Tahitian pearls - Vendor vs. IRL pictures

[mapo]

Hi all,

I thought it would be a great idea to create a reference thread for folks buying tahitian pearls. So please post pictures from the vendor and your IRL shots of your tahitian pearl purchases and whatever informatin you have about the pearls. If you don't have vendor shots, that's ok too! Just add your IRL pics and a description.

I'll start....

AA+/AAA 8-11mm baroque green tahitian necklace from PP.
Length is 18 inches.
vendor shot:


IRL shot:
indirect light

direct light

 

[mapo]

AA+/AAA 8 - 13.5mm PP Harvest Strand with strong cool overtones. 35 inches in length.

vendor shot:


IRL indirect light shot:



IRL direct light shot:

 

[bsomlo]

Vendor description and shots:

AAA 9.3-11.9 Multicolor

This luxurious strand features tahitian pearls with smooth drops shapes, very high luster, and clean surfaces. The pearls range in color from dark green to glowing whites (very rare for Tahitian pearls) and have shimmering overtones.

 

[krissy7]

Mapo - This is a great idea. Thank you for starting this thread. I am a total novice when it comes to Tahitian pearls so I am looking forward to learning how to tell how they will look in person.

 

[cmd2014]

Most of my glamour shots are in my computer at work. I will try to post tomorrow.

 

[dmz]

The difficult thing about "in real life" shots is that the pearls will pick up surrounding colours. If you're standing outside under a canopy of trees, the green from the leaves will be reflected. If you're wearing a bright pink shirt, and take a photo in a mirror, the pink will show up.

Camera settings and light source:

• light source: sunlight is the benchmark for full spectrum. look for lighting with a similar colour temperature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature) and a high CRI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index)
• white balance: most cameras try to detect it automatically, but you can manually set this in your camera. Camera's aren't perfect at auto detecting.
• exposure: auto exposure often doesn't work right when shooting pearls on a white background. the camera tries to expose for the whole frame (which is mostly the white background) and thus darkens the image overall. and this makes the pearls look dark. depending on the camera, you can manually set the aperture and shutter speed, or just increase the exposure compensation.

Pearl Paradise product shot:
You can see the square-ish reflection in each pearl from their overhead soft box. I don't believe they're using a light tent.


My light tent shot:
This is a fully closed light tent, with an opening for the camera lens. You can see the little "dot" reflected in the front of each pearl. This was taken using natural light, with the light tent beside floor to ceiling windows.


Real Life
Outside on a foggy morning, with a grey wall on one side, and open sky on the other side:



Light Tent
You can probably get something like this for $20 on eBay. That's all you need. Local camera stores often sell something similar for 5x the cost.

 

[ckrickett]

Here is a comparison between my strands pics.

The description was dark green with strong peacock overtones and mirror like luster.


Glamour Shot



Shot with some pretty strong natural light


close up


neck shot

The one thing I noticed was how intense the luster was, they look like little mirrors that in bright light shine very much like silver with the green/peacock colors underneath, but in dimmer light they have this beautiful green color with a spectacular shine and more intense peacock coloring overtones.

Every different way with different light has something different, and that is the real beauty of pearls! I love this strand!

 

[cmd2014]

Here's the one I do have:









Edit: sorry...just wanted to edit so that you all weren't forced to look up my nose (which wasn't obvious in the photo until it posted). Had a few technical difficulties.

 

[cmd2014]

And in my makeshift light box:

 

[cmd2014]

Here's my blue-green strand:

 

[cmd2014]

Light box:

 

[Frost Me]

First Green Strand

18 inch AA+/AAA 8.4-11.7mm Drop Tahitian Pearl,
This unique strand of natural-color Tahitian drop pearls features pearls with a green body color subtle yet colorful peacock overtones. The pearls exhibit very clean surfaces and mirror-like luster.


