| Just a reminder--every single strand is gonna be a little bit different. You are, in a way, attempting to compare different kinds of apples-----------yep, they are all apples, but color and flavor are slightly different, etc, etc. Finding the right apple---er--pearl strand----means you have to ask the right questions to get your own specific needs met. Each person is going to want something slightly different. And the more you can verbalize just what you want, the better. Why a certain strand costs a little more or less is something we will really never know. Businesses have overhead, and all sorts of costs, besides what they negotiate for a lot of pearls. Expecting everything to be the same price goes against the free enterprise system.
What Raisondetre has explained is soooooo very true, and I am just repeating it. Figure out what you want and call the vendors and see if they can provide. If they can't help you call someone else.
I don't think you will come up with a definitive answer as to why something costs a bit differently. Each of the businesses mentioned are proud of their product, feel they offer a great value for $$ and provide great customer service. Even if you went to each business personally and looked at their top quality pearls, I am not at all certain you could summarize which was best and why in 3 or 4 sentences. Not even if you were extremely knowledgeable and handled thousands of strands a year-------------!!! IMO!!!
All of the vendors do custom work and just because it isn't on their website doesn't mean they can't provide something if you ask for it.
Pattye
so many pearls, so little time  |