Comparative pearl sizes-- how much difference does 1mm larger really make?

[LitGeek]

Here is another photo for comparison.
Studs from left: 11.8 mm wSS and 8.6mm natural white hanadama akoya
Freshadama strands rom top: 9-9.5mm soft rose, 9-9.5mm silver rose, and 8-9mm silver.

[Pearl Dreams]

Does the photo show the middle part of the strands (where the larger pearls are), LitGeek?

[LitGeek]

Does the photo show the middle part of the strands (where the larger pearls are), LitGeek?

Yes, that was fairly close to the center.

[Rebecka]

Pearl dreams, your chart is amazing! It gives me a completely new appreciation for the differences in size, how much 1mm can matter.I've copied your chart into my "Pearl Knowledge" word document Thanks for doing all that work and for sharing!

LitGeek, thanks for sharing the photos.

[ckrickett]

Thank you!

[lisa c]

This truly was an inspiration, PD, and so, so useful for all of us. Whether we use numbers or imagery, it brings the point home!

[BWeaves]

I just found this post. It really does explain why my new 8mm strands feel so much heavier than my older 6mm strands. The weight difference really surprised me, but now it all makes sense.

[Pearl Dreams]

Yes-- the 8mm pearl is 2.37 times as large as the 6mm pearl! Well over twice as large.

[Pearl Dreams]

A question arose on Pricescope about why an 8-8.5mm stud feels so much heavier than a 7.5mm stud.

Besides the volume increase, there is the issue of torque. Torque is rotational force. The farther a weight is from the axis of rotation, the greater the rotational force it exerts. Larger studs, being spheres, protrude outward from the earlobe farther than smaller ones do. Any increase in pearl diameter increases the distance of the farthest-most part of the pearl from the axis of rotation (i.e. the earlobe) and therefore increases torque.

Gravity pulls downward on all studs, but the rotational force is greater when the stud protrudes farther out from the ear. This is why larger spherical studs are much more likely to sag.

Button shaped pearls that are the same weight as a spherical pearl won't sag as much because the rotational force is less. Simple physics.

[Katbran]

Excellent information ! Thanks very much PD!!!!

[moneymeister]

Pearl Dreams, this chart has been up for a while, but it was so helpful after a recent purchase and decision to upgrade the pearl size. Thanks for the sticky.

[Pearl Dreams]

I'm glad it helped you, moneymeister!

I also decided to move the thread from the Lowly Beaders Club to the Cultured Pearls forum, where it it more likely to be seen by the many visitors to Pearl-Guide.

Undoubtedly many people visit Pearl-Guide for the first time when they are considering buying pearls for themselves or for a gift, and what better time to learn that a small increase in millimeters of pearl diameter yields a large increase in the overall size of the pearl? Especially in the light of PSS (Pearl Shrinkage Syndrome)-- the fact that many of us want larger and larger pearls as time goes on.

[moneymeister]

Smart move.
1mm seems like such a small upgrade until you read this post. So glad I did.

[Pearl Dreams]

Right! Visualize expanding any pearl by 1mm outward in all directions from the center, and it becomes clearer why 1mm has such an effect.
It's 1mm more all over.

[Pearl Dreams]

EDIT: Thanks to Katbran for providing a link, on another thread, to the following chart that shows the approximate weight of different sizes of pearls:
http://www.original-diamonds.com/est...ght_pearls.php

Just as with volume, you can divide the larger pearl's weight by the smaller pearl's weight to see how much heavier it is.

Example: 3.61 carats (8.0 mm pearl) ÷ 2.42 carats (7.0mm pearl) = 1.49
The 8.0mm pearl weighs 49% more than the 7.0mm pearl-- just as its volume is also 49% greater.