[Joel]

I plan on getting my fiance a set of akoya earings, bracelet and 18" necklace for our upcoming wedding. What I'm unsure of if whether I should get her the set in 7.5mm at AA+ quality or drop down to 7mm but upgrade the 18" necklace to AAA. The budget is just about the same so I'm wondering if the better choice is larger pearls at slightly lesser quality or smaller necklace at higher quality?

I'm also thinking of getting the bridesmaid's pearl stud earings for their gift. If I went freshwater would the difference be noticeable from what the bride will be wearing?


Any opinion greatly appreciated.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Joel,

Most first-time pearl shoppers tend to go rather for size than quality. Since you are buying a larger quantity, i.e. a whole set for your future wife plus earrings for the bridesmaids, you may be able to negotiate a better deal. Shop around until you have a good idea of prices and qualities. We pearly people would, of course, always put quality first but size is a consideration too. You may also want to look at semi-baroques that would allow you to get the size or better that you want without compromizing on luster and color not to mention that you mostly get thicker nacre and thus durability just by compromizing on roundness. The forum head-honcho J. Shepheard mentioned in another post today that he just bought top-grade freshwater pearls in 9-10mm size at the price of 7-7.5mm akoyas. That would probably be the best and smartest choice and make your future wife happiest upon box opening. Not to mention that they will last for generations to come while even fine akoyas are not likely to be around to see her first grey hair.

Zeide G. Erskine

[purepearls]

Dear Joel,
I think the size range you are interested in is preferable to what you are looking for. For the wedding and to wear for long after the wedding, 7 and 7.5mm size pearls are much for versatile and can be worn casual to formal. I think you will be okay with either quality. Both AA+ and AAA are very nice! Speaking from my own personal wedding experience, I would go with the average range pearls because they are simple and classic, not overbearing. A necklace like this makes a grand statement with a gorgeous dress. Akoya pearls would definitely be my preference over Freshwater pearls for the wedding, especially if you want to give her something extra special.

As for the bridesmaids, I think the Freshwater earrings are a great idea!
If you have any questions, feel free to call at 800-762-0977.
Best,

[Kevin Canning]

I would agree, I think a 9-10mm strand would be a bit too much for a bridal set, 9-10 might be just a bit too ostentatious for the occasion.

I also agree you should go with the 7.5mm in the AA+ quality as opposed to the AAA in a 7.0mm strand, she'll appreciate the extra size more then she would the extra quality of the 7.0mm.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Kevin,

I admit I am big girl (just a hair under 6 feet) but I don't find 10mm ostentatious. O.K. the 14mm I reserve for more dressy occasions, but 10mm are my regular daily wear.

Zeide

[Kevin Canning]

I didn't mean it as a blanket statement for all occasions, I just think they are a bit ostentatious for that particular occasion.

Its just that most brides are younger and 9-10mm pearls are traditionally worn by women in their later years.

That being said, it is of course a matter of opinion, I personally tend to lean towards a 'less is more' taste when it comes to jewelry.

You do bring up a valid point, the persons body type should also be considered when picking out a strand.

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

I just wanted to jump in and agree that it is a valid point to consider the persons body type. Angela is only 5 foot tall and small boned. Her 9-10mm Tahitian strand does look quite large on her, but her 7.5mm and 8.0mm Akoyas are just right.

[MAREBEAR54]

What does Zeide mean when she says that even fine Akoyas are not likely to be around when the bride sees her first grey hairs? I'm new to this, but I've been reading everything I can find. My mom's pearls were bought in Osaka in 1949, and they seem to be larger than most of the ones I've seen online. Mom went grey in the 70's, and I've been grey for years. Sounds like Zeide is saying these Mikimoto pearls are NO GOOD?

[Zeide Erskine]

Dear Marebear,

Mikimoto pearls are very high quality. However, pearl farmers have been cutting down on culturing time for a long period. My mother in law, for instance, bought a AA 7mm strand of Mikimotos in 1980 that she rarely wore and they are now dull and blinking but still pearls rather than beads. My mother bought a AA 7mm strand at a local jewelry store (non-Mikimoto) in 1988 that she also only wore rarely (less than once a month) and they are just about to be shell beads. I guess it all depends on how old you are when you get married and how early you grey whether akoyas will last until a bride's first grey hair appears.

Zeide

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.

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

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.

Careful with your analogies. There are many cars that are far superior to the Mazarati.

