Where Can I Buy A Pearl Necklace
Each pearl type has its own pricing tiers, and much like diamonds, you can expect prices to increase exponentially with every millimeter size increase. The price difference between a 7.0-7.5mm Akoya pearl necklace, and a 9.0-9.5mm size is quite large.
where can i buy a pearl necklace
Larger pearls require much more time acquiring thicker nacre layers in the host oyster, and the amount of risk, time and labor that goes into culturing a single 15.0mm fine quality South Sea pearl (for example) is quite a lot ...
PurePearls.com uses the A-AAA Grading Scale, which is a simple and straight forward grading system based upon specific percentages for attributes like surface blemishing, luster rating (the sharpness of reflections), color/overtone and shape, among others. The A-AAA scale is used most commonly with Akoya and Freshwater pearls, but also converts easily from the Tahitian and South Sea grading scales.
The deeper and more intense the luster is, the more valuable the pearl. Look for pearls that display reflected light sources as crisp, clean and delineated, with only slight blurring around the edges.
You should also be able to recognize some of your facial features reflected in the surface of the pearl. AAA quality pearls feature the best luster, AA+ quality pearls should have Very High luster and so on.
While Mikimoto definitely does carry beautiful quality pearls, doing a little bit of homework can save you THOUSANDS by avoiding the high premiums charged by luxury brands without sacrificing quality.
Buying pearls can be a daunting and difficult task for the uninitiated but with a little bit of research, you'll be able to choose the best pearls based on the quality, style, and color to make the task more interesting and enjoyable. The goal of this page is to be a simple primer for those new to shopping for pearl jewelry.Read More: How Much Are Pearls Worth
All pearls sold on the retail market are "cultured pearls" unless otherwise labeled as natural pearls. Many jewelers and consumers mistakenly label Freshwater pearls as "cultured pearls". but this is misleading since Akoya, Freshwater, Tahitian and South Sea Pearls are all "cultured pearls". To avoid confusion knowledgeable dealers and consumers will refer to pearls by their correct pearl type.
Decide what type of pearl suits your style and budget. A strand of pearls can range from $35 - $35,000+, so understanding the different Types of Pearls and pearl prices will help you narrow down your choice.
Never before has such a wide range of pearl colors been available. White is the classic, versatile color choice and many believe that a woman's first pearl necklace should always be a white strand. "Black" pearls are not actually black but dark shades of gray, greens and blues and give an exotic look that works especially well with darker skin tones. Pink, peach and lavender shades are fun and flirty, perfect for spring and summer wear but when color matched correctly - an outfit can look incredibly sophisticated as well.
Only purchase from a company with a solid return policy.Pearl always look great in a photograph or showroom but may appear different in natural lighting, so it's important to be able to exchange or return your pearls if necessary.
Purchase from a retailer that specializes in pearls.99% of all jewelers are uneducated, misinformed or simply ignorant when it comes to cultured pearls, many don't understand the product they are selling.
Don't get hung up on brand names.Tiffany's and Mikimoto both are known for high quality goods, by no means do they have a monopoly on high quality pearls. Savings of thousands of dollars can be had if you do your research.
A simple method to check if a pearl is real or imitation is the "Tooth Test".Gently slide the pearl across the front of your teeth; if it feels smooth then it's a fake, as real pearls feel gritty.
EVERY TYPE OF PEARL NECKLACE DIRECT FROM THE SOURCEPurePearls.com specializes in fine cultured Japanese Akoya and Hanadama pearls, exotic Tahitian and South Sea pearls as well as colorful fine Freshwater pearl necklaces. We offer every color of the pearl rainbow: from timeless white pearls, to exotic black hues, gorgeous goldens and even blue! For help selecting the perfect pearl color, we recommend reading The Ultimate Guide to Pearl Colors first, which features an in-depth breakdown of each pearl color by pearl type, as well as our trademark real-life pearl photos to show you what they look like in real life.
