The PEARL Lovers Thread!

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#661
My first pearls were a pair of mikimoto earrings - I bought them when I turned 30 on a trip to HK. Feels far away now. Then my Husband gave me the same pair with removable diamonds (also from mikimoto) a few years later.

It's a lovely gift... but I had to ask him - hadn't he noticed that once I remove the removable diamonds, that the pearl earrings looked like what I regularly........ hah!
 
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#662
Newchanel said:
My first pearls were a pair of mikimoto earrings - I bought them when I turned 30 on a trip to HK. Feels far away now. Then my Husband gave me the same pair with removable diamonds (also from mikimoto) a few years later.

It's a lovely gift... but I had to ask him - hadn't he noticed that once I remove the removable diamonds, that the pearl earrings looked like what I regularly........ hah!
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Mikimoto...mmmmm. I love my Mikis. Nothing better. Pretty terrific first pearls!
 
#664
Julide said:
:roflmfao:Such a great story!! I am still chuckling about your overstock of kitty kibble!:lol:
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Joule said:
This story made my night. LOVED it.
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Cyanide Rose said:
Thanks so much BigPurseSue! I just loved your story [emoji4]
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Glad you all can laugh about it with me! Shortly after the free-pearl-earring fiasco my mom was helping me move and she discovered all the cat kibble stacked in the kitchen cupboard and closet. I had purchased air-tight plastic containers to store some of it to try to keep it from going bad. Alas, when my mom opened one of the containers she found spiders and moths, bugs that hatch in grain products that have been stored in giant food warehouses. She was apoplectic and wanted to know what I was doing hoarding cat kibble. I couldn't bring myself to admit that I was trying to get a free (fake) pearl earring. So I just mumbled "I didn't want to run out and have my cat go hungry." She tossed it all into the trash, including the plastic containers. :-s
 
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#665
BigPurseSue said:
View attachment 3680562

I can just see that pearl nose on the cat's face! How wonderful! I take it you now always wear pearls when you play the violin? That's a lovely habit.

My first pearl.... It was a little gold-filled cultured pearl pendant I got for my birthday from my mom's best friend. My mom never allowed me to wear it because it was you know just too good. :amuse: But when I got to college I wore it every single day, day and night. By the time I graduated all the nacre had worn off and so had the gold and it looked terrible.

My first pearl earrings... An old friend from grad school gave me a pair. Quite thrilling. They have long gold prongs that clutch the pearls like bird claws. They came in a velvet Saks box which was also thrilling because I never thought I could afford something from Saks. I still wear them regularly to this day.

My first attempt to acquire pearl earrings for myself... Back in the 1980s one of the cat food companies, I think it was the Meow Mix people, had a promotion in which one received a free pearl earring in every specially marked 5-pound bag of kibble. (!!!) I would be surprised if it was a real pearl. So I bought a bag and I got my free earring!!! Then I bought a second specially-marked 5-pound bag but I could not find the free earring. I dumped all the kibble all over the kitchen counter and searched and searched, but alas, no free earring. So what did I do but buy a second specially marked 5-pound bag and dumped that all over the counter! But there was no free pearl earring in that bag either. :annoyed: I now had 15 pounds of cat kibble and only one cat and one pearl earring. In six months I had 14 pounds of uneaten kibble that was full of moths and spiders.

I still have that single pearl earring in my jewelry box. I don't know why. It's not even a real pearl. I guess if I ever have a fake pearl earring emergency I will be prepared. :p
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Ladies, I love reading all your stories!!
@BigPurseSue...this is such a funny story!!:p I can just imagine all the stored cat kibble!!:heart: Thank you for sharing, BPS!!

My very first pearl goes back a long time. I grew up in the country & was quite the tomboy as a child, riding horses & preferring to spend most of my time outside or at the barn, so I didn't get very much jewelry when I was young. My first pearl was a small single pearl pendant on a gold chain given to me on my 8th birthday by my mother's sister. I was not allowed to wear it except to church or some other dress up function like a wedding, ect. The next pearls I got was when I graduated High School. My parents had given my sister a strand of white graduated 4-6mm Akoyas when she graduated HS & gave me the same when I graduated. My mother has always said every Southern Lady needs a strand of pearls in their jewelry box so that started a tradition for me to give a strand of pearls as a graduation gift. Since I didn't have any daughters, I gift pearls to the daughters of good friends or nieces & daughters of cousins who are graduating.
 
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#666
cdtracing said:
Ladies, I love reading all your stories!!
@BigPurseSue...this is such a funny story!!:p I can just imagine all the stored cat kibble!!:heart: Thank you for sharing, BPS!!

My very first pearl goes back a long time. I grew up in the country & was quite the tomboy as a child, riding horses & preferring to spend most of my time outside or at the barn, so I didn't get very much jewelry when I was young. My first pearl was a small single pearl pendant on a gold chain given to me on my 8th birthday by my mother's sister. I was not allowed to wear it except to church or some other dress up function like a wedding, ect. The next pearls I got was when I graduated High School. My parents had given my sister a strand of white graduated 4-6mm Akoyas when she graduated HS & gave me the same when I graduated. My mother has always said every Southern Lady needs a strand of pearls in their jewelry box so that started a tradition for me to give a strand of pearls as a graduation gift. Since I didn't have any daughters, I gift pearls to the daughters of good friends or nieces & daughters of cousins who are graduating.
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cdtracing, I was a tomboy too. My mom had all girls, so we had to learned how to take care of everything in the home. I even had my own little tool belt [emoji4]

