Originally Posted by jshepherd

Everyone here "gets it". Most "out there" do not.

Hm.... wonder how much of this effect is due to the medium (open forum & all, versus mass marketing) more than anything. Perhaps folks already open-minded and seriously interested in pearls 'self select' onto a group like this... but could this possibly be all that is happening?

Just launching assumptions out of the blue here. It is a bit 'post modern' to write this, LOL! Just curious what you might make of it... I happen to be writing a paper on somewhat similar issues in academic publishing.

[pernula]

To everyone: I really enjoy this thread, thanks for sharing all the stories and emotions and pictures of the beautiful strands

To Jerin: Congratulations! What joys and treasures you've got!

To Jeremy: I'm curious how the process of pearl matching usually works. It seems for the baroque Akoyas you divided the pile to two groups, one larger, one smaller. After that how does pearl matching proceed in general? Out of a basket of pearls, do you pick the best and make one strand, then proceed to the second and so on....Or do you match, say hypothetically, 10 strands at a time, and the personality of the strands kind of form themselves?

Thanks,
pernula

I think the strand I ordered is similar in size to these freshwater pearls from my stock. I can't wait to compare them. No doubt the akoyas will look like little mirrors

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by pernula

I'm curious how the process of pearl matching usually works. It seems for the baroque Akoyas you divided the pile to two groups, one larger, one smaller. After that how does pearl matching proceed in general? Out of a basket of pearls, do you pick the best and make one strand, then proceed to the second and so on....Or do you match, say hypothetically, 10 strands at a time, and the personality of the strands kind of form themselves?

When I matched the first strand (yesterday's #100), I started by just combing through all the pearls. I was looking for pearls that really stood out, and would go nicely with the center pearl. I really wanted to build the strand around that center pearl.

After collecting a hundred or so pearls I started pairing them up. Not necessarily matches like earring pairs, but good cross-matches to make the strand come together well. I then laid them side by side in order of size until reaching the center. After that I took the remaining pearls and mixed and matched until I was completely satisfied. It probably took an hour to an hour and a half. I do not recall exactly. I did it in Xuwen and carried it back so I could post that "Guess!" thread.

But that is not the way they are all matched, of course. for the most part they are separated by quality, and then matched by eye. The same way all other akoya strands are matched.

I have probably mentioned this before, but we export drop and circle Tahitian pearls to China where I contract my business partners factory to drill and match them as well. For these I did spend a few days there teaching the workers how to do it. Every strand has to be done the same way I matched #100 to be done well. The first batch of several hundred strands had a few problems, but the most recent was perfect.

The rounds we still match and drill here. Done in the same fashion.

Hi Jeremy and other members of this fine Forum!

Firstly I want to thank You Jeremy VERY MUCH for the work You put down on that strand I am so proud of being the owner of!

Secondly I have to ask what exactly You mean by "crossmatching"? Is it that 2 pearls have the same kind of shape and colour, not taking the size of each pearl as the most important criterion?

When I string a necklace of for example black pearls, size difference between 1 mm , I always start with the center pearl (the largest) and then match every pair of pearls by size, not taking the colour as my most important point to look after. I have of course checked every pearl for size before (measured with my micrometer), sorted them thereafter so I know that I am getting the uniform look, I so very much like and first after that, I do a "general look" and change pearls that do not harmonize to the eye. Let me tell You that takes much longer than 1 hour and a half for me but I see it as a general pleasure to do it all. The whole point for me is that the necklace shows overall harmony in style and size even though I sometimes regret not being able to match after colours but I simply do not have enough strands to choose from.

The next question that I think is of great interest to all our members is:
if I were to wear this untreated strand of Akoyas continually, just how long would/could it last before the nacre has worn down to the nucleus? It is a hypotetical question as I am NOT GOING TO WEAR IT EVERY DAY but it could give us an insight as how a treated strand versus an untreated one holds up, I am not forgetting the fact, that these strands have very much thicker nacre than the treated ones though.

You mention also the quality factor - meaning exactly what? Thickness of nacre, colour or shape or what IS THE QUALITY FACTOR in the case of Akoyas?

[Raisondetre]

I'm still in a bind as to whether to get a third strand as I only ordered two smaller ones (up to 8 mm). I really want to see for myself what the "medium" luster looks like, though they look pretty darn shiny in the picture. But there are only so few strands left, much less the bigger ones! And I won't be able to see them till Friday since I'm not home till then! Decisions, decisions ...

[knotty panda]

Jerin: I just realized the (amazing) strand you purchased is colored silver/aqua, not silver/blue. Did anyone else get silver/aqua? Everyone look, QUICK!

