Show Us Your Pearls In Action!!!

[SurfnSci]

Thank you all so much for the kind compliments! I have a longstanding love for blue pearls. No one in my family growing up really wore pearls, except faux white strands on special occasions. My pearl love began when I went to Michael's craft store in my early teens and found a package of blue dyed 4-5mm potato pearls that I strung onto fishing line. I wore that necklace to high school almost daily and felt so sophisticated, haha. Fortunately I've been able to expand my blue collection over the years

echo What gorgeous and special pieces! Lovely luster, and I really like your pendant's pink overtones. I am lucky that I am mostly at the computer during the day, so rings are typically safe, but I do use spiral soft plastic ring guards (you can buy them on amazon and cut them to the size you want) so that the ring doesn't rotate on my finger. I feel like this helps me not to bang the pearls on things and damage it! Also, I am so very sorry about your mixed akoyas - what a horrible thing to do, signing for a stranger's package that is clearly not yours! And then the vendor's poor response. I do hope there ends up being some resolution on your end, but I agree with Eolian, karma happens!
jeg Love your lustrous JNB strand and earrings! And those lovely Kojima bracelets! And your bubbles T strand! I am totally drooling here.
eolian pearls Haha, I was also thinking why do I not have a pair of pretty, perfect akoya studs?! I've never really wanted any until I saw your new beauties!

I can't wait to see everyone's finished akoya necklaces! And perhaps blue akoya bracelets?!

 

[jeg]

Thank you Charlotta and SurfnSci! SurfnSci, you’ve come a long way from fishing wire and dyed potato pearls! And Douglas, you’ve come a long way from pearling with your Oma! I actually saw the ama divers even before the trip to Mikimoto Island. I was about six, and I still have the little Akoya pearl that they dove for for me. I knew exactly where it was-

 

[CortezPearls]

Wow jeg ! Talk about a walk down memory lane...it is fantastic you kept the shell and its pearl and even the box! Thank you for sharing this memory with us
And thank you for making me remember my Oma (I always do, but this memory is barely accessed these days and it is a fond one) explaining pearls to me. It is a very cherished memory.

 

[eolian pearls]

I love everyones “pearl origin” stories!!! Such adorable memories jeg and CortezPearls!!!
jeg you really are a pearl princess! A pearl especially dived for you at 6 years old! Mikimoto island!!! Wow!
CortezPearls I love your Oma memory! It made me think about my Oma and those are lovely memories too.
SurfnSci I can just picture that blue potato pearl necklace!!! I am sure I would have been totally jealous of you had I been your classmate! Blue is my forever color!
Charlotta it’s so great to realize our childhood deams, isnt it? I bet your younger self would be fainting looking at your pearl collection now!

jeg I am so happy to see the Bubble and her other half ;-) again! Very very special necklaces, every bit as stunning as I remembered!
echo I am keeping my fingers crossed for you!
SurfnSci this akoya FWP bracelet is on you! I just couldnt get yours out of my head and remembered that I had these pearls waiting for another project (a necklace)... Not enough for an akoya only bracelet but I am quite happy with this first draft ;-) It will have an orbit clasp once it arrives but I just couldnt wait to make it today I finished it with the last light so the colors are a bit off, more pics to come tomorrow...

 

[jeg]

Thank YOU, Douglas! This really was a walk down memory lane. I am surprised I still have this too, although the shell is part of the package picture. I only have the little Akoya. I guess this would be considered vintage now because I am old! The idea of it all was probably the precursor to those pick a pearl kind of things, but at least way back then, it was an Akoya, and the ama in action.

Daylight here, when I’ve had a chance to take some pics, has been dismal. It’s been so so grey, and everything turns out dark and not so great. And darn, now I’m getting the uploading error box again! Not sure if I’ll be able to adjust the pics to upload. Will try again later-

 

[jeg]

Thank you, eolian! Your post must’ve snuck in while I was trying to upload the pictures this morning. Your first draft turned out terrific! Bracelets make such a great stopover on the way to becoming strands... or not.

Blue Tahitian strand from Collins Pearls, blue Tahitian studs from Takahashi Pearl, and a bracelet I made.

