Does dyeing pearls lower their value?

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DDar

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I'm getting my girlfriend a birthday present and I wanted to get her Tahitian pearl earrings, however while I love the girl and want her to have a great birthday it's still only one part of a four part gift and we've only been together for a few months. I had a budget of $300 and when I went into the jewlers I asked if they could make me some with small accent diamonds and 14k white gold backings.

The total price of the earrings will be $350 for 7mm pearls (dyed, since apparently Tahitian pearls don't come in anything lower than 9mm). I was assured that the pearls would be near identical to Tahitians, especially to the untrained eye and would be informed if viable dyed pearls were unavailable.

Now, my question is: Are dyed pearls of lesser value than their white counterparts? Does this price seem right? Should I cancel my order? I feel a little dirty getting my girlfriend dyed pearls instead of the real thing. I don't know why...
 
Yes, I would cancel the order and look around online before you decide what to do. There is a huge difference in quality between dyed freshwater pearls and real Tahitian pearls. 9mm Tahitian pearls make great dangle earrings - much easier to wear when you need to talk on the phone at work. Actually, it's not hard to find 8mm Tahitian pearl earrings. I'll let more people comment. :)

Examples:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/Darling-Drop-Tahitian-Pearl-and-Diamond-Earrings4809.aspx
http://www.pearlparadise.com/8090-mm-AAA-Tahitian-Pearl-Stud-Earrings476.aspx
 
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GemGeek said:
Yes, I would cancel the order and look around online before you decide what to do. There is a huge difference in quality between dyed freshwater pearls and real Tahitian pearls. 9mm Tahitian pearls make great dangle earrings - much easier to wear when you need to talk on the phone at work. Actually, it's not hard to find 8mm Tahitian pearl earrings. I'll let more people comment. :)

Examples:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/Darling-Drop-Tahitian-Pearl-and-Diamond-Earrings4809.aspx
http://www.pearlparadise.com/8090-mm-AAA-Tahitian-Pearl-Stud-Earrings476.aspx
Click to expand...

Oh dear, I was afraid of that... Well, I don't really have enough time to order some pearls online as her Birthday is on Thursday, and if they're not quite up to expectation I don't really have time to return them is they're not up to parr...
(I'm not entirely confident in ordering jewelry online to be honest. Even from Amazon.)

I'll give the jewler a call and ask to make the 1 mm upgrade so that I can get the Tahitians, should that bump up the price too much?

Also, I was originally in the market for dangle earrings, but it was pointed out to me by one of the women working at one of the jewlers I visited that dangle earrings can be pretty particular for each person as they won't always fall right on everyone's ears. Since this is a surprise gift I need it to be sure-fire, you know?
 
Dyed freshwaters are really inexpensive, so if you have the earrings made with them, the pearls themselves will be the least valuable part of the earrings. Somehow I don't think that is what you were aiming at with your pearl gift. I gather you wanted the pearls themselves to be special.

Consider baroque or drop shaped Tahitian earrings-- these shapes are less costly than round but can have wonderful colors.

Here is one pair with a diamond: (edit: whoops, same one GemGeek posted! Great minds work alike :p )
http://www.pearlparadise.com/Darling-Drop-Tahitian-Pearl-and-Diamond-Earrings4809.aspx
 
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As a woman, I'm going to give you my personal advice on earring type. If the earring is a post earring and the post is attached at the diamond, they are not going to sit well on the ear - they will look like they are hanging off the edge. Make sure the post is centered on the pearl if you get that type.

I don't agree about the variability of dangle earrings, unless you are looking at longer types. I think dangle earrings suit a wider range of tastes and are easier to wear. Studs tend to work their way off the posts over time as you use the telephone and you can lose a pearl.

Dyed freshwater pearls are worth a tiny fraction of Tahitian pearls, but I expect the store won't charge a lot more to go for the real thing, because they were overcharging for the cheaper pearls. I hope this doesn't sound nasty - I'm just trying to be direct. Baroque or drop-shaped Tahitians will be less expensive than rounds and can be a lot of fun.
 
Blaire is right! Just clicked on the link she and PD posted and almost drooled on my keyboard. Tahitian drops with diamonds on French wires..... can not get any more lovely and versatile
:)
 
Two dyed 7mm freshwaters for $350 is a huge rip-off. I strongly suggest you cancel the order. Go with the links above, or keep researching. If it interests you, keep looking through Pearl-Guide. It will open the pearl world up for you. Good luck. Your new girlfriend is lucky to have someone who is thoughtful and doing their research! BTW, why Tahitians specifically? There are so many lovely choices for far less, even in dangle with diamonds.
 
