The PEARL Lovers Thread!

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#4,086
hey everyone!
I was never a fan of pearls until about a week ago when I saw a woman wearing a pair of GORGEOUS Tahitian pearl drop earrings-- and since then, I have been obsessed. I quite literally read almost all 273 pages of this thread and still have so many questions. Please guide me, knowledgable pearlies!

I'm most drawn to the look of GSS and Akoya pearls-- but I'm still caught up about the grading system and possible discrepancies between different pearl vendors. Is there a difference between AAA and PP's Freshadama/Hanadama? Is the AA or A+ from a more prestigious brand (say, Mikimoto) necessarily more lustrous or high quality than a AAA or a Hanadama from PP? Although I'd love a higher grade pearl from Mikimoto, it's not something quite in my budget as of now. Also, would a Hanadama/Freshadama FW pearl look similar in luster to that of an Akoya? I'm looking (and drooling!) particularly at a couple of Akoya and GSS pearl dangle earrings from PP as well as an Akoya tin cup bracelet from Mikimoto. Although you all look SO beautiful wearing your gorgeous lustrous strands, bracelets, and studs, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for something commanding that much of a presence! :girlsigh: I also have two lobe piercings, and anything larger than maybe 6.5mm may overwhelm my ear.

Thank you so much in advance for your help! and in the meantime, please keep posting pics; I love to see those beautiful pearls!! <3
 
#4,087
TXLVlove said:
So I did some EBay shopping in the last month...my wssp/gssp 11-13 mm strand and my latest 11/12 mm gssp studs. I shortened the strand so it would rest at the collar of all my crew neck sweaters. The pics don’t do them justice. The luster is amazing. This is my first strand of ssp. Love the baroque shapes. View attachment 4609894
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the color on the studs is to DIE for!! :loveeyes::loveeyes::loveeyes::loveeyes:
 
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#4,088
ReiChan1 said:
hey everyone!
I was never a fan of pearls until about a week ago when I saw a woman wearing a pair of GORGEOUS Tahitian pearl drop earrings-- and since then, I have been obsessed. I quite literally read almost all 273 pages of this thread and still have so many questions. Please guide me, knowledgable pearlies!

I'm most drawn to the look of GSS and Akoya pearls-- but I'm still caught up about the grading system and possible discrepancies between different pearl vendors. Is there a difference between AAA and PP's Freshadama/Hanadama? Is the AA or A+ from a more prestigious brand (say, Mikimoto) necessarily more lustrous or high quality than a AAA or a Hanadama from PP? Although I'd love a higher grade pearl from Mikimoto, it's not something quite in my budget as of now. Also, would a Hanadama/Freshadama FW pearl look similar in luster to that of an Akoya? I'm looking (and drooling!) particularly at a couple of Akoya and GSS pearl dangle earrings from PP as well as an Akoya tin cup bracelet from Mikimoto. Although you all look SO beautiful wearing your gorgeous lustrous strands, bracelets, and studs, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for something commanding that much of a presence! :girlsigh: I also have two lobe piercings, and anything larger than maybe 6.5mm may overwhelm my earr help! and in the meantime, please keep posting pics; I love to see those beautiful pearls!! :heart:
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:You
You should take the Pearls As One course on the Pearl_Guide site. There is a code somewhere that makes it free. You will learn quite a bit about the history and grading of various pearls. They have quite a few threads going and everyone is super friendly and helpful.
 
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#4,090
Do anyone of you ever seen small south sea pearls? Went to holt renfrew and saw this oyo really small pearl earrings in 18 k gold and she said it was south sea pearLs. I thought that south sea pearls are supposed to be bigger?
 
#4,091
Mcandy said:
Do anyone of you ever seen small south sea pearls? Went to holt renfrew and saw this oyo really small pearl earrings in 18 k gold and she said it was south sea pearLs. I thought that south sea pearls are supposed to be bigger?
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My understanding is they can be very small if they are keshi pearls with no bead in the center, but typically if they were smaller than about 9mm for a cultured pearl, that would mean the nacre would be very thin because the bead is not much smaller than that.
 
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#4,092
So, I have gotten to be really into pearls over the past year. It started with the idea of finally getting myself a good strand of round golden south sea pearls, and now I've really gone down the rabbit hole! These giant baroque pearls are my latest purchase from my pearl supplier in Indonesia -- trying to figure out whether to make pendants to sell or just treat myself to a monster strand :biggrin:
 

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#4,093
I love this necklace of natural blue south sea pearls from the remote island of Tanimbarkei. I have made a few necklaces now with this design for customers as well (although not with the blue pearls, which are very rare — I had to collect these from my supplier over a period of several months).
 

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#4,095
Raine3 said:
Hi, all,
I've recently become obsessed with Tahitian pearls and I'm enjoying learning, though I probably never will be able to afford a strand (or at least the strand I want, probably about 20", peacock color, and round, at least 9-10 mm, not baroque or circle). I have little ability to judge quality, especially not through online research---I need to get to a jewelry store and see in person. But I've been wondering about the quality of the pearls offered by a YouTuber I used to follow, Elle Florence. She has a business sourcing and selling pearls direct from a French Polynesian farm, and her prices start in the $700s. Does anyone know about these? The business is called Nouvelle Pearls, and they look great to me, but as I say, I don't have an expert eye.
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You should NOT pay that much for Tahitian pearls- especially the quality she is selling. I saw Elle Florence's website and she sells an "image" for sure, but the quality is the same as many sellers on Etsy. Please support them as I know that many get their pearls from the exact same source but charge in the $100s at the most...and not $700s (red flag there - this is a very steep markup for the same stuff). Look at some of the Hawaii-based sellers on Etsy. I can't show specifics but a simple search should help. I know this lady has a business to run, but the prices she charges over what the wholesale price is for Tahitian pearls from the same sources is bat-sh*t crazy. Anyone can go on vacation to Tahiti, take photos, and claim all their pearls are "authentic" but I know you will be safe to get high quality designs from other sellers who don't charge that crazy markup!! Yes, the high end (think Mikimoto) get atmospheric in prices, but for your everyday wear pearls like she is selling you could get a much better deal.
Side note, I saw more red flags on this seller when I did a Google search and although a popular gossip site came up, there is a lot of shadiness going on. Buyer beware. Good luck on your search.
 
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