Thanks for the info! I think I'll take that $100 and put it towards saving up for some baroque Tahitians (my true love!) instead! I have a double strand of graduated cultured Akoya pearls as well (I THINK, bought them vintage as well. The clasp is 14k white gold and has quite a bit of scratching on it so I don't think they're new..... but then again, I AM a newbie so who knows??) so I don't really need anymore "light" pearls. Black ones go with my "style" a lot better too. I'm not your typical pearl wearer that's for sure! I have lots of tattoos, piercings, etc. I think I'm going to start off with a nice big Tahitian on a leather cord. That is SO my style! My birthday is only a few months away....... I've been angling for an engagement ring from my boyfriend so maybe telling him I want a necklace would be a relief (and increase my chances of getting it!) lol
I still think the dull areas on my white baroques (I know they're not technically baroque, I guess I should start calling them circled, huh?) might be caused by rubbing against the other pearls since they are found around the widest parts of the pearl. The fact that they are so long means they were probably worn doubled and tripled up a lot so they would rub against each other as you moved around and pulled on them etc. I will try to take macro pics of what I'm talking about. The double strand of Akoyas I have are not knotted between each pearl, and they show the same sort of dullness where the pearls rub together...... (have to get them re-strung I guess)
I wrote to the woman I bought these last ones from (the white circled freshwaters) and (very POLITELY) suggested that she change the description on the pinks so as not to inadvertently lead someone to believe that they are south seas. They're on "Ruby Lane". Here's the link to the ad.......
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/pattyc...ques/item/3177
She doesn't DIRECTLY say "these are South Seas pearls" but she includes a blurb about South Sea pearls so....... most people would assume that that is what they are...... I LOVE "Ruby Lane" and I'd really hate to see it turn into another eBay! (with all the false claims and downright lies that people put on things now) I also told her to check out this forum - hope I didn't overstep my boundaries on that! Her shop seems to sell mostly faux jewelry, so I want to give her the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the misleading advertising (I'm assuming she isn't a jeweler or goldsmith).
- Jodie -