Whats your favorite SS pearl color?

[Casey.R]

I've seen deep gold, pale gold ( also called champagne), white and silvery blue.
I really like the look of the silver blue although I've only seen them in photos ( are they more unusual than the other colors?). The white and champagne seem like they would go with anything. I think the deep gold is my least favorite even though it's very popular.

 

[Valeria101]

Silver perhaps... cream seems the quintessential pearl color. Don't care very much: they are all so freakin' beautiful! It is that crazy semi-transparency of pearl nacre that makes pearls look like a unique state of matter, not quite solid, not quite like anything else. I find MOP fascinating as a material, so you can imagine pearls are at a whole different level of emotion

If there was a pearl that could hide on a sheet of fine gold, I'd stop in my tracks to love it. Every time I was shown exceptional 'golden' pearls, I was told there is some mythical better somewhere. And judging from the prices paid for golden pearls, there should be!

[does this sound obesse? well...]

 

[xeresana]

Deep gold! I love wearing 22k and that color reminds me of it.

 

[Pearlgully]

As long as the color is natural, the deep rich golden SS pearls are by far, my favorite.


Gail

 

[Raisondetre]

Why the difference between natural and dyed? Obviously it's worth less if it's dyed and there's the disclosure issue, but if it's the exact same color such that your eye can't tell, why should it make a difference?

I personally like a champagne with rose overtones, but I have seen deep golden ones that look almost like liquid yellow gold. I dislike the ones with orange overtones though.

 

[Nicole]

Raisondetre--

I can appreciate your point that if a pearl is dyed and the color looks exactly the same as a natural color, isn't it just as beautiful? One reason that it might matter to someone is the fact that some dyes fade, and often they fade in a splotchy, uneven way. And I assume that dyed SS pearls would be less expensive than natural color, but still pretty expensive, so you wouldn't want something like that to be ruined over time. And anyway, you can buy glass pearls and shell pearls that are really pretty, but I think a lot of people appreciate the fact that real pearls are (to a certain extent) a product of nature. And the same goes for natural colors. The fact that nature produces gold, peach, lavender, silver, blue, green, and in all shades, is really awesome.

I've never actually seen any SS pearls in person, so I can't pick a favorite color from experience. But from pictures, I like the sort of medium gold goldens. I was going to say that I like the light greens that you see on some Nancy Pelosi- style necklaces, but those I'm pretty sure are Tahitians. I didn't realize that proper South Sea pearls (from Pinctada maxima oyster) came in silvery blue. I thought just white and gold! So then I saw this picture:

On this website, and now I have a new favorite SS color. PINK!

Nicole

 

[Pearly-Pearly]

I bought a loose baroque SS from carolyn ehret on ebay, and the color is this fabulous white with a little silvery platinumy satin-like quality to it. I adore it. I am actually not a fan of the goldens, although I prefer light golden to dark. But I wouldn't turn my nose up at any shade Pink SS? Yum.

 

[Valeria101]

Why the difference between natural and dyed?

I am not sure whether a perfect fake exits... Assuming it existed, would it still be as attractive if there wasn't a fabulous, rare and much more valuable thing it related to?


Now, it seems that the dyed ones resemble lower quality, duller unenhanced naturals to begin with. And high quality pearls are not enhanced. In strands the difference shows most, as the treated are simply too matched - in color and overtone and everything.

I cannot say I can tell color treatments every time. Maybe not even most of the time - I've never tried a blind test, LOL!. That should be fun

 

[youngster]

I don't particularly care for the goldens (for me, as I don't like them with my skin tone). I prefer the white with silvery overtone.

 

[GemGeek]

I am not sure whether a perfect fake exits... Assuming it existed, would it still be as attractive if there wasn't a fabulous, rare and much more valuable thing it related to?

Well, last summer, on my flight back from Italy, I purchased a nice duty-free set of fake pearls because they were pretty and because I didn't have any fake pearls for my collection.

