Help, I don't know what I am doing!

[Natalie Kolbeck]

I am looking to start 1 or 2 "Add a Pearl" necklaces for my daughter so that the family has gift ideas rather than Precious Moments :-) (I am not normally a collector type person) but I have no idea what I am doing. I found this website www.cathaygems.com and I really like the unique styles of necklaces that they had (they had many options other than the normal one strand) but I have no idea if it is a reputable place or not. I am also not sure how all this works, does she just keep collecting the individual pearls and then have the necklace made when she gets close to having enough? I know I am a beginner, so thank you for your patients. Can anybody steer me in the right direction. THANKS!

[elisa]

i just searched the site for 'add-a-pearl' (see search box in upper left corner), and there are a number of links to advice about add-a-pearl necklaces. from my brief overview of the threads, seems like some people have them put on gold chain (or silk cord) one at a time, some people keep them loose, some people have them strung multiple times as a girl gets older, and some buy a whole strand now (seems to be the best value!) and give the girl one pearl or an inch of pearls at a time for special occasions.

[pearlescence]

It seems to me to be a very expensive way to buy pearls. I can foresee all sorts of problems ...the pearls don't match over time, the company fails half way through...you pay most of the money to shipping companies....
As a purveyor of pearls I would not touch this idea with the proverbial barge pole.
You might do better to save up some money (maybe in a separate specific account) then talk to a maker/designer to have a unique piece made.

[Valeria101]

Romantic perhaps... but impractical. It may be the last Victorian sales gimmick to die, this model [if memory serves, there's such a gradual pearl delivery in 'The Sign of Four' - one of the Sherlock Holmes novels]

Not sure what the romance is worth to everyone, but consider the fast changing world of pearls: what if one had stared a strand like this of fine freshwater pearls a couple of years ago... with s much more and better available today, they may abandon the measly pearls that were the pinnacle of quality when they started. With Akoya, the add-on strand might be quite missmatched (if the older pearls had started to break down) and rather long (with dropping prices, one may add more than just a pearl per year, LOL!). The other 'South Sea' pearls may reveal an interesting trend-line too, if one were to shop thoroughly for a specific thing each year, particularly if the item is of a scarcer kind...


On the other hand, multiple-year projects (that aren't school, mortgages or career changes... let's say) seem to be getting scarcer these days. So.... just maybe... there's sense still in the 'add a pearl' idea. Even if cultured pearls are no longer 'rare', a thoughtful collection might mean something. That's commitment!

A strand of matched pearls makes little sense for this, methinks. But with strands of unmatched pearls (multi-colours at the very least) ever more popular, I'm starting to think that the idea might not be dead just yet. Besides, 'partial' strands (three, five pearls, seven, etc.) are also 'in' (on chain, mostly, but...).

Besides, a large undrilled pearl of surprising color and nice quality under the tree might just start one on pearls for good. Then... they might just add a strand themselves! One may never just buy a loose pearl - especially one of better quality, just to play with it awaiting a strand or a setting. And that's one quality of a desirable gift item right there (something one may want but are unlikely to buy). Perhaps not the most practical gift though...

Not sure about getting into a pre-made sales scheme for this though. Not at all

If anything, I'd start with what could become the centerpiece of a nice saltwater strand in order to provide good motivation for the followup

Just a thought

[Pearl Dreams]

Here is what I would do:

Buy a high quality freshwater 18" strand now-- 7-7.5mm would not be overwhelming for a child but still grow with her to be a good adult size. This way you can be sure they are matched.

Have a few pearls of that strand strung on silk as a "tin cup" style necklace. She can wear that now and the look is youthful.

Whenever you plan to give her more pearls, have them restrung and just add more pearls to the "tin cup" design. The silk will need replacing anyway periodically and that is a convenient time to add pearls.

Eventually have the whole strand restrung as a simple 18" strand.

[dkan 168]

Here is what I would do:

Buy a high quality freshwater 18" strand now-- 7-7.5mm would not be overwhelming for a child but still grow with her to be a good adult size. This way you can be sure they are matched.

Have a few pearls of that strand strung on silk as a "tin cup" style necklace. She can wear that now and the look is youthful.

Whenever you plan to give her more pearls, have them restrung and just add more pearls to the "tin cup" design. The silk will need replacing anyway periodically and that is a convenient time to add pearls.

