Out of curiosity.....

[Susan]

.....can you tell me what I have bought.

I live in the UK and from all my searches my impression is that we have yet to wake up to the possibility of 10mm round freshwater pearls. The only retailer I can find who sells any thing close to freshadama is www.absolutepearls.co.uk.

But I jump ahead. I have owned only my Grandmaother imitation 100m (long) pearls and worn them happily with my Marks and Spencers studs for years. Then came satillite TV. The British middle classes have finally succumbed and the joys of cartoon network are now the staple viewing of my children ever second I am not watching them. I confess the world of QVCUK.com held me tranfixed for many months. In their defence and mine they are slightly more upmarket than their parent company in the US.

Anyway I digress.

The point is they have a brand in UK the US do not - 'Gems of the Orient' and I bought their long string of freshwater pearls to wear instead of the imitation pearls and to compare them. I was so bitten with these basic pearls that I then bought a mixed colour strand of off round pearls 9-10mm freshwater pearls which, no matter what, I love. Paid around $150. Tell me what I have bought before I buy the pink and mocha strand? Please stop me.

I'm not looking for akoya, in the UK they are worn with your crisp white shirt under your cashmere jumper, jeans and you ballet pumps to take Guy and Lucinda to prep school in the Range Rover (up market SUV) and have minimum use in a womens wardrode. They also smack of your grandmathers pearls. So it may be vulgar but I think, no I know, I am lusting after large round freshwater pearls in all the colours and all the styles.

Gosh what a ramble. I know I need to buy freshadamas but I wondered what the difference is in what I bought for $150 to the $2300 honora 10mm pearls (item number J102633) on your own qvc.com? Why the enormous price gap? Have they simply added one nought too many by mistake? URL="http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?class=2168&cm_re=PAGE-_-PROMOTIONS-_-1:HONORA&qic=y"]http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?class=2168&cm_re=PAGE-_-PROMOTIONS-_-1:HONORA&qic=y [/URL] Are mine potato or off round? They have no rings and just the odd small spot on just two of the mocha pearls? They are not natural coulours surely? They money is the price of experience and minimal but now I'm hooked and curious.

They are item number 673103 on www.qvcuk.com

Hope this isn't too trivial a question and thank you in advance for your advice.
Caitlin - love you.

Susan
www.soaparoundthecorner.co.uk

 

[pearltime]

Hi Susan, The mocha strand is potato . Honora sells them on QVC with a SS clasp for about $70.00 here in the U.S. .

Karen

 

[Susan]

Thank you Karen
I'll see if I can find to compare. This is multi coloured by "Pearls of the Orient" with 14K clasp.

Susan

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Susan
Love you too! Welcome to your ramblings anytime...I would call the pearls on qvcuk's front page "button" pearls myself- And I do like that shape and their colors. I don't know anything about Honora pearls, either, except I do think those button pearls are pretty. They are shiny and have nice skins.

the item 673103 ......I would call those pearls "potato", though they are really quite round to the eye, so I might call them "off round" too and reserve "potato" for pearls with less smoothness to the shape, but there is no official rule about it.

Honora seems to be carving out a niche for pearls that go to work. They are getting recognition for their brand name, and that helps secure their value- a little, so far. I think their prices are quite reasonable compared to the big "Mystique" laden department store prices like Nordstroms, not to mention the biggies in Dallas and NYC who charge obscene prices for cheaper quality pearls than these.

As for the 10mm for $2,300- That is going too far for me. These are crossing the line from working jewelry to taking a large cash investment from a working woman. At this point I would return to an online dealer who just deals the straight goods, like one of the guys on this site. That is where you will get 10mm for far less than qvc. Jeremy has that size in AAA for $429! Your choice of color or multicolor. If I were to spend $2,300 at PP- I expect to get far more for the money that from qvc. Like a lengthy Freshadama!

Item J102633 at usa qvc is described as "semi-round!!!!!!!!!!~! For that price I would expect round, round ROUND! Send your money to Jeremy, lass, or better yet, buy a plane ticket to LA and buy a AA 9-10mm from Jeremy for $429 for the same $2,300!


Glad you are hooked on Pearls, now spend wisely!

 

[Susan]

So to sum up. My virtually clean potato or possibly off round 9-10mm dyed multi, green white and mocha, 45mm pearl strand from 'Pearls of the Orient' (from QVCUK item 673103) with their little 14k clasp - not too bad a mistake for a $150 impulse buy, could have been a lot worse.
If however I'd been in America and bought a 45mm strand of 10mm off round pearls from Honora for $23000 (I didn't buy Honora because firstly I didn't like the chap - how shallow is that and secondly and luckily for me they don't sell anything like as large as 10mm freshwater pearls in the UK at QVCUK yet.) that would have been the big mistake - huge. Even I without knowing anything worthwhile about pearls at present can see after looking at Jeremy's pearls that Honora are having somewhat of a laugh at the punters expense.

I'm not buying anymore until I have done the sensible thing read the two books on pearls, recommended by yourselves, I have just ordered from Amazon. Suspect however I will still be buying Freshadamas even after I've boned up a little. Those photo's a recent customer posted here were so very beautiful and I still can't get over the price.

Susan

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Susan
Your instincts are so right on the money- your gut is telling you the Freshadama is the one and it is right. Listen to your gut. If you don't trust your gut- or maybe it is your dna- then Zeide will tell you the freshadamas are the only gem quality strands of pearls that pass every test for being like the best of the ancient wild-grown pearls.

Yet they are so ridiculously under the price for brand name Mik-mo akoyas, that I think they should be considered an investment. Freashadamas will retain their use and value for generations and improve with wear as great pearls are famous for doing, right?
On the other hand, the oyster-dipped beads will wear out, if worn regularly, so they are not an investment. In that case, only the clasp and the box are the investment. These are good for brand-name collectors, but miss the point for PEARL collectors.

not too bad a mistake

I wouldn't call the multicolor even a little mistake. It was fine. I think working jewelry that costs from $15-$150, depending on how close you are to the maker, is really fair. You will not appraise this kind of jewelry as you would the classic granny pearls, it is a different niche.

 

[Susan]

Thank you Caitlin.
Thinking logically I've paid this amount for costume jewellry and not given the value a second thought. I liked something and it was worth it to me for the aesthetic value.

Listen to your gut.

One of my choice phrases. A girlfriend and I decided when it came to changing jobs recently that when all was said and done it came down to to your gut. We haven't regretted it.

Going to have questions when those books arrive. I do hope I can ask this community some slightly more interesting question that 'what's the value of my QVC pearls' in the future.

Can't wait to start the learning curve.

That all I'm done end of thread. Sorry my first post was so mind numbingly plebian.

Susan