Need some assistance choosing a pearl necklace for my wife

[GermanyMatt]

I've been internet shopping over the last few days for a nice, durable, well-priced pearl necklace for my wife. I've been looking in the 8.5-9.5mm range and have some questions for the pros - if you need watch help, I'm your man, but I'm pretty green when it comes to pearls.

First, I want something durable. I would like to purchase a necklace that will stand up to routine wear for the next 30-40 years, and possibly give to our daughter when the time is right. I've read that fresh water are more durable, but I'm wondering if that would be a mistake when considering this an 'heirloom' piece. I have read the reviews of the freshadama, and they do look great; just not sure if salt-water would be a better choice.

I'm looking in the $2000-$3000 range, which is above freshadama pricing, but I do appreciate a good value. I'd like to read some opinions from those who have purchased from this particular line. My price range will also allow me to purchase a AAA graded Akoya necklace at approx 8-8.5mm - is the Hanadama certificate worth the extra cost? If the AAA graded pearls are as good as the Hanadama variety, I'm happy going with the AAA graded.

What size is the best? It seems like 18" is probably right given the size I'm looking at - any opinions in this regard?

My wife does seem to prefer the softer look of the freshadama and even South Sea pearls over the Akoya - she's not a big fan of the glossy look. Are pictures on Pearl Paradise representative of how they will look in person? I did look at South Sea pearls, but I think I'm on the low end of the price range, and I think they might be a bit too large.

Finally, for a long-term purchase, am I better off buying sea pearls over fresh water, or is there really not much difference?

I'm leaning toward the freshadama line because my wife seems to like the look better, but I'm wondering if I should be spending more for sea pearls..

Thanks for the help!

 

[Naria]

Experts can correct me if I'm wrong but you might be best of with either of these two choices if you really want the piece to last 30-40 years: the Freshadama or the Natural White Hanadama.

Akoya's have a bead on the inside that the oyster layers nacre over. What this means is that there is a limited amount of nacre on these pearls. Over the course of years, this can get worn down making akoyas relatively less durable than solid nacre pearls, such as freshwater pearls. Moreover, most akoyas are heavily processed, including bleaching and then pinking. This makes them more porous. Overtime, this can result in the strand yellowing.

Freshwater pearls are a good choice for this length of time since their solid nacre means they won't wear through to the bead as can happen with akoyas. Natural White Hanadama are also a good choice since they are certified as having relatively thick deposits of nacre as well as lacking the color treatments which can produce yellowing.

Personally, I would get the Freshwater since that is the style your wife likes. There is a perception that akoyas convey more status to the wearer, but if your wife doesn't like the highly metallic luster as well buy her the necklace you know she will love. You not only will save some money, you'll be buying pearls which will last longer than those sought by pure status seekers.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Seeing that your wife prefers the softer look of freshwaters, and you want pearls that can be worn regularly without wearing out, but not SS size pearls, I would buy the Freshadamas. May I suggest buying matching earrings and maybe even a bracelet, since your budget permits it? (For optimal matching, it is best to buy them all at the same time.)

She may later develop a taste for pearls of larger size or different color, and maybe you will want to get those for her in the future. There is time for that. Many of us started with one basic strand and our collection grew from there.

I would not worry too much about buying "heirloom" pearls. My daughter will someday inherit all my pearls, but as yet has no real taste for them, and may never! But if she does develop a love for them, I imagine that she will not only be happy to inherit the ones I wore, just because of her associations of the pearls with me, but will probably also want to buy some of her own. And so may your daughter.

Oh-- here is a photo of how my Freshadamas look on me -- these were 7-8mm and silver-rose overtones:
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=10435&d=1222185178

There's enough shine there without being metallic like akoyas. Note that they are not white-white. Take your wife's skin tone into consideration when ordering. You may even ask for photos of a few strands before selecting yours.

 

[pearlescence]

Top quality AAA grade freshwater white pearls are the way to go. They will probably be more durable since at that size they are solid nacre so no worries about depth of nacre. You could probably afford to bump up a size if you wanted to, or get white and strand of multicoloureds like these
If you plump for such pearls you'll have some left over for a decent pair of earrings too!
And if your wife prefers freshwater then it would be illadvised to get anything else, wouldn't it?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Wendy makes a great point-- the multicolored necklaces are so versatile! I wear mine a lot.
That's an especially nice strand there, Wendy.

 

[dkan 168]

I had a double strand of Freshadamas made up of 8-9mm pearls with silver overtone, 24in overall length for the longest strand, and they were gorgeous. I needed to sell the necklace for various reasons last year to another member on Pearl Guide.have

I have planned to replace it with 7-8mm Freshadamas, with a different clasp that I already have, in shorter length so that I can get more wear out of it.

I am opting for smaller pearls as I do not wish the clasp to be dwarfed by 8-9mm pearls. In addition, the price difference between 7-8mm and 8-9mm pearls is significant, especially for a double strand. However, I may change my mind at a later date!

I may well go for lavender Freshadamas instead of white ones with silver overtone, providing they are bluey and not peachy, as orange/peach does not suit my skin tone.

IMHO, Freshadamas are worth every penny, and I am determined to replace my double strand eventually.

For personal preference, I am not keen on a multi-colour strand, as I shan't be able to wear it with a multi-colour top, and most of my tops are multi-colour.

Whatever the OP decides, your wife is one lucky lady!

DK

 

[dkan 168]

OP, your budget should stretch to a decent strand of baroque SSPs, however, if I were you, I would opt for the biggest Freshadamas necklace instead, or a set, like this one: PP Freshadamas 9-9.5mm set, or another type of necklace, like a tin cup (tin cup with Freshadamas is not listed on PP, however, no doubt they can make you one if you ask them), which is less formal and more fun to wear for casual occasions.

DK

 

[GermanyMatt]

Freshadama or AAA rated fresh water? What's the difference?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That was a great suggestion (the 9-9.5mm set)-- it's already a matched set.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

There is no universally recognized grading for pearls, unlike diamonds. For this reason it's a good idea to check out each vendor's page for a description of what their grades mean, before buying.

In general, besides higher luster, higher grades also tend to have fewer surface blemishes and are more nearly round (since they generally have no bead inside, most freshwaters are not perfectly round.) Remember that pearls are made by mussels, not machines, so you can expect the occasional irregularity or blemish in strands, even with high grades.

Here is the page for PP for all their types of pearls: http://www.pearlparadise.com/pearlgrading.html
...and specifically for their freshwaters: http://www.pearlparadise.com/Freshwater-pearl-grading.htm

 

[GermanyMatt]

Thanks, those links are very helpful. Appreciate the help everyone!

I ordered the largest Freshadama pearls they had in stock (9-9.5mm).