Hanadama pearl grading and pricing

[jallen65]

Hello,

I am looking forward to buy natural white hanadama Akoya pearl necklace. I compared two strands of 18 inch length and 7.5-8.0 diameter from two online retailers recommended by this forum. I saw a major price difference($2900 vs $3700)between the two retailers for similar spec strand. I read somewhere on this forum this is because the cheaper strand could be on the lower end grade of the hanadama certificate from the PSL of Japan. I would like to get a better understanding of what to look for in the certificate or ask the retailer in order to get the higher end/better quality certified hanadama pearls. This is for my fiancé’s first birthday since we got engaged so was looking forward to give her as a gift

 

[CortezPearls]

Hi there jallen65 I would say this: the certificates are basically identical. So, this would not help much, in my opinion.
Now, most (if not 100%) of the best online sellers offer a full money back guarantee if not completely satisfied.
I would purchase the two strands, compare directly and return the unselected one.
You may find there is no difference or not noticeable to you between the two, except perhaps in the clasp...or there could be a major difference.
But if it is possible for you to get both, considering you will return one, this is what I would do.
Nothing beats doing a side-by-side comparisson.

 

[jallen65]

Thank you, that was quite helpful. I am going to order both now and compare