Are these Akoya pearls good value for money?

[cc811]

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum and I would love it if I can get some valuable opinions on a set of Akoya pearl necklace and studs I am thinking of purchasing.

The seller states that these Akoya pearls are of Japan origin and is AA+ quality. The necklace is made up of 6.5-7mm pearls, and the studs are 7-7.5mm. She is selling the necklace and studs together for $341 USD. What do you guys think? Should I get it?

I find that the luster and color to be pretty good. The downside is I can see several of the pearls in the pictures have very visible pin prick blemishes, hence why the lower price I'm thinking.

Of course, I haven't handle nearly as many pearls in my life as many of the professionals on this board have. That's why I'm seeking everyone's help on here. Thanks!

 

[jshepherd]

It is very difficult to tell from the photos because you can't gauge the nacre thickness. That's the most important thing when it comes to akoya pearls. The next most important thing is the luster -- even more so than the surface. You can determine how good the luster is but looking at light circles on the surface. If the light reflection is crisp, the luster is good. If the light reflection starts to turn fuzzy at the edges, the luster is not good.

Has the seller a detailed and defined grading scale? If not, the grade means nothing. Grades are always company specific. In other words, every akoya grading scale differs from every company - every company creates their own system. There is no standard and it is always subjective.

 

[jshepherd]

This is an example of very high luster. The lines of the light reflections are crisp and straight.

 

[cc811]

Well, I found this seller on etsy, she is an individual seller and not a full fledged pearl trading company. I haven't ask her about nacre thickness.
I would love to own a strand of hanadama pearls but my wallet doesn't want to shell out that much...not now at least. I thought about getting higher grade freshwaters, but I do like the sharper luster of akoya pearls. Here is another photo the seller provided.

 

[jshepherd]

The Tahitians really do look nice, but I would not recommend the akoya. They don't look great, and if the seller doesn't have a lot of experience with akoya you might be getting something that will only last a year or so. You're much better off looking at the sellers' freshwater and Tahitians. With those you don't need to be concerned about the nacre thickness.

 

[JerseyPearl]

This is an example of very high luster. The lines of the light reflections are crisp and straight.

Love the clasp on this strand...is this something you usually stock?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

cc811,

Metallic white freshwaters have very high luster. They are not perfectly round, however when worn they look round.

The akoya strand is on the small side, 6.5-7.0mm . Unless you are young and/or petite, you may find them a bit too small for you.

 

[cc811]

thank you all for the replies. i do have concerns about the thinness of akoya nacre and that it probably is not as durable. i just really like the roundness and the sharp luster. i guess a strand of good metallic freshwaters can give me the same effect too.

hopefully she will exchange the akoya set with some tahitians instead!

 

[KarinK]

thank you all for the replies. i do have concerns about the thinness of akoya nacre and that it probably is not as durable. i just really like the roundness and the sharp luster. i guess a strand of good metallic freshwaters can give me the same effect too.

hopefully she will exchange the akoya set with some tahitians instead!

It really depends on what you want. I bought a strand of baroque akoya with pretty overtones, great luster, lots of blemishes and thin nacre for $50. I wanted the look and that's what I could afford at the time. They are to be compared to costume jewelry in my mind. They won't last long but they're kinda fun.

- Karin

 

[jshepherd]

Love the clasp on this strand...is this something you usually stock?

Yep. We call it the gold link clasp.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Yep. We call it the gold link clasp.

Thanks! Appreciate the info.