Purple Edison Pearl question

[Baby-Love]

Hi everyone,
I'm new in this forum. Recently, I have bought couple loose pearls from a vendor. He said it's purple Edison pearl. But when I received the pearl color is not the same color as on his website. I asked him did he use photoshop or enhance color, he said because when you use to right lighting it shows the right color. My question is when we wear pearls, most of the time we're in natural color day and night. What we buy is what we want to see in the real color, not when it uses with special light. Do you think his answer is right? Or if I'm wrong then what is right.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Baby-Love!

What you describe is a common frustration among pearl-buyers, but it's also what makes pearls so fascinating. Pearls aren't like a lot of other jewelry; they look different depending on the lighting. My pearls look one way in my kitchen, another way in my living room. On overcast days I see more of the overtone colors. They even look different at noon vs. late in the day, when the color of daylight is different.

So then the question becomes, which light should one use to photograph them? I think the vendors just try to show the pearls in their best light-- they colors you will sometimes see, when the light is just right. This isn't photoshopping-- the pearls actually display those colors-- but you won't see them all the time, because of the nature of nacre and how it refracts light. This seems to be particularly true of Tahitian pearls and of metallic freshwaters that have overtone colors.

It may be helpful to you to ask your vendors to take some natural-light photos and email them to you to help you decide before buying. Many of us also have just learned, with experience, what glamour shots translate to in normal lighting.

As for the Edisons, if they really don't work for you, do not hesitate to use the return policy. That is what it's there for.

Edit: I just wanted to add that colors can also look different depending on your monitor.

 

[pattye]

Welcome Baby-Love,

Pearl Dreams answer is so very true about how the lighting causes us to see different colors. The other thing I would mention is that sellers will often use a representative (generic) photo especially when selling round pearls, so the pearls you receive are not actually the ones in the photo unless the seller specifies they are.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That's a good point, Pattye.

 

[newberry]

Another thing is that pearls will look different depending on what color they are next to. They can look wonderful or just drab. A good way to see colors in a pearl is to put it on a white paper towel.

 

[GemGeek]

Great advice. Good luck, Baby-Love.