Hello everyone. I've been lurking on this forum reading all the good advice available, and wanted to pay at least something back to the community. So, I wanted to post a good experience I had buying Pearls online. Generally, I really believe that you need to see gemstones and jewelry in person to appreciate it, but this pandemic has made travel difficult. I wanted to get my lovely wife something special, so I did a LOT of research in this forum about pearls and how to buy them.
Reading through reviews of vendors, I settled on Pearl Paradise as everyone seemed to speak well of the team there. I reached out via email and got a lovely response, offering to take pictures of some selected strands and also a video. I opted for some 8.5-9.0 Natural Hanadama Akoyas based on the pictures they sent, and selected my strand from the ones offered. I asked lots of questions and PP was happy to answer them. Shipping was simple, and everything arrived well packed and in time for Christmas.
When I peeked inside the gift-wrapped box, I was immediately wowed. I know a decent amount about gemstones, but next to nothing about pearls... but I have looked at good brands like Mikimoto before, as I know my wife has wanted a nice piece like this for years. Alas, the price... so I was skeptical about how good an online purchase would be. Needless to say, I was super happy. So, to the next person out there trying to decide if it's safe to buy online, I'd say do your research, and then, at least for me, I am glad I took the plunge. The picture below simply doesn't do them justice.
So thank you community for being a place where I could gather enough information to make an informed - and ultimately rewarding - gamble.
R.
Reading through reviews of vendors, I settled on Pearl Paradise as everyone seemed to speak well of the team there. I reached out via email and got a lovely response, offering to take pictures of some selected strands and also a video. I opted for some 8.5-9.0 Natural Hanadama Akoyas based on the pictures they sent, and selected my strand from the ones offered. I asked lots of questions and PP was happy to answer them. Shipping was simple, and everything arrived well packed and in time for Christmas.
When I peeked inside the gift-wrapped box, I was immediately wowed. I know a decent amount about gemstones, but next to nothing about pearls... but I have looked at good brands like Mikimoto before, as I know my wife has wanted a nice piece like this for years. Alas, the price... so I was skeptical about how good an online purchase would be. Needless to say, I was super happy. So, to the next person out there trying to decide if it's safe to buy online, I'd say do your research, and then, at least for me, I am glad I took the plunge. The picture below simply doesn't do them justice.
So thank you community for being a place where I could gather enough information to make an informed - and ultimately rewarding - gamble.
R.
