Please help me find oval hook drop pearl earrings

[Roselina]

Dear pearl lovers

I don't know a lot about pearls but on my wish list is a pair of oval pearl drop earrings on a simple 14k or 18k hook. Where would be a good place to buy online (based in Europe)? I would much appreciate your inputs. Thank you!

 

[Pearlescence]

You need to firm up your parameters...type of pearl, size of pearl, oval or drip, quality, and how much you want to spend. There will be a big difference in price between 14 carat and 18 carat gold even.

 

[Roselina]

Thank you! I will try… natural white pearl, oval, ca 10 to 12 mm long. It should be a nice looking pearl but it must not be super quality (I‘m a pear beginner).

 

[dk168]

I appreciate your preference for an EU vendor, however, have a look at the Etsy shops for Rolay based in Hong Kong, or pearlzaustralia which is katbran's Etsy shop.

DK

 

[Roselina]

Thank you so much! I will have a look. It does not need to be Europe based.

 

[pearlsngems]

Thank you! I will try… natural white pearl, oval, ca 10 to 12 mm long. It should be a nice looking pearl but it must not be super quality (I‘m a pear beginner).

People who are new to pearls sometimes say "natural" when they mean "real". But "natural" has a specific meaning when it comes to pearls.

Real pearls are formed in live mollusks. They fall into 2 categories:

• Natural pearls = wild / not cultured / not farmed. These pearls are created by nature in mollusks without any human intervention. Such pearls have always been rare and very expensive.
• Cultured pearls = farmed / grown in mollusks but cultivated by humans in a farm. Almost all pearls sold today are cultured pearls.
I think you are looking for a pair of cultured pearls.

By contrast, imitation pearls (fake) are made in factories. They consist of some sort of bead (glass, plastic, or even shell) that is coated with a pearly-looking coating usually made from a substance derived from fish scales.

 

[Pearlescence]

Thank you! I will try… natural white pearl, oval, ca 10 to 12 mm long. It should be a nice looking pearl but it must not be super quality (I‘m a pear beginner).

As you are a beginner...a natural white pearl says to me a pearl which is naturally a white colour, ie not dyed or bleached. A natural pearl is a wild pearl, not a farmed pearl. I believe you mean a cultured or farmed pearl. If you are thinking of a freshwater pearl then the pearl will cost considerably less than your specified gold findings (the hooks). Consider vermeil, which is a gold plating on sterling silver.
When you say EU based does that mean you are in the EU in which case your parameter is sensible, given importing customs, duty and such like (how I wish we had not left!)

 

[Roselina]

Goodness… a beginner indeed. Yes, I meant cultured pearls then, not natural pearls but not bleached or imitation pearls. Thank you so much!

 

[pearlsngems]

But realize that most white freshwater pearls are bleached at the factories as part of their processing. (Also true of 99+% of akoyas, but they are not oval.)
South Sea pearls from Australia are not bleached. You may be able to find ovals, but they would cost quite a lot more than FWP.
SSP from other areas (e.g. Indonesia) that go through Japan may have some degree of processing there. This could include a bit of bleaching, as I understand it.

I would not get too hung up on how naturally white they are.

 

[Roselina]

But realize that most white freshwater pearls are bleached at the factories as part of their processing. (Also true of 99+% of akoyas, but they are not oval.)
South Sea pearls from Australia are not bleached. You may be able to find ovals, but they would cost quite a lot more than FWP.
SSP from other areas (e.g. Indonesia) that go through Japan may have some degree of processing there. This could include a bit of bleaching, as I understand it.

I would not get too hung up on how naturally white they are.

Ok, thank you! I‘ll be fine with a little bleached then.

 

[Pearlescence]

Most 'natural white' pearls I've had have been very very very pale gold (most freshwaters) or a very very very pale lilac grey. I do have a weakness for natural white pearls, I confess.

 

[dk168]

@Roselina, what's your budget please, pearls alone or combined ready to wear earrings?

DK

 

[yssie]

Ditto - please share your budget for this project. There are pearls for all budgets! But for us, knowing what you're looking to spend (ish) will help us advise on both type of pearl and vendor.

 

[Roselina]

Budget… well, I‘d say something from 500 to 1000, 1500 max. I found an example but don‘t know about quality there: https://www.annoushka.com/uk/18ct-yellow-gold-baroque-pearl-hook-drop-earrings-016359.html

 

[dk168]

Budget… well, I‘d say something from 500 to 1000, 1500 max. I found an example but don‘t know about quality there: https://www.annoushka.com/uk/18ct-yellow-gold-baroque-pearl-hook-drop-earrings-016359.html

NO WAY, her products are overpriced and nothing special, as they are considered as "designer".

The pearls are only cultured freshwater and can be picked up for not a lot of money. Similar earring findings in gold would not cost that much to buy!

