Pricing question about Mikimoto's Blue Lagoon Pearls

[BenzoDubya]

Hi all,

I'm looking to get my wife an entry-level earring/pendant set for Christmas, but am new to this. I saw Mikimoto's Blue Lagoon line in a Zales and have a question about pricing. I understand that these are lower quality than what they offer in their own stores and that they charge a lot for the name.

These are the pieces (apologies for not having better pictures):

7.5mm Cultured Akoya Pearl Pendant in 14K Gold with Diamond Accents
http://www.zales.com/blue-lagoon-by-...uctId=11742404

5.5-6.0mm Cultured Akoya Pearl Stud Earrings in 14K Gold with Diamond Accents
http://www.zales.com/blue-lagoon-by-...uctId=11742419

Are these prices reasonable? The clerk did not offer any info about a grade. Should they have one? If this is not a good price, can anyone suggest an alternative set within this budget?

Thanks for any advice!
Benny W

[Pearl Dreams]

Welcome to the forum!

Although there is no standardized system for grading pearls, I would want to know what grade the vendor had assigned that pearl and what I could expect to see with a pearl of that grade.

While very pretty, the pearls you linked to are on the small side for the price.
Here is an alternative pearl pendant with a diamond.
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-551-r...d-pendant.aspx.

The chain is optional. Maybe she already has a chain she wants to use.

But let's say you want to buy an 18" chain. Choosing a AAA grade 8.5-9.0mm akoya pearl (grading explained here: http://www.pearlparadise.com/t-Akoya-pearl-grading.aspx) the price is $294.10, if you use the 15% off cyber15 discount code (good through December 9th.)

And, AAA grade is anything but entry level!

By the way, just how much larger is it? I did the math on this. Pearls are 3D objects, so you need to think in terms of volume. The volume of a sphere is is calculated using the formula 4/3 π radius cubed.

An 8.5mm pearl is 45% larger by volume than a 7.5mm pearl.
A 9mm pearl is 72% larger than a 7.5mm pearl.

These 8-8.5mm akoya AAA earrings with diamond are $334.90 with the cyber15 discount.
http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-12-st...-earrings.aspx

These earrings would be 2.8 times as large by volume as the 5.5-6mm pearls from Zales.

Or browse the website for other styles that may please you.

Check out also these other vendors, who are also running cyber week sales:

purepearls.com--
Here's a nice set in the 7-7.5mm size, for $544.20 if you choose AAA grade and 18" chain:
http://www.purepearls.com/akoya-pear...-mm-white.html

And here's a very nice 18K gold pearl pendant in various sizes:
http://www.purepearls.com/akoya-pear...7-5-9-5mm.html

check also pearlsofjoy.com

I am not associated with Pearl Paradise or any other vendor. I have bought many things from Pearl Paradise and have been happy with them.

I want to add this: It would be best to order the pendant and earrings from the same vendor, at the same time, so they can match the tone. (And if you buy a set that has already been matched, the process is easier.)

[newberry]

Welcome to the forum. The author of this article is a member of this forum and after reading it you will know a lot of what to look for in akoyas for your wife. Any of the online sellers Pearl Dreams mentioned above come highly reccomended by me too.

http://www.jewellerynetasia.com/en-u...tailer-s-guide

[BAS]

BenzoDubya -- Welcome!

Usually (not always) women tend to enjoy larger pearls as they age. Even for a quite young woman, those pearls are very small.

I'd go for a larger mm and can highly recommend Pearl Paradise and Pearls of Joy, having made many purchases from these vendors. They also have a generous return policy so you can return, if dissatisfied, no questions asked.

Keep us posted -- and we always appreciate neck/ear shots!

Let us know if you have other questions.

[pattye]

We hope you will let us know what you decide!

[Katbran]

And you can get more bang for your buck with some gorgeous AAA Freshwater pearls. If you do a quick read on the difference between Akoya (super sharp luster and thinner nacre) and the AAA Freshwater ( nice sharp lustre and all nacre - no beads .. at least in the ones you will probably be looking at .. ) Personally I'd go for the top of the range Freshwaters and get a bigger size... see how the price compares. Check out the PP site as it has lots of information and both types of pearls. Definitely get them both at the same time and have them matched. You can have photos sent to you before you buy to make sure you are happy and there is a very generous return policy at any of the stores mentioned above. Do please send a photo of what you choose !

[BenzoDubya]

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice, everyone!

Upon inspecting the selections at Pure Pearls and Pearl Paradise, I'm going to pass on the Blue Lagoon pearls. I'm not sure if I'm going get bigger pearls or stay with 7-7.5mm and save some money. But I will let you all know what I decide.

Thanks again! And more suggestions are certainly welcome

Benny W

[Pearl Dreams]

Just a heads-up: Some of the pre-Christmas discounts are ending, some have already ended. The PP discount said Dec. 9 but ended last night, must have been a typo.