Glamor Shot


Indirect Light Indoor


Direct Light, Covered Deck, West Side Exposure Morning Light


Direct Light Outdoor, Late Evening Light

 

[Frost Me]

Second Strand Dark Green

18" AA+/AAA 8.2 to 11.3 mm Drop Tahitian Pearl,
This unique strand of natural-color Tahitian drop pearls features pearls with a dark green body color with colorful peacock overtones. The pearls exhibit very clean surfaces and mirror-like luster.


Glamor Photo



Photos from PP



Camera Phone Photo from PP

 

[mapo]

9-11.7mm AAA baroque green tahitians with peacock overtone from PP
17 inches

indirect light (top strand)


direct light


night time

 

[thecat]

Love this thread. Thanks for the effort in educating pearl lovers, ladies. Can this thread be made a sticky?

 

[cmd2014]

Here's my new strand:

 

[cmd2014]

New pendant. The colour is very much what I was expecting (finally! I'm getting better at this!)

 

[cmd2014]

I really appreciate the direct light shots! It helps me have realistic expectations, rather than fantasy mental images which often leave me disappointed when I see my own strands in person for the first time.

 

[Bailey1856]

good idea! Here's mine. Will be posting more tomorrow as soon as my camera batteries are charged.
vendor pic

indoor

outdoor

 

[icy_jade]

Bailey: Those are gorgeous! Which vendor are they from?

====

Can I also suggest that we mention the vendor? Different vendors do have different styles of photo taking/shopping after all.

 

[Bailey1856]

Bailey: Those are gorgeous! Which vendor are they from?

====

Can I also suggest that we mention the vendor? Different vendors do have different styles of photo taking/shopping after all.

Icy, good point! Mine is from THEPEARLEXCHANGE on Etsy.

 

[cmd2014]

Mine are all from the recent Pearl Paradise sale.

 

[pkinnew]

I love this post! So many gorgeous pearls and it's great seeing how they react to different light. I will have to find the glamour shots for my recent purchases and join the club!

 

[cyndayco]

Hello, everyone.

First, my opera-length strand from Ross-Simons:

 

[cyndayco]

Second, here's my multicolor 12mm strand, from the local pearl market.





Third, my Wilma Flintstones necklace, in various stages of experimentation.

 

[Frost Me]

Second, here's my multicolor 12mm strand, from the local pearl market.



Lovely pearls cyndayco Tell me about your local pearl market? I can't even imagine!

 

[NacreLover]

Two strands of 8-11mm Cherry Tahitians from Pearl Paradise. Glamour shot from their light box, then outside on my covered porch today.

 

[cyndayco]

Well, Frost Me, what if I told you there are two pearl markets?

I live in Metro Manila, which is the national capitol region of the Philippines. This is the base of Jewelmer, which specializes in deep golden South Sea pearls, and a loose-knit network of small pearl merchants selling out of two bazaars, Greenhills and Market Market.

Greenhills market is a huge bazaar. At the center is a section of 120 kiosks that sell pearls year round. The shop owners used to source their pearls from Davao and Palawan, when we had more independent pearl farmers. Now, the merchants get them mostly from Hong Kong, just like PP and POJ. Their price points are much lower than PP and POJ, because they have lower overhead and because they buy lower quality pearls. Every now and then, though, especially if you've nurtured a good relationship with a shopkeeper, you can find very nice pearls and gems for a steal.

Now, I have to say Greenhills can be chaotic and overwhelming, especially on the weekends; some merchants are less scrupulous than others. But if you have good contacts, it's a great place to start a pearl addiction.


The other, Market Market, is a satellite of Greenhills, about half the size of its big sister and much quieter. The pearls are not as nice, but I've snagged a few bargains there. Plus, this is where I found the best and cheapest pearl-stringing service ever--about $2.50 a strand!

 

[cyndayco]

NacreLover, those cherries are luscious--under any kind of light.

 

[baby monster]

PP silver body tahitians with blue overtones. AA+/AAA. 10-12mm.
PP vendor shot

Neck shot. Outdoors, indirect sunlight