| Hello TheresaL -
Welcome! It's good that you are doing your research in advance for such a significant gift. I agree with what Knotty Panda, Lisamla and Sueki are saying. It is worth noting that not only are you paying for a brand name with Mikis but you are also paying for a "bricks and mortar"' retailing system. In this day and age, retailers who avail themselves of the internet and word-of-mouth are capable of a better volume to overhead ratio than the traditional model. That is a way of explaining that the core value in pearls you will see from many of the reputable sellers who are also members of this forum is focused in the product more than the media and sales infrastructure surrounding it. For my own experience, I have a gem-grade strand I purchased from Pearl Paradise and it is utterly stunning - I wear it often and proudly and always receive compliments on it.
You can definitely get Hanadama pearls from sellers who share around here, too, as explained by Knotty Panda. |