How long should I expect a Tahitian pearl strand to last?

[SpaceNeedle]

Several of recent posts regarding cultured pearls with a bead inside concerns me. So my question to experts out there is ... with the minimum dept of .8mm nacre on Tahitian pearls, how long should I expect a Tahitian pearl strand to stay lustrous and colorful with daily wear?

[pattye]

My feeling is--with proper care--more than a lifetime! Do you really wear them every day? If Freshwaters are "softer" I would expect them to perhaps "wear" a little faster, but I suspect caring for pearls properly makes the biggest difference. Let's hear from the real experts!!!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[GemGeek]

There is no point in saving pearls for the future. All of them should be enjoyed at every opportunity. If they wear out, it simply means that they were well-loved!

[SpaceNeedle]

Pattye - No, I don't plan to wear a strand every day. But we Software Engineers like to know what the possible outcomes of the worst case scenario would be. I'm glad to hear that there's a possibility for the pearls to last a lifetime.

GemGeek - I don't mind if they start to wear out in 20-30 years. But I cannot justify myself to spend more than 1K on something that will wear out in 5 years.

[boo]

I suspect the answer depends on how the pearls fare while they are being worn, and how they are treated before being put to bed for the night I am careful to always wait to put mine on at least 30 minutes after I use my moisturizer and body lotion (and even then I wonder if that is long enough when I can still feel a tiny bit of stickiness with the uber-moisturizers that I use in these dry, dry Indiana winters). Also, I frequently find myself...er...glowing a bit more than I would like with certain tasks that I am required to do at my job, and I am very careful to wipe the pearls down well after I take them off at night. Still, I would rather have them wear down a bit faster because of exposure to sweat and such than leave them sitting lonely in my jewelry box never to see the light of day.

Where's Josh? Didn't he say he leaves his necklace on all the time? How do his Tahitians fare after 24/7 exposure to a pearl-farmer's life?

[Ingykiz]

I wonder if circle and baroque pearls will wear down less because their direct skin contact is more limited. The nacre is unevenly distributed and I think this would be an advantage. I hope so because the majority of my pearls are this type.