I started a jewelry business in my early 20's. I have no idea why, but I didn't get into jewelry for myself until I was in my late 30's. My first obsession was with pearls. I have since had other obsessions when it comes to jewelry lol. When I think back to the jewelry I purchased at estate sales and a few online dealers [emoji15] I cringe when I think about it, because I sold so many pieces that had I been in to jewelry.... I would have never let them go [emoji16]

I have been restringing pearls lately to keep busy. I just restrung these and now I want to restring them again, because they don't look balanced to me. Ugh, oh well lol. I haven't worn these in years, so I thought I would share [emoji5] IMG_1493757522.866749.jpgIMG_1493757726.618114.jpg
 
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#667
Cyanide Rose said:
cdtracing, I was a tomboy too. My mom had all girls, so we had to learned how to take care of everything in the home. I even had my own little tool belt [emoji4]

I started a jewelry business in my early 20's. I have no idea why, but I didn't get into jewelry for myself until I was in my late 30's. My first obsession was with pearls. I have since had other obsessions when it comes to jewelry lol. When I think back to the jewelry I purchased at estate sales and a few online dealers [emoji15] I cringe when I think about it, because I sold so many pieces that had I been in to jewelry.... I would have never let them go [emoji16]

I have been restringing pearls lately to keep busy. I just restrung these and now I want to restring them again, because they don't look balanced to me. Ugh, oh well lol. I haven't worn these in years, so I thought I would share [emoji5] View attachment 3686449View attachment 3686451
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Oh, your pearls are beautiful. Are they baroque or keshi? I think you do a wonderful job string pearls & your jade. I wish I knew how to string pearls. I have a strand of Japanese Akoya that need restringing, but I'm a total klutz!! ;)
 
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#668
cdtracing said:
Oh, your pearls are beautiful. Are they baroque or keshi? I think you do a wonderful job string pearls & your jade. I wish I knew how to string pearls. I have a strand of Japanese Akoya that need restringing, but I'm a total klutz!! ;)
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Thanks so much cdtracing [emoji4] They are keshi. I was terrible at it in the beginning, but I didn't want to pay $60 (per strand) to have them restrung lol. It did take quite a bit of practice and plenty of YouTube videos. I'm also left handed, so there was quite a learning curb there too. I would give it a try, you might be surprised [emoji5]
 
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#672
cdtracing said:
My very first pearl goes back a long time. I grew up in the country & was quite the tomboy as a child, riding horses & preferring to spend most of my time outside or at the barn, so I didn't get very much jewelry when I was young. My first pearl was a small single pearl pendant on a gold chain given to me on my 8th birthday by my mother's sister. I was not allowed to wear it except to church or some other dress up function like a wedding, ect. The next pearls I got was when I graduated High School. My parents had given my sister a strand of white graduated 4-6mm Akoyas when she graduated HS & gave me the same when I graduated. My mother has always said every Southern Lady needs a strand of pearls in their jewelry box so that started a tradition for me to give a strand of pearls as a graduation gift. Since I didn't have any daughters, I gift pearls to the daughters of good friends or nieces & daughters of cousins who are graduating.
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What great stories! And what a lovely "aunt" you are gifting pearls for graduations! That's surely a gift that will be appreciated for a lifetime.

I live in the north. I don't know anyone who's ever been gifted a strand of pearls. Do you think that's a southern custom? I and my pearl-loving pals have bought our own strands when we got jobs and could afford it. But over all there's just not as much pearl-wearing around here as one would hope. Maybe up here in the north we're just behind on fashion and tradition. :amuse:
 
#673
Cyanide Rose said:
cdtracing, I was a tomboy too. My mom had all girls, so we had to learned how to take care of everything in the home. I even had my own little tool belt [emoji4]

I started a jewelry business in my early 20's. I have no idea why, but I didn't get into jewelry for myself until I was in my late 30's. My first obsession was with pearls. I have since had other obsessions when it comes to jewelry lol. When I think back to the jewelry I purchased at estate sales and a few online dealers [emoji15] I cringe when I think about it, because I sold so many pieces that had I been in to jewelry.... I would have never let them go [emoji16]

I have been restringing pearls lately to keep busy. I just restrung these and now I want to restring them again, because they don't look balanced to me. Ugh, oh well lol. I haven't worn these in years, so I thought I would share [emoji5] View attachment 3686449View attachment 3686451
Click to expand...

You're very talented and those are very beautiful!
 
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#675
BigPurseSue said:
What great stories! And what a lovely "aunt" you are gifting pearls for graduations! That's surely a gift that will be appreciated for a lifetime.

I live in the north. I don't know anyone who's ever been gifted a strand of pearls. Do you think that's a southern custom? I and my pearl-loving pals have bought our own strands when we got jobs and could afford it. But over all there's just not as much pearl-wearing around here as one would hope. Maybe up here in the north we're just behind on fashion and tradition. :amuse:
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I guess it may be a Southern custom. There are others in my family that will gift pearls for graduation, confirmation, or other special occasions. I know when I was a teenager, there was a formal cotillion ball held every year where debutantes from the "society" families were presented. Families generally gifted pearls to their daughters for their big night. It was a big thing back then but I don't think they have the ball anymore in my home town. My sister was presented & our parents gave her pearl & diamond earrings to wear with her gown. I was too much of a rebel & a tomboy in those days & had no desire to be presented when I came of age but I had several friends who did. I believe many also received pearls to wear that night. I remember my sister having to take cotillion/etiquette classes & good grades in school was also a requirement for participation. I think Atlanta still holds the White Ball Cotillion every year, called that because the debutantes gowns are white ( symbol of virginity, I suppose). It's a shame to see a lot of the old traditions dying out. I wish I had had more of an appreciation of them when I was younger.
 
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