You'd think I could wear them and enjoy them as fakes, but everyone assumes that anything I wear is real. They ooh and ahh over them and it's too embarassing to tell them they're fake. It takes the fun out of it!

 

[SteveM]

If there was a pearl that could hide on a sheet of fine gold, I'd stop in my tracks to love it. Every time I was shown exceptional 'golden' pearls, I was told there is some mythical better somewhere. And judging from the prices paid for golden pearls, there should be![/I]

Valeria, I know you were thinking of these 16mm buttons, which I have subsequently viewed in person, as finished studs. The valuation is through the roof, but I must admit my appreciation is growing, if not my pocketbook.

Steve

 

[Valeria101]

Valeria, I know you were thinking of these 16mm buttons

Sure have remembered those, although I haven't seen them. Pictures always leave something to the imagination when it comes to color...

 

[SteveM]

Pictures always leave something to the imagination when it comes to color...

The buttons actually made it to Seattle and were shown at a 'pearl luncheon' that took place at Seattle's Rainier Club last June. The color was every bit as intense as depicted in the image!

 

[Casey.R]

I've decided I really like the goldens in the form of keishis
These are so pretty I can't stand it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/EXQUISITE-22K-S...-EARRINGS_W0QQitemZ110185693134QQcmdZViewItem

 

[GemGeek]

I've decided I really like the goldens in the form of keishis
These are so pretty I can't stand it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/EXQUISITE-22K-S...-EARRINGS_W0QQitemZ110185693134QQcmdZViewItem

They would go well with my current daydream...
http://cgi.ebay.com/EXQUISITE-22K-S...ryZ43084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Valeria101]

Speaking of keshi... how about these roundish ones?

The same seller has smaller samples of loose SS keshi in the traditional flaky shapes.

I am definitely intrigued by the dark gold of hat they present as Indonesian pearls.

Just notes at this point; might ask for stud earrings in the near futue, but what I have in mind is not likely to just apear out of the blue.

 

[SteveM]

The same seller has smaller samples of loose SS keshi

Agustus has wonderful things, many thanks for the post. Even freeform paua abalone pearls at pricing that looks remarkably close to source (US$150/$200/ct)!

As I was seriously considering the necklace on the right below prior to your post, a comparison with Agustus' fabulous piece on the left was very helpful. Both are gorgeous, but I did opt to purchase the right hand piece as a more pure statement of the pearls themselves. Price was also a factor, as Carolyn Ehret/DruzyDesign pricing is remarkably fair (in fact, if she didn't have such a good reputation among Pearl-Guide members it would give cause to wonder). Carolyn explained that these keshi are from a small Australian farmer with whom she has been dealing directly for a number of years, these particular pearls having been in her collection for three years.

This necklace serves as our first SS piece, and we will not be subsequently searching for cultured rounds. SS in white may normally be considered flat relative to gold (witness the ire of Pearl-Guide moderators upon being reminded of Paspaley's VERY liberal definition of 'orient' on the Paspaley website). White SS keshi would seem to offer the best of all worlds, as evidenced by both of these pieces.

 

[pattye]

Hi again Steve,

A lovely choice, although I have admired both strands, I am certain you will be most pleased. Carolyn Ehret is a member of this forum, and although she has not posted for some time, she is very aware of the conversations here!! I am looking forward to meeting her for the first time at the Tucson Gem Show, as well as many of our other Esteemed Forum Members.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

p.s. My favorite SS pearls are any that are large and dripping in nacre! Like my platinum blue baroques!

 

[knotty panda]

Well, last summer, on my flight back from Italy, I purchased a nice duty-free set of fake pearls because they were pretty and because I didn't have any fake pearls for my collection.
View attachment 2490

Blaire: I love your fakes! Glass or shell? Just curious.

Anyway, down to my question. I know Tahitians can be white, but can SSPs be black and still highly graded on whatever scale SSPs are graded on? Thanks!

 

[barbie biggs]

Anything silver with lots of orient!

barbie