[Mervione]

I think I´d be able to tell the different between a high-end freshwater rope and an akoya rope, if the grades were the same. And if you can´t tell the difference (which you can if the grades are the same because akoya pearls will have a sharper luster and be more round than freshwaters of the same quality.) then why buy akoya? They´re just more expensive. I think it´s better to put pictures of both akoya and freshwaters of both AA+ and AAA grade for comparision, close up and from a distance. Maybe it´s just me though?

As a costumer I wouldn´t want to buy an akoya rope if I knew the picture was of a freshwater rope. It doesn´t matter that I wouldn´t be able to tell the difference, it just feels wrong.

[Caitlin]

See this picture? It shows the high end of freshwater AAA(gem quality) and the high end of akoya AAA (hanadama)

Guess which one is which.

[olmander]

Elisa, would this sort of a pendant(enhancer) be too modern for your strand? It has a clasp, so you can attach it to the strand or use it separately. It is quite big in fact, can be compared in size with the one Lina Cavalieri has. Here it is:



Drop me a line if you want it, I know where they sell them.

Olga

[Mervione]

Lowest is freshwater and the one at the top is akoya. I´ve seen that picture before, and I have to say that in this picture the freshwater have greater luster, but from what I´ve been reading about the differences between akoya and freshwater (and from most pictures I´ve seen.) akoyas of the same grade have a sharper luster than freshwater. So I think that, in most cases, akoyas have a sharper luster if they´re of the same grade.

[Caitlin]

You got it.
So far about 90% of the people who guessed, guessed wrong. Now the picture is all over this site with the correct answer, so many more people know which is which.

It is my understanding that lower grade akoyas get luster enhancing treatments. That treatment on top of the thin skins in the lower grade akoyas, may fool eBayers, so we are lucky that the akoyas sold through our favorite sellers have thicker skins. I don't what treatments they get in China, but I have heard that when they go to Japan, they get a lot more treatments, most of them secret.

The standard for akoya nacre thickness has steadily gone down since the early days of cultured pearls, but even those earliest cultured akoyas wear through if they get a lot of wear over 30-40 years. I have seen a lot of those in my husband's family who started buying cultured akoyas about the time they first went on sale early last century, through the fifties. They all need many pearls replaced. The wear around the drill holes with the bead showing through make them look like fake pearls. And the luster on all of them is not new and sharp looking either. Water is inimical to akoyas, as well. Water undoes all the treatments to tighten them against the bead.

Compared to natural wild pearls, they are fake pearls, which is why one should always use "cultured" in front of the name of the pearls. Not to do do is actually illegal and unethical for sellers.

Remember, the pejorative term for thin skinned akoya pearls with bead nuclei is "PPB" (pearl plated beads)

[pattye]

Hi Mervione,

I have seen lots of pearls now in person, and it is very difficult to tell, in many cases, akoya from freshwater, and I would not presume I would be able to easily tell which was which. Terry is using the photos to show ways to wear the rope, and offering both types of pearls, so there is no intention to mislead anyone.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[Mervione]

I´ve been reading at a few places on this forum that the akoyas usually have a higher luster because of the colder water where they´re being grown. If that´s the case then maybe the difference isn´t big enough to be noticable. If so, then why even buy akoya? There must be some kind of reason except for lack of knowledge.

I`m still standing by my opinion that it feels wrong to use a picture of freshwater for both freshwater and akoyastrands. Even if there´s no difference should still have an akoya strand to compare with. Maybe to see that freshwater are more worth their price.

I got the understanding that he was using the picture to show what the product looks like, even if they weren´t there to show I think you should put a picture of the products there, so the costumer can see, even if only for the sake of principle. I think most will think that they´ll get what they see in the picture anyway... They wont know that it´s just there to show how to wear a rope.

No hard feelings, just trying to understand.

[Valeria101]

Do yu guys expect to see clasps on such long ropes? What's the use?

