:
This is a beautiful necklace! I actually came on here to ask about how one goes about getting pearls strung + adding a clasp when ordering loose pearls (I am looking through Etsy vendors, and WenPearl is one on my list!). Will a regular jeweler be able to do it, or does it need to be sent somewhere in particular? Does anyone know the (ballpark) pricing of it? New to pearls (mostly spend time on CS and RT), so am not entirely sure how everything works :)
Thanks!

I suppose your investment would depend on the pearls. I've had inexpensive freshwater strands restrung by a local jeweller, no problems.

When I had a loose Tahitian that needed to be drilled, I sent it to PP, and bought a finding from them, as well.

Pearl stringing is normally charged by the inch. I think if you have large pearls (so only two or three per inch), you could negotiate a better rate.

I keep telling myself to learn how to string pearls, and I did find a class at a local bead store. Just haven't found the time to take the class.
 
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