Have a look at the offerings from this Etsy shop for similar products and see the price difference!

Please note that I have yet to purchase anything from this shop, just following for information when Etsy had some sort of promotion:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PearlRoadYW?ref=usf_2020&section_id=25990982

DK

 

[Roselina]

NO WAY, her products are overpriced and nothing special, as they are considered as "designer".

The pearls are only cultured freshwater and can be picked up for not a lot of money. Similar earring findings in gold would not cost that much to buy!

Have a look at the offerings from this Etsy shop for similar products and see the price difference!

Please note that I have yet to purchase anything from this shop, just following for information when Etsy had some sort of promotion:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PearlRoadYW?ref=usf_2020&section_id=25990982

DK

Thank you!!

 

[pearlsngems]

Budget… well, I‘d say something from 500 to 1000, 1500 max. I found an example but don‘t know about quality there: https://www.annoushka.com/uk/18ct-yellow-gold-baroque-pearl-hook-drop-earrings-016359.html

I have seen similar earrings at an even higher price in a small jewelry store in Westport, CT (upscale community). I was shocked at the price as the FW pearls really are nothing special and the hook so simple.

What I personally don't like about that style hook is that it is glued directly into the pearl rather than attached to a cap finding that allows the pearl to swing a little. I have some ginkgo leaf earrings that are a plain hook, and I find they stay in one position on my ear all the time. Perhaps that is because my piercings aren't stretched out at all, so the earrings fit snugly.

That being said, if those earrings on the 18K gold hook are exactly the style you want, go for it.

 

[Pearlescence]

I'm complete opposite Pearlsngems. I hate flappy drops and much prefer fixed pearls.
Those Annushka ones - I have a gismo thingy for shaping wire. All that is is a sort of ker-ching to some wire and a dab of glue!

 

[dk168]

Concur with @pearlsngems that I too prefer for the pearl to swing freely and not attached directly to the earring post.

DK

 

[pearlsngems]

Everyone is different for sure! What works for one may be just the wrong thing for another.

These are the white SSP drops I bought from Pearl Paradise a few years back. I love them-- they jiggle just enough.

I don't see that style on Pearl Paradise's website just now but they have lots of loose pearls in their vault. You could just call them and see what hook findings they have and what white oval or drop pearls (FW or SSP) and see if they can make something for you. They are very helpful!

The wire on these earrings seems to be 20 gauge. I like that gauge for ear wires. Thinner hooks are at greater risk of just falling out unless you slide a silicone stopper on the back of the hook. I did lose an earring that way once, which was on hook handmade from a thinner wire. It was a pearl, too.

 

[Pearlescence]

I don't mind them so much PnG because they look designed. Plain hooks just look like the maker couldn't be bothered.

 

[empliau]

I am not a customer (yet, but here's hoping), but I've seen beautiful drops from katbran in your price range. That's where I'd start in your size range. Check out on Instagram.

 

[katbran]

PmG If that's the lever back finding with diamond , they still have it . I saw it on some WSS on the website. Those are lovely WSS too !

 

[pearlsngems]

PmG If that's the lever back finding with diamond , they still have it . I saw it on some WSS on the website. Those are lovely WSS too !

Thanks katbran!

It's not a lever back-- just a hook. It was called the "Darling" setting.
But perhaps the original poster might also like a lever back finding, which can be more secure than a hook.

 

[Roselina]

Thank you all so much for your help. I learned quite a bit about pearls. In the meantime I sourced a pair secondhand (online). They are not here yet and I could not see them in person. The seller could not tell what exactly they are (she inherited them I think). The hook is 18k gold. The pearls are 15 x 10 mm. The price seems fair and if it turns out to be something I did not expect I can live with it. I do wonder however, what kind of pearls they are.

 

[pearlsngems]

They do look like real pearls but I can't tell whether they are FWP or SSP. As long as you like them, it doesn't matter!

 

[Roselina]

So they arrived! They are/look bigger on me than I expected but I like them. The pearls are real - as much I can tell. As for what they exactly are, I have no clue, probably FWP.

 

[Pearlescence]

I'd say freshwater? Standard style unflappy (good!) hooks. Is the metal marked 18? If they are gold they are certainly worth more than the pearls.

 

[dk168]

So they arrived! They are/look bigger on me than I expected but I like them. The pearls are real - as much I can tell. As for what they exactly are, I have no clue, probably FWP.

IMHO, they look CFWPs and not WSSPs to me, however, I am not an expert.

Pics of you wearing them, pretty please!

DK

 

[Roselina]

The metal is indeed gold. As for the pearls: I'm also quite certain now they are freshwater. As for now I'm happy to wear them. I'm afraid that one day, when I know more about pearls, they might start bothering me. Same happened with diamonds after joining PS.