[The Pearl Outlet]

Hi guys, all of this is valid input. pattye is absolutely correct that the photo is there to show different ways to wear the rope. If there were to be a picture for each size, length, type, and quality available on that one product page, there would need to be exactly 224 pictures.

2 Gold types x 4 Body and Overtone colors x 2 lengths x 14 types, sizes, and qualities.

And that is simplified. We literally offer millions of different combinations on our site. However, when we’re selling just a freshwater pearl necklace, we use a picture of freshwater pearls. When selling an Akoya pearl necklace, we use a picture of Akoya pearls. The ropes are the one exception.

It is true that Akoya pearls tend to be more round than freshwater pearls. The exception is generally found in high-end, round, freshwater pearls. We color-code the hanks on our high-end freshwater pearls just so we can quickly distinguish between them and our Akoya pearls.

So why buy Akoya pearls? They are generally more valuable, and not everyone has as high of standards in freshwater pearls. The market is moving more toward freshwater pearls as qualities and sizes increase. You certainly can get more "bang for the buck" with high-quality freshwater pearls than nearly any other pearl type.

Also worthy of note is that not all Akoya pearls are grown in cold water, and colder water is not the only contributor to luster. One particularly glaring example are Vietnamese Akoya pearls. These are grown in relatively warm water compared to Japan, and yet the gem-quality pearls we source there are so lustrous, they look like they're wet. And this is without all the processing that the Japanese and Chinese Akoya pearls go through.

[The Pearl Outlet]

Good point Valeria. We often have customers request these without a clasp. I'll add another 224 combinations by adding an option for no clasp.

[Mervione]

I didn´t mean that it´d be better to show every single combination, just a picture of all qualities and of all different kinds of pearls. Clasps, size and length isn´t exactly needed if since different monitors shows different size, and length isn´t the same on all necks and you can probably imagine what a clasp looks like on a strand. I think it´s more important to have side by side pictures of different qualities for comparison, it might be harder to imagine that, especially if you don´t have much knowledge of pearls and pearl quality.

Hm, so it seems the posts I`ve been reading about cold water meaning higher luster is wrong if the vietnamese akoyas are so shiny...

It is true that akoya pearls are more valuable, more expensive, something you can see when just looking at the pricing of them. But I can´t see any reason why.

[The Pearl Outlet]

Ah... Point taken.

Colder water is a factor in luster, but it isn't the only contributor to luster and isn't absolutely necessary in all cases.

Perception, percieved quality, market factors, marketing, cost of culturing, supply and demand are all reasons why Akoya pearls are more valuable. If you're looking for a reason like "Akoya pearls are better and or last longer", you won't find one. But let me stress that ONLY the highest quality freshwater pearls are as round and lusterous as high-quality Akoya pearls.

[Mervione]

Point taken as well.

So USUALLY akoyas are more lustrous, but sometimes freshwaters (gem quality) have the same sharp luster?

Maybe add a little text saying that the pictures show nice ways of wearing a rope and add a couple of pictures of AAA akoya and AAA freshwater? That way the costumer will get a better overlook I think.

[The Pearl Outlet]

Roundness is rarer than luster in freshwater pearls. The statement would be more correct as "...USUALLY akoyas are more round and lustrous, but sometimes freshwaters (gem quality) are as round and have the same sharp luster."

[pearlkrazy]

I thought I'd throw in my two cents as a consumer -

The pictures I see on a retailers site I assume are the lowest quality. Meaning if there are options on size, quality, ect I expect the item shown to be the least expensive option. If I really want something in particular (color, quality, luster, shape, etc) I will contact the seller directly to discuss & request detailed pictures. I view the pictures as a representation of the style, not the exact piece I will receive, unless it is otherwise stated on the website. I don't have any problems with TPO page as it is, I see it as a nice example of the versatility of the rope & as far as I'm concerned the pictures are not close up enough to judge quality or type anyway. I do think it would be nice to add a bit of text saying what the item pictured is & to contact customer service for info on the other options.