[Mandy]

I cannot wait to see more of these available! They look wonderful in their untreated forms and grats to all who got a pretty strand. Keep 'em coming, Jeremy!

I'm chiming in a little late here, but I while I was fortunate enough to receive one of the strands from Jeremy, it was immediately before heading out to visit family for a few days. I don't have much to add to the other posts except to reiterate that these are spectacular. I keep finding a new "favorite" pearl every time I look at the strand. In fact, since the necklace is a scant 18", I tend to spend as much time playing with it as wearing it, since I am denied the pleasure of seeing it while it is on my neck. I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with these once they see them in person. Thanks again, Jeremy!!

Casey, I am attaching a pic for you. It is a crop of a group shot from Easter and not particularly well-focused, but gosh, those pearls are pretty. (P.S., the shot is outdoors (duh) in natural daylight, but it was a very cloudy and dreary day, so the daylight was not particularly bright)

Boo, Thanks so much for posting that!
It's nice to see what they look like on instead of just a close up of the pearls w/out a person.

[jshepherd]

I am glad to hear your opinions of the untreated baroques. By popular demand, I have decided to launch this (when the time is right) with all untreated pieces. This seems like the way to go. This means we would be able to make them public earlier as well (possibly even before Mother's Day). The large majority of emails we have received are requesting the strands untreated. So! We are going to take a chance on it!

[knotty panda]

I must possess!

Hey boo, thanks for posting the photo. Beautiful necklace! I am loving mine as well.

Great on you, Boo!

Thanks for the photo! You look wonderful in the strand! I am wearing my every chance I get!! My friends are in Total Shock that a handsome man of my sons' age, that I had never even met, would send me such beautiful pearls!!!!!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

Boo,

Those look Great on you, I missed out on those maybe next time.. I keep saying that maybe It will actually happen LOL

Those pearls look great!

Cheers
Ash

[Kevin Canning]

looks good and nice to see a picture of someone actually wearing pearls not just a close up.

Thanks for the compliments! I confess that I hesitated a bit since I'm not exactly model material, and also because I look so darned grim (it was freezing cold and blustery and I really wanted to get back inside the house!). I'd seen a few posts in the past bemoaning the lack of people actually posing with their pearls and I decided what the heck - Casey wants a people pic, I'll post a people pic. What's nice is to see that it is perhaps infectious (way to go, sweetfrock!)

Pattye, you mentioned about your friends' reactions - I teased Jeremy a bit about my husband's initial concern over my getting jewelry in the mail from some strange man (mu husband was mortified when I told him I did that and wants everybody here to know that they can send me pearls anytime they want to )

What type of treatment do most freshwater pearls undergo?

[jshepherd]

Just saw your email, Casey. Sorry did not see it before. I just came back to place this link to the untreated section:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/freshwa...-special1.html

I figured this would be a good place to put it as anyone who really liked the pictures would be following this thread.

Treatments!

Freshwater pearls universally go the factory after harvest. But what happens there can change. There are three factory levels in freshwater. Some factories combine all three levels, others just one or two, others just one aspect of a single level.

The first level is the material factory. Here the pearls are separated for size.
The second level is also a material level. Here pearls are separated for shape and often quality. These two levels are often combined, and this is where you need to purchase if you want untreated goods. Here the pearls have only been washed.

The third level is where the processing takes place. After this stage the pearls are likely treated. The caveat is that you cannot purchase in an earlier stage unless you have the third stage available to you. You can contract this, but it is a volume game.

In the third level the pearls are drilled, bleached, treated for luster, and matched on temp strands and hanks. The bleach treatment you are all aware of, the luster involves heat and chemicals.

Basically every freshwater strand you will ever see has gone through the same process unless (big unless) they were purchased before process (not drilled, not matched) and kept unprocessed intentionally.

I have many pearl but can not make so nice photo.
who can help me?

[Ingykiz]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post although I have been a "lurker" for a year. I have enjoyed reading everyone's opinions, comments,pics,"drama" (ala Z) etc. I finally decided to join because I, too, am a proud owner of one of these strands. I bought one of the largest multicolor strands and "visit" it quite frequently. I like "Wilma Flintstone" style necklaces so the one I picked had to fit my criteria. I bought a big baroque Tahitian from Pearlparadise (13mm to 17.5mm) that I have had tons of compliments on so I know this will be a winner. I almost missed the post with the details of the natural freshwater pearls. Well this was painless....

[jshepherd]

Welcome to the forum, Ingykiz. We are glad you have decided to come out in the open!