Who knows the worth of Orient pearls?
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 04:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniOn 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?
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?
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Hey, it's Sunday morning... I'm allowed to spell badly...
Date: 2008-02-23 11:17 pm (UTC)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!