Earring quality Hanadama

[Ishta]

I am new to Pearl Guide and am a bit confused about what has been referred to as 'earring quality' strands of Akoya pearls. My Hanadama set ratings on nacre gives a 0.4 rating on the earrings and 0.55 on the necklace! The 0.4 on the earrings is the lowest rating given on a Hanadama pearl. Should the earrings not have a higher rating than the necklace?

 

[pearlescence]

Welcome to the forum
No - these figures relate to depth of nacre, not quality. You don't need as much nacre for earrings as you do for a necklace (less wearing away)
earring quality is just a quick way of describing very good quality pearls, the sort you would usually set in earrings rather than an necklace where slightly lower quality can be acceptable

 

[Ishta]

Welcome to the forum
No - these figures relate to depth of nacre, not quality. You don't need as much nacre for earrings as you do for a necklace (less wearing away)
earring quality is just a quick way of describing very good quality pearls, the sort you would usually set in earrings rather than an necklace where slightly lower quality can be acceptable

Thanks pearlescence, I was confused about the nacre rating as all other aspects of the PSL rated the strand and earrings the same! The Teri Analysis and imperfection of surface received the same rating. The only difference was the nacre thickness where the necklace received a higher rating! Would this not then make the strand pearls, all else being equal, superior to the earring pearls?

 

[pearlescence]

Yes and no is the answer to that. Yes they have thicker nacre, but no they are no better because each is suited to its use.

 

[Caitlin]

If I can attempt to quickly sum up the hanadama thing: With akoyas, enough thickness of nacre to last a few years has become an issue. Hanadama grade means the nacre is a guaranteed thickness because it has been measured. Most akoyas are not measured for thickness of nacre and thus the buyer is vulnerable to people to would sell akoyas of such thin nacre that the mother of pearl bead inside can be seen through the nacre. The lower the price of an akoya, the more likely it is thin-skinned. The only bargains one will find in thick skinned akoyas will be finds in thrift shops which are rare and in vintage akoya necklaces, both of which require intense shopping.

So, with akoyas the seller is the most important thing (unless you have been a member here for years and learned all the good tips and are willing to shop, shop, shop and willing to pay the price of learning, LOL!). Sellers, such as the owners of this forum and many of its seller-members, know good pearls and can be depended on to get good quality, exactly as graded, from dealers they can trust. Even so, that hanadama grade is proof positive that the nacre is thick.

So knowledgeable people pick out some of their own inventory that is already the best AAA luster, shape, and surface and send it for hanadama certification. An akoya necklace does not get better than that.

It is possible to send a thick skinned necklace with lower AA grade luster and at least one non-member site has sold these, but the outfits from here that go to that trouble, save it for the best of the AAA luster.

I would not worry about the difference in thickness, as long as the minimum is met, though we really do not have the evidence that even .5 nacre lasts for centuries, yet, but we do know it will last at least one lifetime of wear

 

[GemGeek]

Hanadama strands also have to meet a high measurement of surface quality, and luster quality. So if someone's AA pearls would pass, they have a super-high quality grading system.

 

[pearlescence]

One of the reasons, Caitlin et al, why I haven't sold akoya up to now is because a few years ago I got caught with some strands of blinkers and learned the lesson to avoid akoya: They were thrown away. An exepnsive mistake.
I've just last month at HK dipped a toe back in with the natural colour strands on the website, but I did have Betty Sue King right next to me while I selected them! (and a recommend from Jeremy as to which stall/company to check out#reassuring.
I also figure that other sellers can do great white akoya so I'll stick to the unusuals

 

[Ishta]

If I can attempt to quickly sum up the hanadama thing: With akoyas, enough thickness of nacre to last a few years has become an issue. Hanadama grade means the nacre is a guaranteed thickness because it has been measured. Most akoyas are not measured for thickness of nacre and thus the buyer is vulnerable to people to would sell akoyas of such thin nacre that the mother of pearl bead inside can be seen through the nacre. The lower the price of an akoya, the more likely it is thin-skinned. The only bargains one will find in thick skinned akoyas will be finds in thrift shops which are rare and in vintage akoya necklaces, both of which require intense shopping.

So, with akoyas the seller is the most important thing (unless you have been a member here for years and learned all the good tips and are willing to shop, shop, shop and willing to pay the price of learning, LOL!). Sellers, such as the owners of this forum and many of its seller-members, know good pearls and can be depended on to get good quality, exactly as graded, from dealers they can trust. Even so, that hanadama grade is proof positive that the nacre is thick.

So knowledgeable people pick out some of their own inventory that is already the best AAA luster, shape, and surface and send it for hanadama certification. An akoya necklace does not get better than that.

It is possible to send a thick skinned necklace with lower AA grade luster and at least one non-member site has sold these, but the outfits from here that go to that trouble, save it for the best of the AAA luster.

I would not worry about the difference in thickness, as long as the minimum is met, though we really do not have the evidence that even .5 nacre lasts for centuries, yet, but we do know it will last at least one lifetime of wear

Hi Caitlin, and thank you so much for the very helpful summary! I am new to pearls and reading all I can on this fascinating gem. I agree that you must trust the seller, and in my case I feel 'Pearl Paradise' was a very good vendor for me to purchase my Hanadamas from. There was so much positive feedback about that company around the internet!

Some sellers seem to use different grading systems, AAA ect., and don't mention Hanadama, so for a newbie it can be confusing. One companies AA level of grading is equal to anothers AAA if I am reading correctly?

I am hoping my 'Natural White' Hanadama set will last me a lifetime!

Considering I am not a 'spring chick' there is a good chance they will.

 

[Ishta]

Hanadama strands also have to meet a high measurement of surface quality, and luster quality. So if someone's AA pearls would pass, they have a super-high quality grading system.

