Which pearl necklace? In need of style advice

[HopeW]

I have a bunch of interviews coming up, for jobs in a very conservative profession. I''m planning on wearing a plain grey skirt suit, and a white collared shirt. I thought a pearl necklace might be nice to go along with it, and I''ve always wanted one.

So here''s the dilemma. My budget is about $100-150. It seems like I could either get a saltwater Akoya pearl necklace in about 6.5 mm, or maybe a freshwater pearl necklace in 7-7.5 mm size. Would 6.5mm look too small, and childish? Or would 7-7.5 look too big and gaudy?

Is there a noticeable difference in quality between saltwater and freshwater pearls?

Some of the freshwater pearl sites claim that sice freshwater pearls have more nacre, they are more durable? Is there any truth to that? I do plan on keeping it a while (i.e. forever).

Then there''s the question of length. Standard 16 inch necklaces have always seemed really long on me. I''m not particularly petite, but I am small-boned. So for reference, here is a picture of me wearing a red bead necklace that''s 14 inches long and has 6 mm beads. Is 14 inches too short? Would I be better off with 15 inches?

 

[DiaDiva]

Hello HopeW,
I''m not a pearl expert but I do own both freshwater pearls and south sea pearls. And I still think freshwater pearls are a good choice for relatively inexpensive pearls plus they have fantastic colours. Just be aware that some of the more exotically coloured pearls are dyed e.g. green, blue.

Here is a strand of natural mixed colour freshwater pearls just so you can a sense of the colours/sheen of FW pearls. I''m not sure how much they cost in the US but in the Philippines where I bought them, I paid less than US$30 for them. They''re around 15-16".

I think you''ll feel more comfortable with a 15" than 14" which may feel a little tighter.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 8/18/2005 7:28:12 PM
Author:HopeW

Some of the freshwater pearl sites claim that sice freshwater pearls have more nacre, they are more durable? Is there any truth to that? I do plan on keeping it a while (i.e. forever).

Probably true - althouh there doesn't seem to be a ton of complaints about the saltwater wearing off. The usually mentioned detraction of freshwater pearls is their lesser lustre - perhaps true, but less so as some have got trully spectacular in that regard too. There arevery different qualities and prices out there and I would not be able to guess from pictures and price alone (especially prices from a different country than I might know of!).

IMO, for a conservative interview I would not be wearing anything but earrings and watch, but there are no rules - that just makes me feel more confortable. Of course, buying a strand of pearls is always a good thing. I would surely go for freashwater due to the colors and price. But... I am biased again beacuse I only like colored pearls to begin with

Very difficult decission...

Anyway, high quality (meaning better lustre, really) freshwater pearls are so nice - IMO - that in that regard they make choosing easy. Only their size limits some uses. For example, I'd rather have a larger pendant than the usual freshwater pearls that do not get past 8-9mm, although larger are out there somewhere. For wearable strands, they are great!

Now... some freaswater pearls have nearly metalic luster - trully spectacular. Saltwater pearls rarely get that good too. That is probably due to treatment (either surface treatemnts, or treatments of the nucleus for nucleated freshwater pearls) but as long as they look good and cost little, that shouldn't be of somuch concern. Actually, $100 is not little for freshwater pearls so I would expect nice ones

Get some - whichever you might prefer: colored, white, black or anything pearls can be, as long as the enjoyable pearl hunt helps you focus on the task ahead. There's no telling how much shoping I did around exams, job interviews and other times like that.

Best of luck with the interviews!!!!

 

[HopeW]

Date: 8/19/2005 6:00:48 PM
Get some - whichever you might prefer: colored, white, black or anything pearls can be, as long as the enjoyable pearl hunt helps you focus on the task ahead. There''s no telling how much shoping I did around exams, job interviews and other times like that.

Yes! It is sort of at the point now where I am grasping for something to control about the process.

I think that all the colors freshwater pearls come in are really beautiful, but I think I just want round, white, classic-looking pearls for this. Do you think that Akoya will look more "classic" than the freshwater? It is so difficult to tell from the websites!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 8/19/2005 8:23:12 PM
Author: HopeW

Do you think that Akoya will look more 'classic' than the freshwater?

White ones would, round ones would.... but either freshwater or saltwater can be white & round.

Gray, light yellow or pink, black... are also conservative choices to me, aslong as the strand is of consistent color. And I like the strongly graduated strands, even though they might not be as trendy anymore.

Honestly, I can oh so easily see DiaDiva's mixed pinks with an Oxford strype shirt and a gray suit...

 

[cute330xigrl]

Date: 8/19/2005 8:45:24 PM
Author: valeria101

Date: 8/19/2005 8:23:12 PM
Author: HopeW

Do you think that Akoya will look more ''classic'' than the freshwater?

White ones would, round ones would.... but either freshwater or saltwater can be white & round.

Gray, light yellow or pink, black... are also conservative choices to me, aslong as the strand is of consistent color. And I like the strongly graduated strands, even though they might not be as trendy anymore.

Honestly, I can oh so easily see DiaDiva''s mixed pinks with an Oxford strype shirt and a gray suit...

So can I! Diadiva''s mix is the way to go IMO. Very classy.

 

[Maxine]

When flying back from vacation , I found a website suggested in a magazine called
www.moonriverpearls.com I haven''t purchased from them.....some of their pieces are set in 14K, and others are set w/plated metals......don''t know about their quality, but you might want to give it a look...

 

[Maxine]

...and I just remembered another site: www.pearlluster.com You might want to check it out for ideas!!!!

 

[fathom]

Owner of Pearl Luster here.

General guidance "cost" between freshwater and saltwater [e.g. akoya] is primarrily a factor of "rarity". Seawater pearls are cultured in oysters which tend to produce a single pearl per host thus many more hosts are needed to create a single strand with pearls of the same pearl quality, luster, color, overtone, and shape [same or varying size].

With freshwater - a host mussel can produce 30 pearls which suggests on average 30 times less hosts are needed to create the same number of strands.

Nacre - in both instances is a factor of time... a processing farm can cultivate their hosts for 6 months to 6 years with the latter having far more nacre on the final strands.... and if the freshwater is cultivated longer the quality is better yet the price is still cheaper because "rarity" is the primae cost denominator.

It is noteworthy to mention alot can happen in 6 years with die-off of hosts over that time increasing liability thus cost to consumer... making saltwater pearls even more expensive.

Best bet... is freshwater - and if you wish [for your testament on the subject] review the products on Pearl Luster [which is currently at http://www.jewelry-pearls.com ] pick out a freshwater strand that suites your fancy contact me at [email protected] and we can discuss some options so you can compare.