New to pearls - what is a price point for reasonable quality

[cvalier26]

I have many jewelers in my country with pearls, is 100 enough for small studs or small pendant ones ? Which type of pearls? Basically, how do you know what you’re buying
For example (sorry in French!)
I don’t have any pearls for now

 

[cvalier26]

Si basically is it worth it or should I wait and save up for a higher budget (which I would prefer not to have to do)
Oh, and by small I mean tiny is fine

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

I don’t know if pearl paradise delivers to France, but I would check out their stock: https://www.pearlparadise.com/collections/pearl-earrings. 100 should be fine for a pair of nice good quality freshwater studs, I feel. Pearl is June’s birthstone so you can get good deals I think. In general I find jewelry very expensive in most of Europe. I never bought jewelry when I lived there.

 

[cvalier26]

I don’t know if pearl paradise delivers to France, but I would check out their stock: https://www.pearlparadise.com/collections/pearl-earrings. 100 should be fine for a pair of nice good quality freshwater studs, I feel. Pearl is June’s birthstone so you can get good deals I think. In general I find jewelry very expensive in most of Europe. I never bought jewelry when I lived there.

Thank you, unfortunately they don’t have a european website. Here is the link I forgot to put, most are perles de culture d’eau douce which is freshwater pearls

Clous d'oreilles Perle de culture • Histoire d'Or

ll➤ Découvrez nos Clous d'oreilles Perle de culture sur Histoire d'Or ✅Garantie 60 jours satisfaits ou remboursé ✓Livraison et retour gratuits

www.histoiredor.com

 

[dk168]

PP delivers to UK for certain.

Can't go wrong with PP IMHO, they are my go to vendor for the good stuff.

Please note that I treat imports as one way transactions as it is a pain to return anything.

Also, please consider the additional cost of custom and duty charges.

DK

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Thank you, unfortunately they don’t have a european website. Here is the link I forgot to put, most are perles de culture d’eau douce which is freshwater pearls

Clous d'oreilles Perle de culture • Histoire d'Or

ll➤ Découvrez nos Clous d'oreilles Perle de culture sur Histoire d'Or ✅Garantie 60 jours satisfaits ou remboursé ✓Livraison et retour gratuits

www.histoiredor.com

I unfortunately don’t speak French so I can’t tell you if those pearls will be of the same quality as PP can offer. It might be worth seeing if PP can deliver to France, customs etc inclusive.

 

[cvalier26]

I am reluctant to do international because of the duty fees
Are there specific questions I could ask the salespeople regarding their pearls?

 

[dk168]

I would ask if they could provide a pic of the actual item you are considering.

DK

 

[cvalier26]

I would ask if they could provide a pic of the actual item you are considering.

DK

There are pics of the pearls on the link upthread

 

[dk168]

There are pics of the pearls on the link upthread

I believe they are generic stock photos and not the actual products one would be getting.

DK

 

[cvalier26]

I believe they are generic stock photos and not the actual products one would be getting.

DK

I have seen them in the shop and they are quite similar, they look quite nice, « shiny », I’m just not sure of the price points

 

[cvalier26]

I have seen them in the shop and they are quite similar, they look quite nice, « shiny », I’m just not sure of the price points

Except that they look bigger on the website

 

[dk168]

I have seen them in the shop and they are quite similar, they look quite nice, « shiny », I’m just not sure of the price points

Have a look at those on offer at PP for comparison purposes.

I am not au fait with the charges associated with import custom and duty, therefore I cannot comment how much to add on top, sorry!

DK

 

[dk168]

Except that they look bigger on the website

In that case, read the descriptions carefully for size information and have a ruler to hand.

DK

 

[Pearlescence]

100 what? Euros? I see that the rate for VAT is 20% in France. So add on to any import from outside the EU: 20% VAT, any duty your government decides to impose on finished jewellery, plus shipping and customs agent fees (often around 15-20 euros) plus international currency transaction charges....

