[Pearl_dreams]

Thanks so much for that info!

[flycatcher]

I finally got a few good pictures of my Lake Biwa pearls. I ordered the white ones and was not disappointed. They are quite dainty and very pretty. I wish I could upload the full resolution pictures as they look much nicer.

--Stephen

[Mervione]

I kinda have a question about the white ones. We all know that the colour are natural, but are the white ones bleached?

[jerin]

Most probably they are!

[Pearl_dreams]

Strack says (page 416):

"Pearls from Lake Biwa rarely possess the neutral, light hues of Japanese Akoya cultured pearls. They are, like natural freshwater pearls, either strikingly white or have pastel tones to distinct fancy colours."

But then she also mentions bleaching later on the page and that the reason "might have been that white pearls were valued higher in Japan until a few decades ago."

So, the whiteness could be natural.
Or not.

[The Pearl Outlet]

I kinda have a question about the white ones. We all know that the colour are natural, but are the white ones bleached?

Normally bleaching isn't a listed treatment so there isn't any way to find out for certain with these.

[Mervione]

Anyone seen the September sale that was putted up today? If so, did anyone get any biwas? I did!!!

[Pearl_dreams]

Which color did you get Mervione? The gray/silver/lavender ones?

[aggiep]

Originally Posted by Mervione

Anyone seen the September sale that was putted up today? If so, did anyone get any biwas? I did!!!

Sept. special? Where? I'm too new to know who is who or what.

[Mervione]

I got the lavender ones! Wohoo! Can´t wait until I get them...

Here Aggie: http://www.thepearloutlet.com/september08blowout.htm

[aggiep]

Darn the ones I would have gotten are sold out. Maybe next month.

[Mervione]

Ah... I really feel sorry you missed out... Was it the purple ones?

[aggiep]

The Akoya earrings and the baroque bracelet. They are both sold out. I'm not a fan of the fancy darker dyed pearls. I have a rope length very nice lavender CFWP necklace that I got about 15 years ago. While I was learning my first steps of weilding a blow torch, I worked for a high end jeweler. I worked a couple of back to back 60 hour weeks and he gave me three pearl necklaces that on his invoices were over $600 I look at the price of the same necklaces today, and I'm very pleased.

[Mervione]

Ah, I see. TPO seem to put up baroque akoyas on their sales quite often though if that helps. Have looked at them quite a bit myself.

[Slraep]

Originally Posted by Aggie.P

The Akoya earrings and the baroque bracelet. They are both sold out. I'm not a fan of the fancy darker dyed pearls. I have a rope length very nice lavender CFWP necklace that I got about 15 years ago. While I was learning my first steps of weilding a blow torch, I worked for a high end jeweler. I worked a couple of back to back 60 hour weeks and he gave me three pearl necklaces that on his invoices were over $600 I look at the price of the same necklaces today, and I'm very pleased.

Hi Aggie,

Oh my goodness, a couple of back-to-back 60 hour work weeks?? That is an insane amount of plying and soldering.. Gotta make a living, I guess---and metalsmithing is not the most glamourous of jobs...

Any chance you can post pics of the necklaces? I'm curious to see what kind of CFWPs a high end jeweller was selling for 600 bucks fifteen years ago. Are any of them round? What sizes? Is the lavender strand natural colour?

Slraep