There are lots of other reputable, and even wonderful, companies that sell great pearls online, but PP comes to mind first because you are in a hurry and it's a place that a lot of us have purchased from with success. You can call them and ask them to email you a photo of the actual pair of earrings you will receive and they can Fed-Ex it to you. She will love those Tahitian drop dangles - they're hot!

Or tell her what you want to get for her birthday, then tell her she has a choice. That would buy you some time to look at other alternatives. We would be happy to post suggestions from many sources we trust that meet your guidelines. You can purchase online with confidence when you have a community here to help you. :)

The pressure of a deadline - I feel your stress! ;)
 
Consider that if your girlfriend ends up loving pearls then in the long run she's probably not going to want to wear the dyed ones. Do check out the suggested links. You can also safely go to any of the vendor links at the bottom of people posts. This company also comes recommended: http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/tahitian_pearl_earrings.htm. Personally I would rather have a pair of great looking pearls without diamonds - but then I hang out at PG :)

- Karin
 
100% , get the real Tahitians, hands down. Lucky girl!
 
I absolutely LOVE those silver drop dangles with the diamonds and french wires from PP! Definitely get real tahitians.
 
On the other part of your post - You're correct - typically finer pearls aren't the ones chosen for dyeing. The nicer pearls don't need the enhancement. Dyeing is done to enhance lesser pearls, and to fulfill the consumers' desire for colors that aren't normally found in nature.
 
KarinK said:
Consider that if your girlfriend ends up loving pearls then in the long run she's probably not going to want to wear the dyed ones. Do check out the suggested links. You can also safely go to any of the vendor links at the bottom of people posts. This company also comes recommended: http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/tahitian_pearl_earrings.htm. Personally I would rather have a pair of great looking pearls without diamonds - but then I hang out at PG :)

- Karin
Click to expand...
She's super into gems, and the diamonds at this jeweler are the most stunning things I've ever seen. They sparkle with a fire I've never seen in any other diamonds. Apparently the cut is unique to that specific store as the owner holds the patent for it. While the pearls will most definitely be the focus of these pieces I have no doubt in my mind the diamonds will enhance them!


Anyways, I called the place and asked that the pearls on the earrings be replaced with Tahitians. They quoted me at a little under $600 (which is very fair price I believe. The similar earrings I found on Pearl Paradise were $75 more, so it seems to all check out!) and said they'll most probably be ready by the end of the day. I asked for AAA pearls and asked that they be appraised/certified, which they consented to. I'll post a picture when I get them!
 
KarinK said:
Consider that if your girlfriend ends up loving pearls then in the long run she's probably not going to want to wear the dyed ones. Do check out the suggested links. You can also safely go to any of the vendor links at the bottom of people posts. This company also comes recommended: http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/tahitian_pearl_earrings.htm. Personally I would rather have a pair of great looking pearls without diamonds - but then I hang out at PG :)

- Karin
Click to expand...
She's super into gems, and the diamonds at this jeweler are the most stunning things I've ever seen. They sparkle with a fire I've never seen in any other diamonds. Apparently the cut is unique to that specific store as the owner holds the patent for it. While the pearls will most definitely be the focus of these pieces I have no doubt in my mind the diamonds will enhance them!


Anyways, I called the place and asked that the pearls on the earrings be replaced with Tahitians. They quoted me at a little under $600 (which is very fair price I believe. The similar earrings I found on Pearl Paradise were $75 more, so it seems to all check out!) and said they'll most probably be ready by the end of the day. I asked for AAA pearls and asked that they be appraised/certified, which they consented to. I'll post a picture when I get them!
 
Congratulations on getting a great pair of earrings that she is sure to love. :)
 
Large photo:
http://i.imgur.com/vsdslG2.jpg

RfCVHS7.jpg


Just picked them up! What do you guys think? The total ended up being $560 before tax!
 
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They look beautiful and I agree that the small diamonds enhance the earrings. I don't usually think very small diamonds are "worth it" (I'd rather put the $$ into better pearls) -- but these are indeed sparkly and a great enhancement. Pretty nice gift for a new girlfriend. And the first of 4 gifts, you say...?! Hmmm, maybe I should "enhance" my husband with a boyfriend...! My birthday is around the corner!
 
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