| Thanks for the responses! I finally had the chance to check out S*z* P. at Centrepoint- they carry some freshwaters.
After 50% discount (Moving Out Sale, except they'd be still be there in May?), it seems roughly twice the vendor prices here? I think! Possibly could bargain down further. No points of comparison other than sizing, she couldn't tell me whether AA or AAA because there's "no grading", the strands didn't look particularly unblemished or lustrous. That the freshwaters were "from China, but owned by Japanese company". The shapes looked really squashed, very far from round and she replied my eyes are too used to Akoya rounds. That freshwaters aren't round like Akoyas (at which point she tried to convince me on Akoyas instead). The colouring on each strand didn't seem to match well either... I really disliked their freshwater strands.
Their Akoyas at the lower price bracket looked really blemished, yikes. I saw some dark round pearls which I'm uncertain whether dyed freshwater or Tahitian- I didn't ask. They had no Tahitian Baroques at all.
Now I'm actually worried that I may have unreasonable expectations of the AAA Freshwater strand I ordered online here, even though it's obviously priced much better?  |