(Thanks, Inge, for the mention!) When it comes to freshwater pearl beads, generally one "quality factor" that affects their value is whether or not they have "rings". Cheap pearls with rings on them (bands, ridges, or whatever you want to call them) are widely available, and SHOULD cost you 2/3rds or even half of what the same pearls without rings would cost. Whoever you order from, try to determine if the pearls have rings or not. (I'm not saying rings are wrong. Many creative people LOVE them. But you should not pay MORE for the rings - you should pay LESS!)