Does anybody know if it is possible to buy just one loose hanadama pearl?

[appliey]

Does anybody know if it is possible to buy just one loose hanadama pearl?

 

[jshepherd]

It is possible. A single pearl would have to be submitted to the lab for certification. The certification isn't cheap, so that's why not many do it unless requested. The end result is that a single certified pearl is more expensive than half of a pair.

 

[ennui]

Would you be able to elaborate on the cost involved in getting a single Hanadama GIA certified?

According to the GIA, certification on 1 loose 9mm bead cultured pearl looks to be $60

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 ...

 

[ennui]

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 charging fees by weight would be easier for the GIA.

 

[BWeaves]

Good catch, do you know of a mm to carat weight conversion formula or chart for pearls?

I wonder why the GIA prices pearls by carat weight for instead of mm?
So would $100 be more accurate for a 9mm pearl certificate then?

The GIA prices for a single pearl are probaby by carat weight, because they only get natural pearls to evaluate, and naturals are done by carat weight, not mm size. I think GIA may never had a single cultured pearl sent to them.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think @BWeaves meant that GIA have maybe never had a solitary akoya pearl, i.e. one only, sent for certification.

Edited to add: For context, this was in response to a post that tinyquestion2015 has deleted.

 

[tinyquestion2015]

I think BWeaves meant that GIA have maybe never had a solitary akoya pearl, i.e. one only, sent for certification.

She says “they only get natural pearls to evaluate”. We know that isn’t true

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Single natural pearls -- yes. Undoubtedly many single natural pearls are sent to GIA for certifcation.
She said: "I think GIA may never had a single cultured pearl sent to them." (bolding mine). "Single" as in just one pearl. As in, a person sent in just one cultured pearl for certifcation. And she is saying maybe that hasn't happened.

I think you misundertood the use of "single" here.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Also I don't know the answer to your question, never having researched it. Why don't you ask GIA yourself?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Peace out.

 

[BWeaves]

She says “they only get natural pearls to evaluate”. We know that isn’t true

Yeah, that's not what I meant. The "only" wasn't meant to be in that sentence. My computer adds words to my sentences and I don't notice until later when I realize, "That's not what I typed." Damn you, autocorrect.

My answer was to try to explain why I think GIA charges per carat weight and not per mm for evaluating single pearls. What I meant to say was that it's probably very rare that GIA gets a single, lone cultured pearl for evaluation. I suspect most single pearls sent for evaluation are naturals or suspected to be naturals, and that's why GIA charges the price per carat and not per mm, since naturals are measured in carat weight and cultured are usually measured in mm diameter.