[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Jeremy,

I am interested in your freshkoyas. Actually, its more professional curiosity.

Zeide

[jshepherd]

I just received a 4am call this morning letting me know that they are finishing up. They should arrive by mid-next week!

[Joel]

I thought other people may have the same dilema I had with akoya vs freshwater pearls for a bridal gift. My solution was to get the freshadama pearls that have been mentioned so frequently on this forum. The pearls look lovely. I'm not an expert but they are perfectly round, white with a slight rose secondary tone.

They are far nicer than anything I saw at brick and mortar jewellery store and I know my finace will be thrilled with them. I think they are a great solution to the lack of durability associated with the thin nacre layer on Akoya pearls.

In talking with people the perception seems to be that pearls are like diamonds they will last for generations. It was disturbing to find out this isn't the truth and I think this is a major weakness of the pearl industry. For what they cost I think consumers deserve a piece of jewellery that will out last them.

Finally I just wanted to thank Jeremy and Zeide amongst other for their time and sage advice.

Joel

[jshepherd]

I am glad to hear that you like them, Joel. Now, before I get inundated with emails, this was a private sale to Joel. We have not yet released them to the public.

[mikehrz]

Originally Posted by Zeide Erskine

PS.: I may clarify here, if Mikimoto corresponds to Mercedes cars and PearlParadise to BMW, I am the Rolls Royce gal. In sports car terms, Mikimoto may be the Viper, and PearlParadise the Porsche Boxter, and I stick with my humble Maserati.

I have to take issue with this, I'm afraid. Mikimoto is more akin to Ferrari, which offers high performance but at a price premium, while PearlParadise is more like the Ford GT, which performs at nearly the same level as the Enzo but is a whole lot less expensive (and unfortunately less prestigious).

Rolls-Royce is currently owned by BMW. Oddly enough, PearlParadise currently offers pearls that Zeide finds interesting...

And of course, Maserati is currently owned by Fiat, which also happens to own Ferrari. Though I have a feeling Zeide is more of a Quattroporte than an MC12/Enzo kind of gal.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Mike,

The more I think about it, the more Mikimoto looks like 1980s Alpha Romeo with Ferrari price tags. I came to that opinion because I recently been shown quite a few Mikimoto strands that have worn out terribly but the owners had just blamed themselves not short culturing.

Zeide