[Patrick9]

Hi all,

I came across this very useful website and over the past hour, I must say I've learnt a lot about pearls and how its value is dictated.

I'm looking for a nice gift for my mum who is due to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary and she has always mentioned wanting to own some pearl jewelry.

I live in England and having had a look at the Mikimoto catalogue, its not cheap stuff, a pair of "A" earing for £120 and the cheapest necklace will fetch me £1,200. Is Mikimoto the best out there for Akoya cultured pearls?

I will probably fix my budget for a necklace to £500 and a pair of earing for £150.

I'm going to Tokyo soon for a business meeting and I was wondering whether it would be a good idea to buy something whilst I'm there. If so could people recommend me jewelry stores or shopping areas to go in Tokyo?

Or could I get better value for money buying in other "duty free" centres like Hong Kong or Dubai?

The internet has a lot of sites but I'm a bit wary of buying an expensive item and not having seen it with my own eyes. Are there do's and dont's when it comes to the Internet, most of them seem based in the US, not sure whether you can buy from England.

Cheers
Patrick

[jerin]

Patrick,

The chance that you pay overpriced goods in Hongkong or Tokyo is very great. If you really want good stuff in both Akoyas or Freshwaterpearls trust me and buy online from one of our members. I have been a customer for quite some time and I can´t say that I regrett it. With a budget of £ 500.00 you should be able to get something really nice.

Look at some of these sites:
Pure Pearls.com
Pearl Paradise.com (here you probably have the biggest choice)
Pearls of Joy.com
Pearls and Jade.com
The Pearl Outlet.com

The list is never ending, but if You want really good value for Your money I would proposing "Freshadama" freshwaterpearls from Pearl Paradise since it is the only company that offers these beauties. Why not go for a nice necklace, earrings and a bracelet for Your mum?

Akoyas You can get from the other companies as well but my advice would be to go for the massive freshwater pearls. They are unbeatable.

At Mikimoto you get first quality Akoyas but they don´t get near the quality in freshwater pearls, do read the threads on this forum and You will know why. At Mikimoto You pay for the name, the clasp and the package. The pearls will not last for generations to come though.

Good luck and let us know once you have decided what to buy!