Hi GemGeek, this is what is so confusing to me. Are the grading systems not standard for pearls? I thought I had a bit of a handle on it and then visited the Mikimoto site and am lost again.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Grading systems are not standard for pearls, no. Each vendor can post what they mean by the grades they use. Some even use a AAAA system, but A-AAA is most common.

Still, one seller's AAA may be another seller's AA+ or AA (or lower, if you look at how some Chinese sellers are describing their pearls on eBay.)

 

[BAS]

Caitlin -- that was a great summary!

 

[Caitlin]

I state things a bit sloppily sometimes. Gemgeek is being very precise.

I was actually referring to claims a non-member made a few years ago who said he had had AA strands certified as hanadama and therefore hanadama was a meaningless term. Whatever. Maybe he did or didn't do that.

What we know is Pearl Paradise and other reputable sellers will only take their best quality strands for certification. Also, their grading systems are consistent enough that a buyer can understand and trust the grades. So a hanadama cert is the cherry on a well picked, AAA top quality akoya pearl piece. The proof of the pudding.

It is also true that Pearl Paradise will pick you out a strand of that quality if you don't need the cert, because not all hanadama quality strands are sent to be certified. And that is something you might only find out on this forum, LOL!

 

[Ishta]

I state things a bit sloppily sometimes. Gemgeek is being very precise.

I was actually referring to claims a non-member made a few years ago who said he had had AA strands certified as hanadama and therefore hanadama was a meaningless term. Whatever. Maybe he did or didn't do that.

What we know is Pearl Paradise and other reputable sellers will only take their best quality strands for certification. Also, their grading systems are consistent enough that a buyer can understand and trust the grades. So a hanadama cert is the cherry on a well picked, AAA top quality akoya pearl piece. The proof of the pudding.

It is also true that Pearl Paradise will pick you out a strand of that quality if you don't need the cert, because not all hanadama quality strands are sent to be certified. And that is something you might only find out on this forum, LOL!

How THAT would have been nice to know! Kind of like having the cert's though!

 

[Ishta]

I am concerned about where to have my Hanadama natural white pearls restrung when they need it! Does anyone know if you can send them back to PP for this service!

Thanks

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Yes, PP offers stringing/restringing service for items they sold ($20) as well as for items thy didn't sell ($40). Link:

http://www.pearlparadise.com/catalogsearch.aspx?Keywords=restringing&page=1

 

[Ishta]

Yes, PP offers stringing/restringing service for items they sold ($20) as well as for items thy didn't sell ($40). Link:

http://www.pearlparadise.com/catalogsearch.aspx?Keywords=restringing&page=1

Thanks Pearl Dreams, that is good to know! I was a bit surprised to find out they had to be done as frequently as once a year if you wore them a lot!

 

[BAS]

I think that really depends on how careful you are with your pearls, and how often you wear them. I have actually never had a necklace restrung. But I rotate through a LOT of pearl necklaces and I am very careful with my pearls... I only have one triple strand that my husband bought in Hong Kong that needs restringing. It was only knotted between the final three pearls on each end of each strand, and the silk has stretched.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Before freshwaters made pearls so much more affordable, I suspect most women owned fewer pearls. Probably many women only owned one akoya strand. Such a necklace would be worn more often and so would need to be restrung more often.

With regular use, after a year the silk might fray or stretch. Silk readily picks up oils and dirt so then the knots turn grayish. Gaps might form between the pearls as the knots stretch out. All these are indicators that it's time to restring.

A number of us have taught ourselves to string and knot pearls so we can take care of the task ourselves, saving money in the process and avoiding downtime while the pearls are out for repair. Knowing how to knot also allows you to buy loose pearls and make your own strands. It only requires a few basic tools and thread is cheap.

 

[Ishta]

I think that really depends on how careful you are with your pearls, and how often you wear them. I have actually never had a necklace restrung. But I rotate through a LOT of pearl necklaces and I am very careful with my pearls... I only have one triple strand that my husband bought in Hong Kong that needs restringing. It was only knotted between the final three pearls on each end of each strand, and the silk has stretched.

Hi BAS, I plan on being very careful with my pearls but also intend to wear them as often as I can. I am not in the least bit interested in wearing them a few times a year for formal occasions! I have heard that in Japan they don't knot between each pearl. It seems to me the knotting would prevent stretching! Anyway I don't know of any jeweler around me that I would trust the restringing to!

It must be a lost leader for PP do do such a labour intensive job for $20.00! I was expecting to pay a lot more!

I have even been looking at youtube videos to learn how to do them myself! I don't really like the idea of sending my babies away.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you have your pearls restrung locally you would likely have to pay a lot more. I was quoted $66 for an 18 inch necklace.
That's when I decided to learn to do it myself.

Knotting serves 3 main functions--

1. It protects the pearls from rubbing against one another (they are soft and could scratch each other)
2. It prevents the pearls all scattering/getting lost if the thread breaks.
3. It gives the necklace flexibility.

But knotting doesn't stop the silk from stretching.

What is helpful is using threads that don't stretch. We have found Power Pro (Spectra) doesn't stretch and makes a good stringing thread. It comes in various thicknesses. It's actually sold as fishing line, so getting it wet won't harm it either! Disadvantages: it comes in only white or moss green (dark green, which can be used for black pearls.)

Lately I've also been experimenting with a strong polyester thread that one of our members, Pattye, is selling in her Etsy shop. She calls it Pattye's Serafil thread. It comes in one thickness only (the most commonly used size, equivalent to 20 lb. test Power Pro) but the big advantage is that it comes in many colors. I have not used it long enough to comment on durability.

I have a knotting tutorial stickied on the Lowly Beaders Club. It really isn't hard-- all you need is motivation and practice!