[pattye]

Hi Tanakarn,

You have initiated a very interesting discussion! Nothing at all to apologize for!! We all learn from these postings. Many come here looking for info about a particular company or brand of pearls. So I was a little surprised when you didn't want to mention the name of the company.

"Shell-pearls" are manmade pearls, such as Majorca or Majorica, made from beads dipped multiple times in a pearly substance to build up a shiny nacre look-alike. They can be quite expensive, in the hundreds of dollars and are sold in many fine dept stores. Some women find them an attractive option to genuine pearls. Shell-pearls become a problem when they are misrepresented as genuine pearls. (Or the owner forgets they aren't real pearls.)

Hope this answers your question--

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[Ashley]

http://www.canphu.com/html/products/...bow/index.html

These are interesting examples of shell pearl colors available, but by all means it is not definitive or limited only to these... The one reason I was concerned that the pearls might be shell pearls is due to the perfect uniformity and gloss of the pearls you pictured. These are also pretty atypical, and if you don't know what to look for when shopping for cultured pearls, it is easy to get fooled.

http://cgi.ebay.in/SDJ-SINGLE-LINE-P...ayphotohosting

http://auctions.rediff.com/view_gall...7698bbeb_o.jpg

To quote: Shell Pearls are synthetic pearls, though they differ from the low grade synthetic products in that they are not made from inexpensive glass, plastic, or wax like many other synthetics. They are instead lab-created from genuine South Sea oyster shells, such as the fluted giant clam shell, and this is often called mother-of-pearl. This is then pulverized and shaped into perfectly round shell beads which then undergo a complex high-tech coating and heating procedure until its characteristic high gloss is achieved.

[knotty panda]

When you think of all the work which goes into making shell pearls, then drilling and stringing to prepare them for market, shell pearls are a marvelous value.

Question: Which imitation pearl process uses (or did use) fish scales to create an irridescence?

[pattye]

Hi Knotty P,

That would be Majorica Pearls from Spain. (Also called Majorca?) We sold them at Nordstrom when I worked in Fine Jewelry there in the early-mid 90's. I understood they were the only faux pearl allowed to call themselves pearls. They were pretty and I was especially drawn to the large 12mm and up even then!! But I only bought ivory earrings, still have them, price tag is on the box $70!

BTW, I distinctly remember comparing the first strand of off round fwcp we ever got in with a strand of Miki's. Just laying them together on the display pad and puzzling over why the Miki's cost so much more, the fw was about $200+ and the Miki's $4500 or so. At that time no one could really explain clearly the difference. I sold Miki's but was never "enchanted" by them, and that's how I became a fw pearl gal!

Faux pearls do serve a purpose, as lots of women don't like to travel with their "good jewelry." Especially if it costs thousands.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[salem]

Hi Jeremy,

I guess I am a little confused. Since the 8mm and up only come from Japan, and with Japan's higher pay scale/production costs/inflated prices for just being in Japan and Japan's smaller amount of room to actually farm the pearl, how is rarity not a factor? I would imagine the more places producing a pearl would result in larger supplies, which would result in lower prices/more competition. So are you saying the price jump is completely manufactured by the Japanese since they control the market for that size? Is it comparable to DeBeer's artifically elevating diamond prices by only releasing a small fraction of their diamond ******?


Wow, I actually thought 8mm were rare compared to 6mm.

[jshepherd]

Rarity is not a factor because Japan is still producing a larger volume of Akoya pearl than China. The cost of production is higher because the cost of doing business is higher. The majority of production is within 1mm of 8mm.
Anything smaller than 8mm is almost certainly going to have some Chinese production. This lowers the cost on a factory level. This is the level that determines real market cost. Because anything over 8mm cannot really be subsidized by Chinese production, this is where the prices increase more than incrementally.
So it is not an artificial price increase, it is based on real costs. At 8mm and above, you see the reality of market pricing in Japan.