Eventually have the whole strand restrung as a simple 18" strand.

That would work very well, however, I have little faith in a young child's ability to respect and look after her pearls as she grows up, sorry! Perhpas I am too cynical

DK

[pattye]

Hi Natalie,

I hope you were able to find the other posts about "add a pearl" necklaces on this forum, because there have been previous discussions, and you might glean some helpful information.

You didn't mention how old your daughter is? Is she interested in pearls already?

My feeling is, like Wendy, add a pearl is not a good value. When a whole strand, or tin cup, a more youthful style, can be purchased for such reasonable cost and one will receive high quality pearls, I am all for starting her a pearl wardrobe!

So many lovely colors of freshwater all nacre pearls, pink, lavender, peach, even the peacock, might have more appeal to a young woman than a traditional white strand.

Perhaps each family member could put in for 1 pearl, and they could be strung on gold or sterling chain, as centerpiece say as mentioned by Valeria, 5 pearls, representing different members of the family. Purchasing all the pearls at the same time will ensure a match in size and shape. Or a selection of different pastel colors, each representing a family member could be fun.

Some of your choices in natural freshwater colors would be, white, cream, peach, pink, gold, lavender ( dark and light shades).

I am not familiar with the online store you mentioned, but many of the people who post here could help you with high quality custom work, and you would be dealing with a known reputable company.

Just a few of my thoughts---

[Pearl Dreams]

If the child is quite young, you could also just start her with an inexpensive freshwater pearl strand that your wouldn't have to fret about if it were damaged, then replace it with a better strand when she is older.

[barbie biggs]

Dear Natalie:
If you don't mind doing a little research, go to the Forums here and look for "Show Us Your Pearls" and then follow down about 3 to "Bracelet" and look at the pretty bracelets. Tin cup necklaces can be made in this general style, starting with about 5 pearls added to a chain using gold or sterling silver wire. Then, over time you can add pearls of any color in between until she has a look she likes. It can be as full or as spacious as she prefers and have one color or many. Tin Cups are also known as Station Necklaces because the pearls are stationed, usually at even intervals, around the neck. They are now called "Tin Cups" because Renee Russo wore one in the movie of the same name, a lot. They are youthful and extremely popular and you can get them pretty inexpensively without sacrificing quality.

Just another option for your darling girl.

barbie

[Ashley]

Hi There- here is a copy of one of my old blog entries posted under Customer FAQs - we get this query about the Add A Pearl alot more than you'd think!

Your project has a lovely sentiment behind it but I have a few words of warning about pearl necklaces made this way, as well as a recommendation for you should you choose to proceed. Today, this style of necklace is no longer sold at the vast
majority of jewelers for a few reasons:

1) When creating an “Add-A-Pearl” necklace, jewelers used a specific type of
chain to secure the pearls until such time as they could be strung onto
their permanent silk. The problem here is that the drill holes for the
pearls were made very large to accommodate the metal chain- once you
transferred them over to the silk the original drill holes became too big,
and the pearls would slip over the silk knots. On a side note, we do not
carry the chain used for the “Add-A-Pearl”…do you have a local jeweler
that has the materials for this necklace?

2) Metal chain damages pearls- especially around the drill holes where nacre
is weak. The original center pearls in the necklace would end up chipped,
eroded and cracked.

3) Today, buying single pearls for this type of necklace is not very
cost-effective; in order to get a perfect color & size match, the temporary
strand would need to be shipped back and forth to the vendor of your choice
every year… add insurance and this can get very expensive!

4) Akoya pearls age. Over time, their nacre will darken to a very unique
deep cream color. So, if you purchased the center pearls ten years ago, the
newest pearls toward the back of the strand will look much whiter, and the
necklace won’t match very well. The only places where you can find
appropriately aged pearls to match would be estate jewelers and
auctions…you could also try scouting at antique stores when the time
comes.

Those are some of the cons to this style of necklace, and I felt that you
should be fully warned before attempting such a long-term project.

Really the best way to go about something like this is to contact one of the sellers on the forum and request that they send you a Temp Hank of pearls- that way you don't have to worry about matching or shipping the necklace back and forth every year for alteration! Good Luck!!!