Reputable Sources for Naturals and Keshis?

[MSC]

Can anyone recommend some reputable sources for natural and keshi pearl varieties with decent prices?
I've got a fair bit of Mississippi River pearls and a couple of quahogs, but I'd like to expand my baby collection with my modest budget

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Naturals and keshis are worlds apart.

Omelettes and caviar are both eggs, but rarely get brought up in the same conversation.

Keshi are a by-product. Naturals are rare. One is widely available and inexpensive, the other rare and pricey.

Am I right assuming you are fond of smaller, misshapen pearls in general and want to collect for your own appreciation? ie not a line of jewellry for sale etc.

 

[DerekJ]

If you are just collecting, what comes to mind is:

http://thepearlcollector.com/

and

http://www.karipearls.com/

If you are in the trade then there are some other sources but you will require a resale number.

 

[MSC]

Yup, just for myself. I'm well aware of the differences between the two types, but since I've not really got the budget for most naturals I'd like to start with keshis.

Love the pearl collector site definitely fair prices for naturals, kari's are WAY too spendy.

Any suggestions for keshi sites?

 

[Daddys Little Pearl]

Are there any of the "bead" shows close to where you live? the best buy I have gotten so far on keshi type pearls was at a local bead show. They are all over the USA, if you are international might be less available. Just google "bead show" and a ton will come up, and you can usually look up to see which vendors will be there to see if there will be pearls. (usually are). Keshi prices are all over the map; there seems to be no consistency in the pricing.

Daddys Little Pearl

 

[DerekJ]

Sorry I don't know any retail sites for keshi, I see them any tradeshows but usually they aren't what I'm searching for. Enrique has really nice Sea of Cortez keshi.

 

[perlinda]

What kind of keshi you're looking for? If South Sea ones, I have some but I'm not in US..

 

[Daddys Little Pearl]

Madsciencechick, I see by your link to your etsy shop you are in KY? Definitely should be bead shows close to there, there are quite a few down here in Nashville Tn and around the south. but another question, do you mean the "real" keshi, the origkinal keshi that are the by product of Japanese Akoya production, or do you mean the generic weird shaped pearls being sold everywhere as "keshi", or the "re-born keshi". It is the second two that are easily available, the first one not as easy to find at good prices as they are rarer I would assume. The definition of keshi has been changed several time I believe by the various associations, but currently it seems every seller refers to just about anything that is not nucleated and of a strange shape as "keshi". Ironically many of the the pearls they are calling keshi are actually nucleated, just not with a bead. Let us know what type of "keshi" you seek and some members here may know sources for you.

Daddys Little Pearl

 

[KarinK]

Sarah at Kojima Pearl, http://www.kojimapearl.com, would have keshi of different sorts. You can write if you don't find what you're looking for on her website.

- Karin

 

[MSC]

Thanks for all the suggestions!
Not sure what I'm looking for, maybe a little of everything? Of course, I'd love to collect naturals but damn, they're super expensive and I haven't been lucky enough to find any at reasonable prices. I'd especially love to get my hands on P. sterna and P. penguin!
I'll definitely check out the bead shows, that's a great tip!

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

What is it about the price of natural pearls that you find indecent or unreasonable?