Mercedes SLR McLaren / 626 hp / 0 to 60mph in 3.8 seconds.
Ferrari Enzo / 650 hp @ 7800 RPM / 0 to 60mph in 3.3 seconds.
Porsche Carrera GT / 605 HP SAE @ 8,000 rpm / 0 to 60mph in 3.9 seconds
Saleen S7 / 750 bhp @ 6300 rpm / 0 to 60mph in 3.4 seconds

Bugatti Veyron / 1001 hp / 0 to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, top speed of 279 mph



Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT / 390 hp / 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Stephen,

I stick to my humble Maserati for reasons of workmanship. Sure, the Ferrari is not all bad either, but it takes a lot more pit stops and it steers like a cow. And sorry, the other ones don't even make the cut. Not in design and the performance data are not even Nürburg Ring tested. As I like to put it, I never drive too fast, although sometimes I fly a touch low.

Zeide

[MAREBEAR54]

Thanks for the help, but all this car talk confuses me....
I'll take an Audi like the one that got creamed on the Long Island Expressway last week. In which of your luxury cars would you have made it through that?
Meanwhile, I wish mom had attached a GPS device to those pearls before she died. She was a packrat and I can't even find them! Someday I'll get past all that ivory and china from Japan....
Those pearls are in this house somewhere, and I'm terrified that I might have put them in a plastic bag last August. When your mom is dying you just don't give a damn about the material things.... Would a plastic bag destroy them this quickly?
The fact is that I don't remember my mom EVER wearing those pearls.
SHE stored them properly for all those years. My question is this-
IF pearls were cultured longer back then, and they are larger than average, wouldn't they have MORE nacre? Why would they then be less valuable than Akoya pearls that are not as old? Doesn't culturing time have a lot to do with the quality and value?
Seems like pearls from Japan in 1949 should be better than that. To me,
to say pearls won't be around when a bride gets her 1st grey hair is to imply that they "degrade".
Maybe I'm no good with words, but what I'm asking is WHY Akoya pearls become less valuable as they age?

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Marebear,

With pearls you have a double-edged sword. You have to wear them or they dry out and the nacre goes dull and crumbly (happens to opals, too, but that's a different story). If you wear them the nacre slowly erodes. Now that the nacre is usually very thin in akoyas they wear off a lot faster than in the olden days.

For instance, bleach destroys protein in a process called denaturization. That makes pearls whiter and also more glossy because the conchiolin (the protein that glues the aragonite crystals that form the nacre together) is both inherently colored and more or less opaque. So, if you dunk your pearls in bleach they become whiter and have greater potential for a nacre quality called "water" that refers to the nacre's transparency. However, this process also destroys the very stuff that holds the nacre together. As a result the nacre gets more brittle and abrades more easily because there is less or even no conchiolin to provide cohesion and elasticity.

The extra water however comes at the price of losing another quality of luster called "mirror" that refers to the reflectivity of the nacre. The conchiolin's inherent body color (ranging from greyish blue to greenish brown) originally provided the mirror backing just like with your mirror at home. If you take the silvery black coating away, the glass is by far not as reflective as the mirror was.

The next processing step is thus to put some color back in but one that is a) desirable (i.e. pink) and b) transparent so as to not interfer with water. Then of course, you are still short of reflective backing so pearl processors buff the pearls with wax and some of them even coat the surface of the pearls with a metal vapor deposition. Rhodium vapor deposition tends to produce the most desirable color of a pinkish lavender with a touch of metallic bling. In the olden days, pearl farmers would have to selectively breed albino mussels (they are not oysters) because their conchiolin is transparent pink to achieve the same effect. Modern chemistry allows us to have the same look without the effort of selective breeding and the risks of long culturing times.

And, of course there is no orient (the rainbow play of color that is a function of light being reflected through a substantial layer of nacre) in such pearls.

Was that short enough?

Zeide

[Joel]

Am I right in gathering that if I want the bridal set to last I should go with high quality freshwater pearls instead? My original thinking was to get the set and then my fiance would keep the necklace and we could pass down the earings and bracelet to our future family members. Does it boil down to the Akoya pearl is more attractive vs the freshwater pearl being more durable? I would prefer the better looking pearl but I'm wondering if a AAA freshwater pearl in the 7-8mm range wouldn't be just as nice as the 7.5mm AA+ Akoya's I was going to get. Thanks very much for everyone's advice to date.

[jshepherd]

Freshwater pearls are going to be more durable - for sure. If you do intend to pass them down to future generations, freshwater is the wisest way to go. Granted, the freshwater rarely look like Akoya (perfectly round, intense luster), and Akoya will have a higher value. But there is a way to get the look of Akoya and the durability of a freshwater - a strand that by sight all would claim is Akoya - but is actually freshwater.

If this interests you give me a call or send an email next week - mid week.