[salem]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

Rarity is not a factor because Japan is still producing a larger volume of Akoya pearl than China.

Oh, ok, thanks for that. I guess I assumed the Akoya volume in China would be higher(although smaller sizes), in fact, I thought much higher. That is where I thought the rarity factor came in. oops!

[tanakarn1]

Dear all,

Thank you for information about shell pearl. I have purchased this triple-strand Akoya necklace. The real one looks a little bit, less perfect than the photo that the vendor sent to me previously. Anyway, it is beautiful and I like it. I will give this necklace to my Mom on her birth day. I hope she will love it. (I live in Denmark, but my Mom lives in Thailand).

The vendor told me the nacre thickness is around 0.5 mm (each side) and the pearls come from China. I also took photos of the necklack as shown in attachments. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Tanakarn

[pattye]

Hi Tanakarn,
Such a lovely gift, it looks beautiful! Your Mother will be thrilled!! And no doubt what you have learned about pearls will serve you well in the future also!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[jerin]

Originally Posted by tanakarn1

Dear all,

Thank you for information about shell pearl. I have purchased this triple-strand Akoya necklace. The real one looks a little bit, less perfect than the photo that the vendor sent to me previously. Anyway, it is beautiful and I like it. I will give this necklace to my Mom on her birth day. I hope she will love it. (I live in Denmark, but my Mom lives in Thailand).

The vendor told me the nacre thickness is around 0.5 mm (each side) and the pearls come from China. I also took photos of the necklack as shown in attachments. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Tanakarn

Hello, Tanakarn
they necklace does look very lovely, have you measured the pearls so You know for certain they are larger than 8 mm? If that is the case it would mean there are some Chinese farmers that must have mastered the art of producing larger sizes... Anyway, if one does live in a scandinavian country, the jewellers normally are above cheating their customers, I think your vendor has been inquiring very thoroughly if he was able to give you the nacre thickness, otherwise he would not have been able to tell you this as well as that the pearls are from China... Your mother most certainly will be thrilled to receive such a lovely gift from You.

[tanakarn1]

Hi!

Thank you for all comments. People in this forum are so nice and very friendly.

Inge Jernberg: I have carefully measured the pearl size and they are 8-8.5 mm. I bought this necklace from one online vendor. I think the vendor have not measured the nacre thickness (I guess they just estimate it). Could anyone please tell me weather they look like pearls with 0.5 mm nacre (each side) or not.

Have a good weekend,
Tanakarn

[knotty panda]

Dear Tanakarn: While I am anything BUT a pearl expert, I don't think you need worry about the nacre. The pearls are beautiful and show a lovely, reflective quality that doesn't appear in pearls with a thin nacre. Your mother will love them.

[pattye]

Hi again Tanakarn,

There is no way to tell from a photo, really, the exact nacre thickiness. As Knotty says, they are pretty and reflective like they should be.

The important thing about Akoya and all pearls is correct care, for us women to not spray them with perfume and hairspray, wipe down after wearing; store properly; those things that are discussed freely on another thread.

Please let us know your Mother's reaction when she receives the pearls!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[tanakarn1]

Hi every one,

Sorry, it takes me so long to post photos of my mom with the pearl necklace. I gave it to her on the mother day (she is Thai). She was surprised and she firstly thought they are fake pearls. A couple minutes later, she knew they are real pearls. She smiled all day and worn it often sine then.

I have purchased a high-quality loose FW pearl (10 mm, white with pink overtone). When I compare it with the AAA Akoya, I cannot see the difference by naked eye. This clearly tells me that the best FW is comparable to best Akoya. So, my next purchase would be Freshadama.

P.L. Dose anyone know when will 10-11 mm Freshadama form PP be available again?

Thank you
Tanakarn Monshupanee

[GemGeek]

They look absolutely lovely on your mom. What a lucky mother to have a thoughtful child like you!

Cheers,
Blaire