Happy New Year everyone! I finally made it to page 500! Still waiting til I get to the end to post some more pics of my beauties. Might as well introduce myself as I almost feel like I know you all already from surfing all 500 pages! This is a long post so be warned.
I live in Ottawa Canada presently and am in the Canadian Forces working in the Canadian Space Operations Centre as an analyst. I have a wonderful husband that I have been married to for 10 years (this upcoming Feb, if he doesn't push his luck
I have 3 kitties who are as important to me as any family member.
My obsession with pearls took me by surprise. I bought a cheapy 20.00 black pearl strand at a lapidary and jewellry show and was surprised at how much wear I got out of it. I was a bit disappointed to learn that they were color-treated. I loved the feel of them. You could now say I have evolved to becoming the Gollum of pearls "My own, My PRECIOUSSSS!" To EVERY SINGLE PIECE I OWN!
When I went to Hawaii for a course, I wanted to buy some jewellry from Hawaii and I thought pearls. Didn't know at that time that they don't actually come from there but I bought a beautiful silver octopus pendant with a small Tahitian pearl at Na Hoku. I should have let it go at that, but I had to snoop in the store and found a matching bracelet... I almost made it out of the store and.... "just for fun", as I knew the strand was WAY out of my price range, I tried on an opera length ombre necklace made from Tahitians and SSPs. I was in LOVE; but OMG the price! (Yeah brick and mortar price not to mention USD to CAD exchange rate). I had to call my hubby on this one, some serious tensions ensued but I walked out with my treasure, VERY nervous that I didn't get swindled. I also had purchased a 51" strand of iridescent potato pearl freshies the day before I returned to the store.
When I got home I started doing research on pearls and came across the Jewels of the trade channel and the link to the Pearl course which I took. This helped me a lot esp when going into local brick and mortars and seeing the crap they sell for way too much compared to the quality of the item. I still wonder about the price I paid since the clasp I have is Sterling Silver and for the price I paid, it should have been gold, but overall if you subtract the mark up, they are good/very good quality pearls in my now educated opinion.
Champaign tastes...beer budget... I bought some freshies from some online retailers a Tahitian baroque circle strand, and a lovely set of huggie Tahitian earrings. I am extremely happy with all of my purchases. My sweet husband bought me a lovely double strand bracelet of Akoyas which I am also obsessed with. Then I came across the live events from PP. This was a huge education in pearl quality and I am very grateful. I made my first purchase from PP via their Black Friday early events from Takahashi pearls Dec 2024 and LOVE the items I bought.
As I mentioned, I am obsessed with pearls, this forum has given me the courage to order some individual pearls and equipment to learn to string and create my own jewellry. I am still kind of a sheep in a field of wolves with some of it but am excited to step up. I am also learning to wire bend/weave so I can try to make a tin cup style of necklace/earrings.
My style of wearing pearls is with everything. T-shirts, sweaters, cleaning house and even when I am not going outside. I even double up or necktie that ombre necklace to get wear out of every item I own. Life it too short to save nice things for just when other people are going to see them.
My mom was diagnosed with cancer last year, and after facing a full stomach removal, we figured she was on the road to recovery, breaks both hips within 3-4 weeks of each other and.. bone cancer. She is one of my best friends and loves pearls as well, right now she is rather emaciated looking but is still fighting. It's been a rough 2024 and I have been trying to enjoy even the small things that can make you happy and some of those things are my husband, my mom, dad and bro, my beautiful kitties Xena, Tia and Gizmo (the latter two are young gingers, the former a beautiful brown tabby), my purses, John Fluevog Shoes, pearls and all the blessings that I do have such as family, shelter, food, clean water, living in a country where I can have a career, drive a car and enjoy technology.
Anyways, that is some of me. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful pearls and creations, I am highly inspired and can't wait to get through the next 500 pages!
Wishing the very best 2025 to everyone here! - Shani
I was catching up with some NYT articles I missed around the holidays, and I came upon The Mysterious Donor Who Fled Communism and Left Millions to the Art World. The painting is titled Portrait of a Young Woman, or as I call it, Show Us Your Pearls, ca.1575. It is by Giovanni Battista Moroni, and was bequeathed to the Frick Collection. 
