New to pearls, question akoya or ssp?

[acaw2015]

Hi!
I have been lurking in this forum, trying to learn and enjoying the beautiful pieces posted here!
I am all new to pearls but am thinking of buying a pearl pendant with only a solitaire pearl. How would you advise a total newbie re akoya AAA vs white ssp AAA? Size? I would love to hear your thoughts. If you were only allowed one, which would you choose and why? Or would you get a tahitian? Price is of no concern.
Thank you in advance!

 

[NacreLover]

It depends on the size you're looking for and the look of the pearl. Akoya's are smaller than White south sea pearls most all the time. If you put a high quality akoya and white south sea pearl together on a table they look very different. I would suggest you go to a store that carries high quality in both types and look at them side by side and try different sizes on before ordering. P.S. My first pendant was a Tahitian enhancer. Still love and wear it.

 

[seaurchin]

Hi, acaw. First, just an FYI, if the "AAA" is between two different vendors, that wouldn't necessarily mean they're of comparable quality since there is no standard grading system. Most vendors just use different systems to categorize their highest level pearls, their second highest level pearls, and so on. Since you are new to pearls, I'd stick to one of the trusted vendors listed here because there is so much deception online when it comes to pearls. The large vendors listed above somewhere around here also have great return policies.

Second, white south sea pearls and white akoya pearls differ from each other in both size and luster. Akoya pearls tend to be much smaller than south sea pearls (they come from a much smaller oyster). And, akoya pearls tend to have very high, sharp luster whereas south sea pearls tend to have more satiny luster (akoya pearls are grown in cold waters, which makes the nacre grow more slowly and with smaller, closer together molecules or something like that).

So, do you prefer a smaller, sharper luster pearl or a larger, more satiny luster pearl?

A Tahitian pearl would be comparable in size to south sea pearls (there are small ones but they're not as common). It would be much darker (there are light and white Tahitians too but they're not as common). So, another choice, do you prefer a white pearl or a dark pearl?

In other words, it's really all just what you like. If you're asking what others prefer, my favorite would be a Tahitian pendant.

 

[dk168]

I am a big fan of interchangeable jewellery, and my personal choice would be to get a custom made bale with a MRB diamond at least 0.5ct that can be worn with different pearl or CS drops.

I would then get the biggest drop shaped or baroque pearl that suit me, either a Tahitian or WSSP, most likely to be the latter. Size wise I am talking about in excess of 20mm (Akoyas are just too small as pendants for my size/frame/age/etc.).

Perfectly round pearls do not appeal to me as pendants and I prefer baroque or drop shaped ones myself.

Just personal preferences as already mentioned.

Good luck with your choice.

DK

 

[pearlsngems]

For a pendant I like a longer chain and larger pearls-- they just show up better. That would rule out akoyas for me.

I am also fonder of fat drop shapes than rounds. For me that would mean a Tahitian, a Golden South Sea, or a White South Sea pendant. There are also some large Edison freshwater pendants out there in natural colors like lavender, pink and peach.

Lots of options!

 

[Siameseroo]

I would pick a SSP (white or golden) or Tahitian!

Good luck, please let us know what you decide!

 

[acaw2015]

Thank you for all of your replies! Very helpful!

I took your advice and visited a local pearl vendor in my town. They were very nice and showed me all types of pearls and different qualities that they have but were pushing me very hard to get an akoya strand, not at all what I am looking for. I really prefer shopping online.... but it was fun seeing the pearls!

I was impressed by the luster of the akoyas, but not the size. I also didnt like the pink tone in the akoyas, I would prefer a more pure white. They had ssps also, but mostly "champagne" or golden color. Those ones didnt speak to me, the luster did seem kind of "dead" to me, but I think I will have to go there again and look at more pure white ones before ruling them out. Not sure about their quality either "we only sell highest quality". They did however have a tahitian peacock color drop pendant, 13-14 mm, absolutely gorgeous! That one made me confused because I had pictured myself getting a white pearl. Maybe I need both.

seaurchin, thank you, I thought the aaa system was comparable.. argh. How do I know what quality I will get though..? I mean, pearlparadise lists pearls for very affordable prices, but does that simply mean that I get what I pay for?

Thank you for pointing out drop shapes for me too, I was kind of set on round ones for some reason and didnt think about that.

pearlsngems, I agree, I have a long chain with a large-ish pearl in mind.

I will let you know what I decide! First I need to go back to my local vendor and look at more pearls...

Again, many thanks!

 

[NacreLover]

Acaw, The akoya's they showed you were treated and "pinked". Those have a Rose` overtone. Akoya's also some in other colors, many love silver overtone akoya's.

From another site.

Akoya Pearl Colors
Akoya are generally white or cream colored, with overtone colors of rose, silver and cream. Non-white colors such as blue, silver-blue and yellow exist but are considered uncommon colors.

Treatments
Treatments that are considered universal in akoya pearls are; maeshori, bleaching and pinking. Because these treatments are permanent and considered universal, they are not typically disclosed at the time of sale.

As for quality of pearls, there are no industry wide grading system, so the highest quality at one store is not the highest at another.

If you to to the sticky on our site you will see vendors we buy from and trust. I hope this helps you. We are very discerning when buying pearls and won't steer you wrong. Also, because these stores buy in such huge volumes and have no brick an morter stores to pay for, prices will be much less than the stores you are able to go to in your area.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/trusted-vendors-sticky.205233/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/trusted-vendors-sticky.205233/[/URL]

 

[acaw2015]

ok, I see. Very good to know! Thank you!

 

[NacreLover]

You may want to shop around for your perfect pearl if you're buying a Tahitian. They come in many body colors and overtones.
Some of the ladies here bought some of these strands from PP last year.

 

[NacreLover]

I bought the large aubergine/cherry in the shell.

 

[acaw2015]

A late reply...

NacreLover, beautiful colors!!

I felt unsure re how a pearl pendant/pearls would look on me after trying some on and decided to get a fake super cheap solitaire pendant to wear for a while, similar to a white ssp, ca 13 mm. I realised almost instantly that although I adore pearls on others I simply dont like them on me. So sad.

I will continue admiring your beautiful pieces.

/aca