Help on finding natural loose pearl

[pearlvl1]

Hi everyone,

I have browsed the forum and spoken with different jewelers, and I've started to come to the conclusion that it's either not possible or just extremely hard to find what I'm looking for. I always hear that people on this forum are the best when it comes to pearl information, so I now come to you all for some help.

My girlfriend loves pearls, and she wants that as her engagement ring. I have read many of the forum posts on this topic, and spoken with many jewelers. My gf knows the responsibility and the risk of getting a pearl ring, and she still wants one.

This is what I'm looking for:
Natural saltwater
white
round
7-7.5mm

Is this possible? After speaking with a few jewelers who at first assured me they could find it and actually had them in their store, I quickly realized that they couldn't really find it and never had anything remotely close in their store. It seems that almost every pearl nowadays is cultured. A lot of these jewelers even tell me that it is a natural pearl, it just had an implanted nucleus, but it grew naturally within the mollusk. This statement leads to another question.

Is it now commonplace to describe a cultured pearl as natural? I understand that if you implant a nucleus and let the pearl grow naturally, it technically is natural. It's just very misleading to call a cultured pearl natural.

What I want is a natural pearl unaided by man, just created by nature. Is it possible to find a pearl like this with the statistics that I listed above?

I greatly appreciate any and all help. If you have any questions for me, please let me know.

-pearlvl1

 

[GemGeek]

What you need is a natural pearl dealer. Look at karipearls.com, scroll down the main page and you'll see an assortment, including a ring that could make a nice engagement ring.

Jeremy Norris, "JNorris", a member here, is a highly respected natural pearl dealer. His family has a jewelry store in Montecito, CA. His line of jewelry is called Monili Fine Jewelry and he could custom make a ring to your specs. No one has access to more natural pearls than Jeremy Norris and I'm pretty sure he can find what you want. Try contacting him through the store.
http://www.tresormontecito.com/store/designers/monili.html

Most people who sell pearls in jewelry stores often have no clue about natural pearls. They mean not fake or not dyed in most instances.

 

[pearlescence]

Some of this goes back to my problem with the industry terms natural and cultured. They are being misused and misunderstood both within and outside the pearl/jewellery world.
Time to change to wild and farmed - clear to trade and lay alike.

 

[MSC]

The Pearl Collector has some beautiful pearls! http://www.thepearlcollector.com/

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Is it possible to find a pearl like this with the statistics that I listed above?

Natural pearls are not graded in the same manner as cultured pearls. 7-7.5mm, round and white is a tall order.

One with those specifications is exceedingly rare and prohibitively expensive.

Naturals are sought for their atypical features, not the typical features of cultured pearls.

In all honesty, I'm not sure why anyone would want a premium natural pearl that resembles inexpensive cultured pearls.

 

[pattye]

Perhaps a "rounded" pearl, such as a button shape, would be a better choice, easier to find, more wearable and less expensive. Perhaps the idea is the romanticism of "pure" and that the pearl won't ever wear through to a bead~

 

[MSC]

Perhaps a "rounded" pearl, such as a button shape, would be a better choice, easier to find, more wearable and less expensive. Perhaps the idea is the romanticism of "pure" and that the pearl won't ever wear through to a bead~

Agreed! I personally think a light grey-ish/silvery button pearl set in yellow gold looks beautiful, much better than plain old white. Just MHO

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

A lovely young couple from the UK became engaged while visiting Vancouver Island and sought me out to provide a natural pearl for their ring.

We had a wonderful time, sitting in the sunny park surrounded by pristine mountains and sea, looking at pearls and telling tales of love and adventure. A perfect day.

They were married just last week.

 

[pattye]

Dave, a gorgeous and meaningful ring with one of your amazing translucent natural pearls!

 

[MSC]

beautiful ring!

 

[pearlvl1]

Thank you so much for your responses everyone!

GemGeek - I'll check out Jeremy Norris.

Andrea - Thank you for the site. I will be checking that out.

Wendy - I totally agree. Wild and farmed would make everything so much more clear. Like GemGeek was saying, a lot of the jewelers are saying it's natural because it's naturally grown in the mollusk and there's no dye in the pearl.

Dave and Pattye - I honestly find that point of view very interesting. I don't know much about pearls, so I always assumed the most sought after pearls are the round natural ones. Unfortunately, I know she won't change her mind because she already picked out the setting that she likes. I don't think a button would work with it. She also wants white because it goes best with white gold. I asked about other colors of pearls and she said it either doesn't match white gold or she doesn't like the color.

Thanks again for all of the feedback everyone!

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

She also wants white because it goes best with white gold. I asked about other colors of pearls and she said it either doesn't match white gold or she doesn't like the color.

Precisely. It's her moment and life event.

Contact Jeremy, he'll have a broad selection of species and sizes.

By all means, keeps us posted if you have other questions or make a selection.

I wish you all the best in your future together and applaud your choice to use a truly rare gem to honor the occasion.

 

[MSC]

Please post the photo of the finished ring as well!

 

[LitGeek]

Dave that is such a sweet story and a beautiful ring!

 

[GemGeek]

If the pearl stands out on the ring and is not protected, chances are it will start coming off the post. If it loosens enough, the post may have to be enlarged. Have you thought about getting a great cultured pearl that you can replace after it wears?

 

[GemGeek]

A lovely young couple from the UK became engaged while visiting Vancouver Island and sought me out to provide a natural pearl for their ring.

We had a wonderful time, sitting in the sunny park surrounded by pristine mountains and sea, looking at pearls and telling tales of love and adventure. A perfect day.

They were married just last week.

A lovely ring!

 

[Bodecia]

Hi, I will check what I have but I mine would be half drilled and likely flat bottomed.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.

 

[pearlvl1]

If the pearl stands out on the ring and is not protected, chances are it will start coming off the post. If it loosens enough, the post may have to be enlarged. Have you thought about getting a great cultured pearl that you can replace after it wears?

We did talk about this. We are both fully aware that pearls do scratch and wear away. It's one of our biggest concerns and from what I've read on the forum, a natural saltwater stands the best chance at lasting the longest. I told my gf that if her pearl lasts x amount of years before replacing, I would replace it with another natural. However, locating a natural of that specific size and color has proven to be a much more difficult challenge than I had anticipated. Chances are I'd try and go with a freshwater cultured to replace the original if need be.

Thank you, Dawn. I really appreciate your help.

 

[GemGeek]

There are natural pearls can last for generations. Caitlin has a gulf pearl ring that has withstood something like 60 years with hardly a scratch. It was part of a pair of earrings and now her daughter wears it. Don't give up hope.

 

[Caitlin]

Oh yes. My daughter's ring has a loveframe tha reminds my of an oyster shell and it is kind of protective. I have no idea who designed this, but I love it and think it is a great idea!Maybe time to put it up again and put it in an album.I included a photo with the "feature" apparently a disruption in growth caused it, so it is a natural feature.
Be fun to get thin cumputed with the new technology, huh? There may be other "features"!