Our Pearl Necklace Collection features the finest luxury pearls in the world, without the exorbitant brand-name mark-ups. Choose from classic single strand necklaces, or add long, lustrous pearl rope necklaces or double and triple-strand styles to round out your pearl jewelry collection. Our Tahitian Pearl Necklace collection features one of a kind, unique layouts selected by Ashley herself for incredibly saturated colors, or in the case of her Baroque Pearl Necklace selections, whimsical, artistic layouts. Our pearls are sourced direct from the pearl farms overseas, and are individually double-knotted by hand to order, here at our Los Angeles, CA workshop using only the finest cultured pearls from around the world, matching silk and 14K Gold clasps and findings.
Cultured pearls come in 5 main varieties: Akoya, Tahitian, Freshwater, White and Golden South Seas and Sea of Cortez pearls. Each type of pearl has its own unique beauty to... Read More
It has been said before that the world of pearls offers a rainbow of color to choose from, and it is never so more true than today. Pearls offer an astonishing array of colors for everyone to lo... Read More
A pearl is an ulcer that is formed when an irritant, such as a parasite, enters an oyster, who responds by coating it with nacre (a crystalline substance that gives pearls their luster). Stress is what prompts an oyster to secrete nacre (just like stress worsens human ulcers).
But if you buy a string of cultured pearls at some national jewelry store chains, they might not last as long as you think, one jewelry expert told Greg Hunter, consumer correspondent for ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.
\"It will change, it will deteriorate into worthless shell beads because the pearl coating basically comes off,\" said Antoinette Matlins, a gem and jewelry expert and author of The Pearl Book: The Definitive Buying Guide. \"It won't be a pearl.\"
As an experiment, Matlins and a Good Morning America producer went pearl shopping at three jewelry stores that were part of national chains, and one department store. After expert gemologists examined the brand-new jewelry, they found three of the necklaces and one of the bracelets had pearls that were already chipping around the drill holes, where the pearls are strung together.
\"Oh my goodness ... this is absurd,\" said Cap Beesley, president of American Gemological Laboratories in New York, who examined a pearl necklace that they had purchased for $464. The store, part of a national jewelry chain, had marked it down from $999.
When Beesley looked at the necklace under a microscope, the gemologist found several chipping pearls, which seemed to be missing large sections of nacre, the natural substance that from which pearls are made.
Technicians insert shell beads made of mother-of-pearl into live oysters. Because the mollusks consider the beads to be an irritant, they form nacre around it. Over a period of up to two years, this layer upon layer of nacre forms what the pearl farmers hopes will be a round, relatively blemish-free pearl.
At the first chain store, Matlins and the Good Morning America producer bought a $185 cultured pearl bracelet, a $285 cultured pearl necklace on sale for $199 and a $1,299 cultured pearl necklace. They were assured that the pearls would last. \"Unless you beat the crap out of 'em, nothing is going to happen,\" the salesperson assured them.
The $285 necklace had chipped pearls, and an exposed shell bead. When a pearl starts peeling to that extent, it can continue to peel, going through the rest of the pearl. The $699 pearl also had some pearls that were chipped and showed signs of visible peeling.
Since 1987, the Gemological Institute of America has used a grading chart that rates pearl thickness in millimeters from very thin to thick. Hunter picked out five pearls at random from the six samples to test them for thickness, a test that requires actually cutting the pearls in half.
The Cultured Pearl Information Center in New York says consumers should not buy pearls that have a thin nacre, less than .3 millimeters, about the thickness of four $1 dollar bills. Some of the pearls that Good Morning America measured were thinner than the thickness of a single $1 bill. Experts also recommend that you don't buy pearls that already show damage.
Take time to visit fine jewelers who are knowledgeable about pearls, and will be able to show you a wide selection. For example, if you are looking at a pearl necklace, ask to see different necklaces that have the same size pearls, but are at different price points, so that you can see the difference in quality. To find a reputable jeweler, check with Jewelers of America, at www.jewelers.org.
Luster, the emanating glow that distinguishes pearls from other gems, is the most important quality, the one that can make up for a pearl that is small, blemished or perhaps not perfectly round. Thin or imitation pearls may have surface shine, but they do not absorb and refract rays of light in the same way a quality pearl does.
Matlins also suggests trying the \"tooth test\" to spot fake pearls. Run the pearl gently along the edge of your teeth, preferably the upper ones. Genuine pearls have a slightly abrasive or gritty feel, while fakes are slippery smooth. 041b061a72