 

[cvalier26]

100 what? Euros? I see that the rate for VAT is 20% in France. So add on to any import from outside the EU: 20% VAT, any duty your government decides to impose on finished jewellery, plus shipping and customs agent fees (often around 15-20 euros) plus international currency transaction charges....

Yes euros. I’m not doing international shipping it will be too expensive I would rather invest the money in the pearls

 

[cvalier26]

Are there specific things you should ask like treatments or something?

 

[dk168]

Akoyas are normally "pinked", and untreated ones are uncommon and more expensive as they tend to be better quality to start with, however I could be wrong.

DK

 

[Pearlescence]

Natural white akoyas are also possible (and very beautiful they are too). Most akoyas are bleached to white, then some will be pinked. It's only the most faint blush. Bleaching and pinking and buffing/polishing are standard and will not be mentioned normally.
If all you want is a shiny white round pearls necklace it might be a good idea to consider top quality freshwater pearls as well. Cheaper.
The biggest problem you will have with any white round pearls is that competition between sellers tends to be on price so many will be balancing quality and price.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I live in NZ
The exchange rate is terrible at the best of times
I buy from America if i can't get things locally
Even though we are a long way away

To add insult to injury just recently the govt has imposed what we call the Amazon tax

but when im working again the very first thing im going to buy for myself is pearls from pearl paradise

 

[Snowdrop13]

The French website does not have a lot of info about the pearls at all. I’d also recommend Pearl Paradise, they do have 15% off at the moment.

Have you looked at Etsy? This seller is good, responsive and efficient. Plus she has a huge inventory so you can experiment with different sizes and colours. P and P is free over $35.

AAA 6.5-7mm Round Pearl Stud Earrings,cultured Pearl Beads,natural Pearls,se3-076 - Etsy UK

This Stud Earrings item by WenPearls has 504 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from China. Listed on 28 Feb, 2024

www.etsy.com

 

[cvalier26]

The French website does not have a lot of info about the pearls at all. I’d also recommend Pearl Paradise, they do have 15% off at the moment.

Have you looked at Etsy? This seller is good, responsive and efficient. Plus she has a huge inventory so you can experiment with different sizes and colours. P and P is free over $35.

AAA 6.5-7mm Round Pearl Stud Earrings,cultured Pearl Beads,natural Pearls,se3-076 - Etsy UK

This Stud Earrings item by WenPearls has 504 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from China. Listed on 28 Feb, 2024

www.etsy.com

Thank you, the issue is the import taxes which are quite high, so I’m looking for à European source

 

[cvalier26]

Thank you all for your replies, due to the high import taxes (I checked) I am looking for a European vendor.
Are there any specific questions I should ask about the pearls to determine quality?

 

[molinePDG]

Thank you all for your replies, due to the high import taxes (I checked) I am looking for a European vendor.
Are there any specific questions I should ask about the pearls to determine quality?

Yes.

You should ask how the vendor grades their pearls -- what does a "AAA" pearl mean? What does a "AA" pearl mean? There is no standard grading system, so each vendor can define his or her own quality levels.

You should ask for photos of any blemishes that would be visible on whatever piece you're considering. You should not purchase pearls with deep pitting or highly visible, significant blemishes.

 

[louisediamondsandpearls]

I have many jewelers in my country with pearls, is 100 enough for small studs or small pendant ones ? Which type of pearls? Basically, how do you know what you’re buying
For example (sorry in French!)
I don’t have any pearls for now

I bought some beautiful freshwater bespoke natural coloured earrings for my sisters wedding last year from a UK pearl jewellery making business -https://www.pearlescence.co.uk/ - the lady who runs the company knows alot about pearls and responded really quickly to emails

 

[cvalier26]

I bought some beautiful freshwater bespoke natural coloured earrings for my sisters wedding last year from a UK pearl jewellery making business -https://www.pearlescence.co.uk/ - the lady who runs the company knows alot about pearls and responded really quickly to emails

Thank you I will have a look