 

[SurfnSci]

jeg That is so incredibly cool to have such a special first pearl, retrieved by a diver especially for you!!! And to still have it, wow...it is lovely. Your blue Collins strand is so amazing, it gives me #pearlgoals. I really love the bracelet you made, too; gorgeous colors... Haha, I'd like to think I have expanded my pearl horizons a bit. I still have that potato necklace buried in a box somewhere; with my sudden nostalgia I might have to find it for a wirewrap makeover.

eolian pearls Your akoya/fwp bracelet is divine! I'm really impressed you created such a beautiful piece with only a couple of days of planning. I really like the bead details, too. And goodness, what metallic luster! Can't wait to see your wrist shots!!!

Late night edit: I found it in the first placed I looked, lol - it is a lot smaller than I remember (definitely not choker length back in the day!) and not quite so blue anymore, much more grey. Gosh, I don't think I've worn this in over 20 years

 

[echo]

SurfnSci thank you for your lovely comment and the tips for wearing pearl rings. Having a pearl ring is definitely on my wishlist now. Maybe just to wear in front of computer as well . How interesting to look back at the old pearls you started at. I can’t remember my first ones. But I still have the FW ripples pretending to be Kasumis I bought years ago on eBay. Omg some of them have ugly holes showing the bead nucleus inside.

eolian pearls your bracelet is absolutely stunning as it is. I love how you put the tiny beads and pearls in between them. It has a wonderful balance.

jeg how special is that lovely akoya pearl and what a sentimental piece with the memory behind it. You collins strand and the takahashi pearl studs have the most beautiful blue and green colour. And that bracelet you made is really something unique. Such a great mix of pearls and gemstone beads. Very colourful and cheerful.

 

[jeg]

Thank you so much, SurfnSci and echo! Yes, the little Akoya is more of a sentimental pearl, and I remember the experience even though I was only about 6. And thank you for the nice compliments! I say this about so many of my pearls that it gets obnoxious, but the blue Tahitians are so special. The story behind Alexander Collins collecting all the pearls for the strand, and the recent studs from Takahashi, that are so perfectly matched and round.

SurfnSci, what another delightful story with your potato pearls. They actually look very fun in your photo, and I would be inclined to still wear it myself! Echo, I know it’s not the same, but I will sometimes wear my rings on a long chain, like necklace charms. Sometimes big pearl rings, and sometimes sentimental bands like my late husband’s wedding band.

Wearing pearls with another story... white SS strand. Worn with other pieces I made- a SS keshi tin cup, and a bracelet of white Tahitian keshi. The bracelet is from Hawaii, and originally was on an elastic band that was way too big. I finally got around to redoing it to fit.

 

[Charlotta2.0]

Amazing blue tahitian strand jeg. It really is special. That blue strand and the white one would probably look great together.
eolian pearls, beautiful bracelet. It's very pretty
SurfnSci that potato strand isn't all that bad. You could use it as a pearl chain, perhaps with some additional pearls or gemstones. I don't have the best of luck combining gemstones with pearls myself. Even though I like my jadeit and pearls stretch bracelets. Not at all pretty like the beautiful bracelet jeg made, but one day I will get it right.

 

[eolian pearls]

Thank you jeg, SurfnSci and echo! I am really happy with this improvised bracelet, I think it is a keeper, no more necklace plans for these pearls!

Here are some more pics for you.

jeg those Collins blues are simply divine!!!!! And how lucky you are to have found the perfect studs to go with the necklace so fast!
I love love love how the pearls glow against your violet sweater, such a colorful contrast!
And of course your SS pearls are amazing too! I especially love your tincup, one of my many wishlist pieces

SurfnSci Your first pearls look much better than my first “south sea pearls necklace” aka low quality freshies...Yours have lost the blue color but are still cute, mine have nacre that is peeling off...

 

[Charlotta2.0]

The bracelet looks lovely on your arm eolian pearls. I did make myself a ice blue akoya bracelet with a bigger blue tahitian. I really like it,, might be a keeper as well. I probably like it more with the contrasting tahitian than without. Gives it am edge. When I first bought the akoyas I made them into two stretch bracelets, but I hardly ever used them.

 

[echo]

jeg not obnoxious at all. You do have a collection of insanely beautiful and special pearls. Like SurfnSci said they are #pearlgoals. Thank you for sharing the idea of wearing the ring as a charm. Especially pearls are spherical and don’t need to stay faced up to look beautiful. This just increased my confidence even more to try a pearl ring. Great to see that lovely aussie WSS and it’s story behind. Absolutely love your white keshi tin cup and bracelet. That metallic shine! The way you wear them layered together is very smart and beautiful looking.

eolian pearls this bracelet looks stunning on your wrist. You did a wonderful job. I can’t stop looking at it

Today my pearly nightmare has finally come to a happy ending. Courier retrieved the parcel and the necklace made it home. I was wearing it tonight with a pair of Australian akoyas farmed at the broken bay. These aussie akoyas have very similar colour to the Vietnamese ones. Except they have a bit pistachio green in them. Strand was worn with a little Fijian silvery white pearl pendant. This wave strand is so delicate and dainty like jeg said. I think it is perfect for layering or to wear on a day that you want to keep a low profile. Sorry photos were taken at night. Quality and lighting is not great.

