Good Faux Tahitian Pearl Alternative?

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Stophle

Stophle

Loyal Browncoat
O.G.
Jan 28, 2007
4,165
9
#1
I adore the look of large (13-14mm) peacock overtone Tahitian pearls. Unfortunately, with a wedding at the end of this year and having gotten LASIK recently, my funds are nonexistant, so I can't buy a real Tahitian strand anytime soon. Does anyone know if there are any great faux strands available? I know there are beautiful faux white pearl strands and Majorca even makes a decent South Seas simulant necklace, but I haven't been able to find any faux Tahitian strands.

Any suggestions on where I could/should look? Any help would be appreciated! :smile1:
 
#3
Yeah, I thought about Honora but haven't been able to find what I'm looking for, unfortunately. Their blacks aren't usually with the peacock overtones and definitely not in the large size like I'd want, or if they are, they're very expensive, which is not what I'm able to do right now. I was hoping maybe someone knew of some faux pearl makers who were pretty good.
 
#4
Swarovski have beautiful faux "crystal" pearls, but I don't know if there's a necklace avail such as the type you're looking for.

I know where Tahitian pearls are sold "loose" where you can make your own necklace, but I take it you're looking for a finished piece "ready-to-wear", right?
 
#7
Contessa said:
Swarovski have beautiful faux "crystal" pearls, but I don't know if there's a necklace avail such as the type you're looking for.

I know where Tahitian pearls are sold "loose" where you can make your own necklace, but I take it you're looking for a finished piece "ready-to-wear", right?
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Yes ma'am. :smile1: Due to my total lack of artistic talent, I wouldn't trust myself to make a good knotted strand. LOL
 
#9
They might put on a different clasp for you if you ask them? I don't know though if they do custom requests like that. I have a pair of small asha studs from them that I wear often and like.
 
#10
Honora has a lot more than what's available on their website. You might try calling their NY flagship and speaking to one of the SAs. I've shopped there and found them extremely helpful and nice.
 
#12
:confused1: ^ why ever not? Real jewelry are sometimes inappropriate or dangerous to wear. Faux is a great alternative that will not break the bank. Plus if she really likes the look of Tahitians on her she will definitely make a decision to save for a real strand.

Try to do a search for seashell pearls, they are man made pearls, they are created by dipping over and over again in a special solution that one of the ingredients is MOP, they are usually very heavy. They shouldn't cost more than 100 dollars, and the price usually depends on the material of the clasp. They are really pretty and a good alternative. You can tell them by the price, usually they go for around 20-40 dollars. Now they are made so well with artificial imperfections that they look surprisingly real.
 
#13
Yes I think the ones posted from betterthandiamond are made from seashells and thus at least they are from a natural material and by looking at the photos they do look surprisingly real, at least they are really pretty. The real ones would cost so much more that unfortunately they are not an option for some people. I agree with Lily that costume jewelry has its place and not all are ugly, worthless junk really. These days fashion jewelry has become such high quality, at least many brands are, that they command a large market and to people who want more options and a different look they are often a better choice than "real" jewelry. I myself no longer buy real stones and gold simply for the reason that I prefer unique designs and the size and designs I would like in gold and gemstones would be far from what I could afford and then I would still only have one piece. I love my Swarowski and Konplott jewelry to pieces even though I actually am a GIA graduate. I think we should be careful that we do not exhibit "jewelry snobbery" here as our tastes, styles, wallets, etc. are very different but that does not make us better or worse.
 
#14
thewave1969 said:
Please do not spend $$$ on fake costume pearls - sorry. Be patient, save a little and in a while buy the real ones:)
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I have many costume jewelry pieces that I adore. :smile1: In fact, I have some excellent quality faux pearls that I wear almost daily. While there are some terrible quality ones out there (Carolee, for example, I detested those), there are also some truly gorgeous pieces.

lily25 said:
^ why ever not? Real jewelry are sometimes inappropriate or dangerous to wear. Faux is a great alternative that will not break the bank. Plus if she really likes the look of Tahitians on her she will definitely make a decision to save for a real strand.

Try to do a search for seashell pearls, they are man made pearls, they are created by dipping over and over again in a special solution that one of the ingredients is MOP, they are usually very heavy. They shouldn't cost more than 100 dollars, and the price usually depends on the material of the clasp. They are really pretty and a good alternative. You can tell them by the price, usually they go for around 20-40 dollars. Now they are made so well with artificial imperfections that they look surprisingly real.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right. As soon as this year is over, after the wedding and everything else I have going on, I will be saving up to buy a strand of large baroque's, probably from TPO, but as I can't do that right now I wanted to get a piece to tide me over. :smile1:

Thank you for the suggestion about the shell pearls. I'd seen some of these and they looked great, but I didn't know what they were called. I'll have to consult the almighty Google on this one. :smile1:

curlygirlsd said:
They might put on a different clasp for you if you ask them? I don't know though if they do custom requests like that. I have a pair of small asha studs from them that I wear often and like.
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Honestly the clasp isn't a deal breaker for me, I would buy them as-is. I tried to add a strand to my cart yesterday and couldn't. Something about the shopping cart not being available. :( Thank you so much for pointing me toward them though, they really do look amazing!
 
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