[jshepherd]

We need to finish that kitty out with a pair of earrings! Clip-ons of course!

[Clairew]

You guys are funny! Cute kitty! Is the kitty available to make appearances at weddings?

Thank you for all of the responses and information! I have been a busy bride to be and have been able to only give pearl purchasing some of my attention!

One thing I want to know is the deal with "pure white" pearls? Do they really exist naturally? Are they rare? Or are they so white because they have been bleached or overly treated? (See, I have been doing my homework!

I guess I am leaning towards the Akoya kind of pearl but I am still not certain. I just gravitate towards them.

I am also thinking maybe I would give a gift of pearl jewelry to my bridesmaids. The dresses will be a deeper purple and I was thinking of non-white pearls. Like a black color. Can you get Akoyas in this color?

How much for Akoya pearl earrings is a good price to pay?

[purepearls]

I think going with an Akoya necklace is great for your wedding. I wore an Akoya necklace and my bridesmaids did as well.

If you want them to look really white go with silver overtone. They will appear to be very white!

Yes, Akoya pearls are bleached. This true of all of them, no matter where you buy them from.

Also, we do have black Akoya pearls and they are gorgeous but I don't recommend them with the lavender dresses because they have quite a bit of blue/green in them. You may want to stick with white pearls for your bridesmaids as well. You could do lavender pearls but that may be too much.