I'll have to look at mine. Actually I've been trying to figure out how they might look when I get them.
I remember the color of my untreated freshwaters looked a different when they arrived.

[jshepherd]

Hi Inge,

Size is very important as well. Otherwise the strand will not lay right.

You sound like a professional pearl mathcher! It is always easiest when there are a lot of similar pearls to choose from. Rounds are always somewhat easy, but the odd shapes can take a bit longer.

A lot of the strands had a play of aqua color as well. We actually debated whether to use the word "aqua" in the descriptions. I decided against it as only blue is a color in the GIA's color reference chart. It looks like #100 has the word anyway.

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by jerin

The next question that I think is of great interest to all our members is:
if I were to wear this untreated strand of Akoyas continually, just how long would/could it last before the nacre has worn down to the nucleus? It is a hypothetical question as I am NOT GOING TO WEAR IT EVERY DAY but it could give us an insight as how a treated strand versus an untreated one holds up, I am not forgetting the fact, that these strands have very much thicker nacre than the treated ones though.

You mention also the quality factor - meaning exactly what? Thickness of nacre, colour or shape or what IS THE QUALITY FACTOR in the case of Akoyas?

Inge,

I really do not know the answer to that first one. This would be a good test case! I would be hopeful that they would withstand extended wear since they have not gone through any chemical treatments.

The quality factory for me when I judged the pearls was a combination of several factors such as; the color, the iridescence, the shape, the luster, and even the surface. Although the shapes were very free-form, some strands had moderate surface issues that detracted.

[robinc]

Hi!

I'm a new member-- all I wanted was a larger pair of pearl earrings, so decided to do a little research, and here I am. I still don't have the pearl earrings, because there were a few more choices than I thought <LOL>. So I'm still debating Freshadama versus Akoya, and so on.

But anyway...my question... how does one get the "inside scoop" on offerings such as these? They are lovely!

--Robin C.

[rabbit]

Wow! They are all stunning. I *like* 'proper' white pearls, but I *love* these! I think if more people got to see these, they would as well. But, pearl ads are always for round rose pearls, at least where I am, and I bet most people don't even know that pearls like this are a possibility. I do think adverts influence more than people will admit-my husband will happily tell you he's lucky that I hate diamonds, but refused to get me anything other than a diamond engagement ring because that was 'proper' and he didn't want anyone to think he/we were weird or too cheap to get one. <sigh>

Rabbit -- Your husband was right. You'll never have to regret purchasing a diamond engagement ring.

First, because he'll never have to worry about people questioning his level of commitment to you.

Second, because a diamond is the only stone that is worry-free when worn every day. The only other stone that would stand a chance of holding up to a lifetime of wear would be a sapphire (or ruby - both are corundum). And after a few years, even a sapphire would need to be repolished.

Fortunately, that leaves lots of other gems for presents

Cheers,
Blaire

[rabbit]

Originally Posted by GemGeek

Rabbit -- Your husband was right. You'll never have to regret purchasing a diamond engagement ring.

First, because he'll never have to worry about people questioning his level of commitment to you.

Second, because a diamond is the only stone that is worry-free when worn every day. The only other stone that would stand a chance of holding up to a lifetime of wear would be a sapphire (or ruby - both are corundum). And after a few years, even a sapphire would need to be repolished.

Fortunately, that leaves lots of other gems for presents

Cheers,
Blaire

Not to highjack this too much-my point was that IMO, proper advertising would make people desire these as much as the round rose kind-

I *wanted* a sapphire. Actually, his plan backfired-he looks *really* cheap because I just don't wear the diamond now that I have a wedding band Well, I am trying to remember to wear it more often. I mostly remember to put it on if I am dressing up.

Engagement rings can, and often are, changed. When you reach your five year anniversary, you could use the occasion to change the stone. You can save your original diamond for another piece of jewelry. (It would look great with a pearl in a pendant!)

It used to be that people were superstitious about changing their diamond, but these days a lot of people upgrade their diamond every few years as their financial circumstances improve. You can "upgrade" to a sapphire instead

I helped a friend of mine purchase a bright blue sapphire wedding ring with 1/3 carat diamond side stones and no one ever says it doesn't look like an engagement ring. In fact, everyone loves it. (I don't sell engagement rings)

Off topic, I know. You were right though, if people were exposed to "other" pearls, they would learn to love them with very little effort. I think pearls are poised for an outstanding year. More and more, "atypical" pearls are entering the mainstream. My only hope is that they don't flash out, but continue to grow in popularity, since my business involves a lot of fancy colors and shapes. And I have a lot of inventory

Pearls are seductive!
Blaire