Where to shop for pearls in NYC?

[baby monster]

I'd like to buy a strand of pearls for my birthday and have been looking online but still would like to go visit a few stores in person to get a better sense of quality vs price. Are there any good stores with a large selection in NYC? I checked the vendor section but they all seem to be diamond not pearl sellers.

TIA!

 

[elle_chris]

There's lots of stores but I can't think of the names right now.

What you might want to do is try the diamond district on 47th st. I've seen many pearls there even though it's called the diamond district.

 

[gardengloves]

If you don't want to shop online, and are in NYC I would recommend American Pearl in the diamond district. I bought my first major purchase with them - a strand of south seas and I am very happy.

 

[baby monster]

So I did not end up going anywhere to shop for the pearls because my mother wanted to buy a strand for my birthday and who can argue with my mother when she has her mind set to something . I really like the pearls - the shape is great and they seem to have good luster.

However, since I'm a total newbie at pearls and this is my first strand, can I get an honest evaluation on the quality? My mother is not an expert, she just bought the strand that looked nice to her. I obviously like it because it's a present from her and just want to know where this strand fits in terms of pearl quality. I think she spent around $100. Is that a fair price for this quality?

The first 2 pics are in sunlight, on the third the flash went off.