Bought more - this time retail (ouch?)

[operavopera]

Well, after my last adventures on eBay and recent great buys on SS pearls in the Philippines, my local jeweler snagged me today. I bought what I think are an exquisite pair of 10mm Tahitians that are a medium green w/silver overtones for $1200 (ouch? ). They look flawless to me, w/incredible luster. Jeweler said they are AA (says that real AAA's are rare). They are also going to set them in an 18k dangle setting w/2 small diamonds on each side (hand made). Total is $1,500 Anyway, I just compared to some of your websites and I see that I paid what looks like full or close to full retail, not the great deal that the jeweler made them sound like. But still, I thought they might be high, but the color is so unique that I had to say yes! I haven't seen a color like this.

One more question: Much of the advice here states that the peacock color is the most valuable. However, my book, The Pearl Book: The Definitive Buying Guide by Antoinette Matlins, states that natural green w/silver grey overtones are extremely rare, and these pearls look like the ones in the book. That's why I jumped at them. I hope that you all don't tell me that this color is not worth as much & that I got burned again because I love them (but want a good investment if I'm going to spend that much). Hoping....

I would post a picture, but don't know how to upload to a website. I may email someone for help. If there is anyone that wouldn't mind my emailing them re how to take decent pearl pictures on macro setting and upload, pls let me know. Someone offered a while back, but I'd better ask again.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Opera,

A natural sage green body color with silver overtones is very rare and matched pairs are even rarer. They do command higher prices than peacock pearls and the color cannot be faked (yet).

Zeide

[perlas]

Hi Zeide,
What is sage green? Is this anywhere near the pistachio color?

Hi Opera,
If you love them, they're not that bad. I buy jewelry that I like, instead of following the Mystiquery. Got greenish-bronze tahitians with silver overtones that changes color depending on lighting. Sometimes it's green, sometimes its bronze.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Sam,

How do I attach a color swatch to a forum post? Sage green is a pastel greyish green not at all like pistachio. It looks like the green on a well-handled US-dollar bill. Now that you made me explain it, its main appeal is that it is the color of money.

Zeide

[effisk]

Hi there,

to get an idea of the color, here's a link: http://images.google.com/images?q=sage%20green

Opera, if no one has proposed his/her help to upload a pic of your pearls, I'd be glad to help!

I've sent you an email with my email address.

[purepearls]

Tahitians have natural color that varies on all shades of green. The silver overtones along with the light bodycolor are also effecting the color of green that you are seeing. AAA Tahitian pearls are rare but you did pay quite a hefty price for AA 10mm. It is retail, afterall. However, if you love them, that's what matters most!

[operavopera]

Well, actually, they are costing me more than I thought (edited original post). The pearls alone are $1200, but then I'm paying $300 more for 4 small diamonds and the jeweler said that they would make me the setting for free. Total w/tax is $1,624. That hurts! They keep telling me what I bargain I am getting! Well, it's a far cry from my last eBay pearls! Oh, and yes, I checked the google site re sage green as a color and I would say they are a medium-dark sage green w/silver overtones. I will post a picture when I get them back next week (if I learn how to do it by then). Thanks, Effisk.

*QUESTION: I always prefer 18k, but manager said she would ask the jeweler if 14k would be stronger, as these are heavy, dangling pearls. Do you think that 18k is too soft for this type of earring?

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Opera,

18k is definitely strong enough and if your jeweler says otherwise, he's just trying to be cheap. Anyway, if your pearls are the "color of money" you still got a good deal.

Zeide

[operavopera]

Thanks, Zeide. I will call jeweler this morning and tell her. It bugs me how they said that they were making me the setting for free, and then yesterday she said that it would be $300 extra for the 4 diamonds that were part of the setting in the first place. Oh well, once again, live and learn. But yes, they are the "color of money"! I think that they just price the pearls according to type and size, so I hope that I got a good deal. I am rapidly getting to know more about pearls than these jewelers, thanks to this forum!

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Opera,

The surcharge for 4 diamond chips is so beyond ridiculous that I can hardly fathom it. This is not going to be a custom setting. They are just gluing the pearls into a pre-fab semi-mount. The semi-mount in 14k will cost something around US$90.00 wholesale from the Stuller catalog. That is already including 4 diamond chips that come with the setting from the manufacturer. If you want to really annoy your jeweler you buy yourself a suite of fancy color diamonds chips in a rainbow assortment from www.alphagems.com (get the phone number, ask for Balu Khatod, call him Prince and tell him Bagheera referred you) and he'll pick a whole carat worth of meleé in fine color and clarity for about US$100. Then kindly ask your generous jeweler to set their "free custom" mounting with these.

Zeide

[Admin]

That is quite expensive, really. How find are those diamonds and what is the carat weight? Most people do not realize that small diamonds can cost just a few dollars - even in a decent quality.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Admin,

US$100.00 would be the the finest colors and clarity in a carat worth of up to 5 pointers of natural fancy color in full cut. He has bigger parcels for less per carat. As an Indian, he is also amenable to bartering. My main point is that you can get up to 3 carats of fine fancy meleé as a retail customer for the money that opera's jeweler was going to charge for the service on a "free" semi-mount that he then put more than triple keystone on for diamonds that already come with the setting.

Zeide

[jshepherd]

I am a little confused, Zeide. You are talking about fancy-colored diamonds, correct? In natural colors these are the most expensive diamonds in the world, with prices for fancy pink as high as $1 million per carat. Are we talking about the same thing?

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Jeremy,

Yes, we are. Balu has already set in 14k 1cttw fancy pink SI1 stud earrings (half carat per stone) for under US$900.00. I am sure you can get discounts for quantity. It is really only the big sizes that are of any value. the meleé comes up in larger lots every once in a while. They are not always from Argyle some is also from little pockets here and there that still surface in Golconda and are cut in Jaipur.

Zeide

[jshepherd]

I hate to be the one to break it to you Zeide, but if you bought those fancy pink for yourself, you bought color-enhanced diamonds. Around $1000 per carat is color-enhanced diamond price for fancy pink, no where near natural price, regardless of the size. You can get natural browns in the $1000 per carat range at auction, but in the highly saturated colors of red, green, or purple, you are looking at a million dollars.

I suggest calling the guy that sold those to you.