 

[Charlotta2.0]

Your lost and now unlost (?) strand is amazing echo. And a great lenght for layering as well. Lucky you got them at last and that such a pretty strand wasn't lost forever.

 

[eolian pearls]

Thank you Charlotta and echo! Echo, such a great news!!! Your new necklace looks so pretty! The luster on those akoyas! And the whole design is just dreamy! I also love your pistacchio Australian akoyas! Wow! You truly have all kinds of beautiful pearls cultured in Australia! Another of my travel goals...

The akoya bracelet made me go back to my little pearl stash have ne playing with my circled Ts ombre rope. I am in “Charlotta mode” cutting and changing a few pearls here and there... Hopefully tomorrow it will be all finished and I will post some pics. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

 

[echo]

Thank you very much Charlotta2.0 and eolian pearls. I’m very impressed with the little Vietnamese akoya pearls. They have a lovely depth to the shine and beautiful orient. I’m a big fan now.

eolian pearls welcome to Australia. The view is beautiful and people are friendly here. Though in all honesty it is not a great place to shop for pearls as a consumer. Retail price is ridiculously high and choice is very limited. If you want to visit the farms you may have to do a tour along the coast as they are scattered all over. The most iconic place will be Broome where famous WSS are farmed. If money is not a problem you can get top quality pearls at Paspaley by paying top dollars and being treated like a royalty. But I believe the vast majority of the WSS are shipped overseas to suppliers and dealers where demands and dollars are before they even become available on the market

 

[Charlotta2.0]

I am in a cutting mode myself eolian pearls. I recently did make a bracelet with a weird bullet shaped metallic green edison pearl that I called Green Fairy (that wants your soul). However the bracelet form was wrong for that pearl. Today I wirewrapped it into a 19-21 inches long strand, rainbow style, with the green pearl as a centerpiece. I have a malicios story to go with it and everything, about the Green Fairy, the wirewrapping went great. I wirewrapped a pearl into a pendant, a pretty rainbowy edison pearl. I have also made a layout for a wavestrand, I did have some vintage akoyas left enough for a 20 inches long strand. This time I made a layout with circled mixed south sea pearls. It's the same, but the other half, akoyas as in this wavestrand. The one with the ombre south sea pearls.

I think that I would like to live in Australia or maybe New Zeeland. It seems nice

 

[Lilpearl]

Beautiful pearls ladies!!

 

[SurfnSci]

Thank you jeg, echo, eolian, charlotta for sharing in my nostalgia

echo I am sooo happy your pearls made it to you, and wow are they gorgeous! They look lovely layered, and your fiji pearl is so pretty.
eolian pearls The daytime wrist shots of your new akoya/fwp bracelet really showcase the luster and colors. It's really beautiful. The tiny pearl and bead spacers give it the perfect little extra something; that was a really cool design idea. Gosh, now I think I need an akoya/fwp bracelet! The #pearlgoals never end...
jeg Your wire-wrapped SS keshis and SS necklace are so pretty and lustrous! And what a lovely white tahitian keshi bracelet. I love white tahitians, I think because they are against the "norm" for the usual T colors.
Charlotta2.0 Those are gorgeous pearls with fantastic colors and luster!!!!

Today I'm wearing a Kamoka pearl that I repurposed from a ring (I felt it needed a change in metal color). Happy weekend, everyone!

 

[CathyKeshi]

Everyone looks SO lovely in pearls! I'm a bit behind. LONG AGO and far away, when my daughter was a wee thing, we watched the pearl divers at Sea World in San Diego too. Afterward, everyone else scattered to the store, we lingered to talk to the diver, who then went down just for us, brought up handsful of oysters, and daughter chose one, then I chose one. It took years for me to get them set, but I still wear mine in a simple but pretty ring, a really nice size pearl with a golden cream cast to it. Daughter's pearl was lighter in color and set in a gold leaf pendant that she wore for her wedding . Happy memories indeed!