Who knows the worth of Orient pearls?

[rolanni]

On my sixteenth birthday, it having been the fashion when she turned sixteen, my maternal grandmother gave me a string of white cultured pearls.

I hated it. I thought,in fact,that it was creepy, every single pearl in the string exactly the same as the ones on either side of it. It was explained to me that this was "grown-up" jewelery and that I would soon come to appreciate the gift for what it was; that the pearl string would become the necklace I reached for first and wore most often.

Sadly, this never happened, which doubtless says volumes about my psyche (ooh! shiny!), and eventually I gave the pearls to a friend who adored them, and who treated them as they deserved.

Several years ago, I came into ownership of a pair of white cultured pearl studs, which I wear pretty often -- they're comfortable earrings, and there are only two of them, so I don't experience the squick that facing 24 identical clones strung shoulder-to-shoulder engenders.

I enjoy my pearl earrings enough that I was motivated to click when a link to this site went past me.

I've been looking at the first three (left to right) pairs of earrings since November, I guess. I like that the pearls are irregular and don't necessarily match. But, having deliberately cut myself off from the Fine Life, I'm confused about "freshwater" pearls and, subsequently, if the prices being asked are anywhere near reasonable.

Anyone care to undertake a quick Pearl Tutorial?

Comments

[orlacarey.livejournal.com]

I'm actually planning on making Mom a Pearl necklace for a future gift giving event. Probably Christmas. Granted there are a lot of factors here that don't match. But...Fire Mountain Gems (http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H201756PL) sells a strand of 9 mm pearls for $81 that would need to be restrung. My very bad math estimates that's 45 pearls for $81. I'm willing to bet that the ones you are looking at are better quality. Plus the earring findings could be as high as $20-30 a pair, plus the workmanship? I don't know from Pearl earrings but I'd say the money isn't that unreasonable.

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

Go to nearest creek (no no no, not *now*, when it's actually safe), and go wading. You should find some freshwater clams fairly quickly if the bottom is suitable (aka MUD). Investigation should result in some clams that are very light, and some that feel like rocks. The light ones are alive. Leave 'em (well, unless you have a hankering for clam, know the water is clean enough and it's legal to fish freshwater clams in Maine). The heavy ones are dead. Take one, get the shell open, rinse the mud out. You should have a very pretty, very pearly inside.

That's what grows freshwater pearls.

At the ridiculous prices she's charging, I'd expect them to be low quality but uncultured pearls. Since she specifies "farmed" in the FAQ, they're cultured. So unless the size is extravagant, I don't think the price is one I'd call fair. They're just plain old boring white pearls. If she was getting the pretty purples and roses that occur in nature, maybe I'd be more excited.

From a non-expert

[doushkasmum.livejournal.com]

Based on purchasing freshwater pearls from a friend who imports them, I would say those prices are quite high. Baroque pearls are usually cheaper than round, as they are more common. I would think a reasonable price for the "puddle" earrings would be closer to $50. I freely admit, however, that I am not an expert. An expert might tell you that there is something special about these that makes them more valuable but I think the jeweler has high prices because it makes people think the stuff is worth more.

[lagilman]

I think the prices, if the pearls are of good quality (have a nice lustre, etc) are reasonable, especially considering the high cost of gold these days (in the posts).

Freshwater pearls tend to be less rounded than saltwater pearls, but just as pretty -- I actually prefer them for earings, because they have more 'personality.' I remember reading somewhere that freshwater pearls come from bivalves that are prone to a different type of irritant that causes the shape, but I don't know if that's true or not.

If they're cultured, it means they were grown on farms, with the irritant placed there by hand, as opposed to wild-harvested. Cultured pearls are generally worth less, because they're 'produced,' even if the quality is otherwise the same.

some additional thoughts...

[wynnsfolly.livejournal.com]

do you want gold posts, or would be content with silver drop findings? that will make quite a difference in value.
as noted, gold is through the roof right now, but various qualities of freshwater or other cultured pearls are available.
as noted above, Fire Mountain Gems sells online as well as by catalog.
I also like Art Gems for beads and findings.
those prices appear consistent with a retail jeweler's pricing, for AAA or better quality pearls.
those of us addicted to making our own stuff would find it a little high.

cultured pearls have become pretty much the norm with better farming practices. completely natural pearls are way outa my price range, unless I find them at estate sales or flea markets.

[shana.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who makes jewelry, her favorite site is Oriental Pearls.

[6-penny.livejournal.com]

I inherited a pair of pearl earrings from an aunt. The jeweler who reset them for my pierced ears pointed out that the surface had deteriorated, undoubtedly due to my aunts having used spray perfume after she put them on. Alcohol can eat away at pearl surfaces (as can the use ((Oh Horror)) of hair spray)

Modern cultured pearls also have a much thinner layer of nacre, as the seeded oysters are left layering the nacre for a much shorter period of time then was the practice in the past. Because of this cultured pearls do have some limit on their life span, the longer they were left in the oyster, the longer they last.

The difference is...

[pakwa26.livejournal.com]

"Wounded oysters build out of gory wounds a pearl And create within the gap of pain a pearl”

As far as I can tell, the difference between freshwater & saltwater is that freshwater are cultured by the introduction of a piece of mantle tissue & saltwater are cultured by the introduction of mantle tissue and a mother of pearl bead. This implies that freshwater are higher quality because they are nacre all the way through.

Some sights I've been to say that all pearls are 'cultured' these days, which means they wouldn't exist without the intervention of humans.

Hey, it's Sunday morning... I'm allowed to spell badly...

[pakwa26.livejournal.com]

Site, yes, all right, not 'sight'.

The other thing about those pearls is that the 'baroque' style (which is how they're known in Australia) are more expensive because they take longer to produce. However, you can buy a pair of 10mm white baroque pearls on a gold post here for $A60, which is about $US45, so I'm thinking if we add another couple of mm to bring them up to the same size, & make some more allowances for the exchange rate, you'd still be better off looking elsewhere. That said, you also have to take into some factors into account: lustre, shape, matching, nacre & blemishes. If you can get all that info from the seller & you're still happy with the price, buy 'em. Hell, you can always give them to your friend with the necklace if you don't like 'em!

Pearls

[(Anonymous)]

I make and sell my own jewelry (http://www.silverparrotdesigns.net if you want to check it out) and I use pearls quite frequently. I can get an entire strand of higher quality freshwater pearls than those shown for about half what they are charging for one pair of earrings. Of course, a lot of the cost in those earrings is in the 14k gold posts, but if I were to shell out $$$ for 14k gold in my jewelry, I'd want it to be a more visible part of the piece than an earring post. Also, while you may not have liked the symmetry of an entire strand of cultured pearls all the same size and shape, I keep thinking that symmetry is more important in a pair of pearl studs because there's only the single design element. Freshwater pearls can be anywhere from slightly to extremely asymmetrical. Personally, I find them an odd choice for this type of design, but maybe that's just me.

KJ