Recent content by ennui

Trivia -- I have a souffle pearl that still has the earthen material inside (eBay). If you shake the pearl, you can feel it rolling around a little. So, once the core dries, it's fine. My pearl is half-drilled, no odor.

When you are looking at single pearls, you can ask the vendor for the weight. My guess is a 9 mm Tahitian would be $100 since it's bead nucleated, but you'd need the weight to be sure. I would think that most people requesting GIA review are sending in multiple pearls, strands or bags, so...

The GIA fee schedule I found charges by carat weight, not mm size. It's $60 for a very small pearl, under 3 carats. A larger pearl will weigh more. If I'm reading it correctly ...

Are they drilled? Send them to me. ;) I think they'd look cool simply displayed, like rose petals in dish.

925 Italy would be the chain. What is the length? I have a sneaking suspicion that this is one of Honora's Ming pearl necklaces. Honora's Ming is their brand of Edison. It seems like Honora items often make their way to thrift stores but I don't know why.

Are there any marks on the clasp? It could be a Tahitian, or maybe an Edison ... at worst, it's a shell pearl ...

I think Mikimoto has a collection targeted for men, but I didn't see a link on their website. I'm not invested enough to do a serious search. :)

I happened to see a VIP (Very Important Pearls) section today ... Maybe the section is new since August ... definitely out of my allowance.

I was also going to suggest Kamoka. There's a topic under Pearls in the News, called "men and pearls," with celebrity male pearl sightings. You might get some ideas. It would seem that men and Tahitians are compatible.

Sarah at Kojima seems to like fuchsia for some fun looks. If you don't like it, you can take it apart and make something else.

I wasn't thinking so much about shape; to me, they don't have Akoya luster. But like I said, it's tricky with a photo.

It's tricky to judge from a photo, but I think these are dyed. They're too dark. Are you sure they're Akoya? I have some freshwater pearls similar to these, very round, very blue (and I think mine are dyed).

The pearls will also have great sentimental value and remind you of your grandmother. Enjoy them, they are very pretty.

Btw, I didn't have to boil my pearls for several minutes. I think I did one minute at a time -- let it sit -- check to see if loose -- go for another minute, etc. And please be aware that extreme heat changes will crack many gemstones. I think you can crack an amethyst just by opening the oven...

The emerald necklace is breathtaking. Sadly, most people speculate that the jewelry will be taken apart, the stones removed and the metal melted. It's doubtful that this was an eccentric jewelry thief who plans to wear the items around the house, shades drawn. Aside from that, this needs to be...