Need advices on an undecided Mabe pearl purchase

LorenLL

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Oct 26, 2024
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Hello all, I am new to buying/collecting pearls and I would like to ask for your help and advice on purchasing Mabe pearls.

Recently I stumbled upon some very high quality Mabe pearls made from Mabe-gai (P. penguin). They have the purest cornflower blue or white, high dome with flawless mirror-like surface, and vibrant, colourful iridescence resembling rainbow or aurora. According to the shop owner, such high quality Mabe pearls are very rare nowadays, especially the white ones.

Those pearls are certainly a thing of beauty, but I am torn about actually buying one. On one hand I collect pearls for fun (nowhere near professional or wealthy enough to start a serious collection though) and my brain is nagging me not to pass up on such excellent pieces; on the other hand my gut feeling tells me they are not unique/"exciting" enough (ngl they look almost like fake half-pearls with iridescent electroplating, although considering that the shop also sell various types of high quality real pearls, I doubt they would sell fake Mabes), and I would probably end up with a piece that gives me a vague, mind-boggled feel instead of joy.

Funnily enough, I find lower quality Mabes, like those with ripple-like sub-surface lustre and pale silvery-blue colour, more attractive; their imperfect surface breaks up the iridescence into irregular waves not unlike the "fire" in a piece of opal, and the pale colour makes the iridescence stands out (in addition, they don't look as dark when worn as a pendant or earrings).

Could you give some advice on this matter? The brain and the gut, which organ should I trust? Or do I just didn't know the beauty of good Mabe-gai Mabe pearls? (I used to be like this for golden South Sea, until I saw how gold-like good ones are...and now I am chasing "the one true gold"😂)
 
I believe -truly- that what we like is something unique to each. Someone may tell you that one kind of item is magnificent (and it may be, from a technical viewpoint) but one may find something different to be more exciting.
Meaning: are you beer or wine? Dog or cat? beach or mountain? It's all personal preference.
I would get a Mabe pearl that catches my fancy over any other technical aspect, unless what I want to do is have them for comparison purpose or "archival" of what the top notch and lower grade pearls of a given variety looks like.
 
I believe -truly- that what we like is something unique to each. Someone may tell you that one kind of item is magnificent (and it may be, from a technical viewpoint) but one may find something different to be more exciting.
Meaning: are you beer or wine? Dog or cat? beach or mountain? It's all personal preference.
I would get a Mabe pearl that catches my fancy over any other technical aspect, unless what I want to do is have them for comparison purpose or "archival" of what the top notch and lower grade pearls of a given variety looks like.
Thankyou, this is a great advice! I buy jewellery, gemstones etc. mostly because they are pretty, but sometimes forget that aspect and instead buying for the sake of collection, even if the item doesn't spark my interest. Now I end up with a drawer full of stuff that I rarely look at, and really need someone to remind me about the joy of collecting things.
 
Never trust your brain :) It knows only logic but logic doesn't bring you joy. I lost count many years ago of the number of times I've bought something because my brain was telling me it was a really good price - for something I didn't really need or want. If information about the quality or a discount is what makes us decide I claim that you should not buy. Pearls have poor resale value so you are buying for you - not as an investment. I'm with you on the mabe, by the way. If they are too perfect I feel they look fake.
 
Never trust your brain :) It knows only logic but logic doesn't bring you joy. I lost count many years ago of the number of times I've bought something because my brain was telling me it was a really good price - for something I didn't really need or want. If information about the quality or a discount is what makes us decide I claim that you should not buy. Pearls have poor resale value so you are buying for you - not as an investment. I'm with you on the mabe, by the way. If they are too perfect I feel they look fake.
I wholeheartedly agree. In my case it is buying for collection's sake - I've lost count of how many times my brain tells me I should buy something because it is a typical/exceptional/rare/unusual/etc. specimen, or just to complete a collection, which in many cases prove to be a mistake, sometimes an expensive one. Guess that I should trust my instinct more!
 
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