9-10mm/10-11mm Gem Quality white FWP necklace

[v_ni]

i noticed the 3 main online pearl stores have not been restocking the 9-10mm gem quality white FWP necklaces for quite sometime now....

anyone knows why this is so? is it my timing of my purchase? since pearl harvests are usually in winter....by now (summer), most of the larger pearls have been sold. and i'm wondering if i were to purchase "now" when something becomes available, the gem quality would be the lower end of the spectrum (if that makes any sense)

should i hold off my purchases until the next winter harvest? i'm not in a hurry since i can only buy 1 pearl necklace so i really want the best i can get.

my ideal necklace would be 10-11mm and has to be gem quality but i've sorta decided that i should settle for 9-10mm instead since 10-11mm seems impossible. i did a search and it seems like the last time 10-11mm gem quality pearls were available was in 2006!!

any advise appreciated.

 

[Valeria101]

Rounds above 10mm seem rather unusual. It is easier to have the larger sizes with nice lustre then perfect round, although ... Anyway. PP seems to have those in the AAA label (HERE). The shop does not use the word 'gem' loosely, so those might be it. I can't remember 10-11mm strands of 'Freshadama', if there ver were...

 

[pattye]

Might want to call a few of the stores and see what they say. As we are finding out, not everything is listed, and they will be able to give you info about when the best availability is.

pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[jshepherd]

We were able to restock over 9 mm, but the second half of the mm has been a bit elusive. We took the best we could get on loose grade size and were able to make some freshadama up to 9.5 mm (http://www.pearlparadise.com/Freshadama-Pearls-9-10mm.htm).

It has not been a problem getting large-size pearls lately. They have been available in fine quality larger than 12 mm. But the gem-grade loose-pearl stock has just not been up to par for some time.

 

[Valeria101]

It has not been a problem getting large-size pearls lately. ...But the gem-grade loose-pearl stock has just not been up to par for some time.

So... how are the large ones available: not loose, or not good enough to be called 'gem'?

 

[barbie biggs]

Hahahahaha!

Thanks Anna.
barbie

 

[The Pearl Outlet]

I expect we'll have the larger gem-quality sizes in by October.

 

[v_ni]

hi all,

are gem quality freshwater pearls suppose to be round to the eye even with the small percentage of deviation?

that's what i understood from reading the different posts but i've been looking at my pearl necklace for 2 days now and i still feel that they are not round. at first when i looked at it, i thought it was just my eyes so i tried not to focus too much on that but my husband looked at it and also commented the same thing.

my earrings, on the other hand, are definitely round to the eye.

 

[knotty panda]

I certainly hope no one ever tries to limit gem quality pearls to rounds. My favorite gem quality pearls are in other shapes like oval, nugget, or these. The orient is so much more pronounced in shapes other than round.

 

[barbie biggs]

Those are really easy on the eyes! I'm with you Knotty. I love the orient and the color. Gem quality and round aren't necessarily synonymous for me either.
barbie

 

[Raisondetre]

Oh knotty, these are simply gorgeous!

 

[Nerida]

Knotty- I'm with you. The colour and orient of those pearls is simply magical. Definitely pearls to keep in a little dish on your desk and play with over and over before knotting them up. They are just beautiful!

 

[knotty panda]

These aren't drilled. I don't know that I could bear to have them drilled, they are so beautiful.

 

[Nerida]

Don't drill - just play!!

 

[Sueki]

I certainly hope no one ever tries to limit gem quality pearls to rounds. My favorite gem quality pearls are in other shapes like oval, nugget, or these. The orient is so much more pronounced in shapes other than round.

Have to agree with you, Knotty. And your photo. says it all.....

 

[v_ni]

knotty panda, those are indeed beautiful.

unfortunately, i was referring to the "round" gem quality freshwater pearls as generally described by the vendors.

 

[knotty panda]

Yes, I do understand. The point I was making is that "round" is not the only gem quality shape. Your strand may show some pearls which are slightly off-round, however, they are gem quality if that is how the vendor sold them to you.

 

[gravityalwayswins]

Knotty - they're amazing! I gasped when I saw that pic & the Hubbie came running to make sure it wasn't something that had a price tag associated. I'm still very much an amateur but those are some of the most amazing colors and "glow" I've seen, and that's from a pic! I think they have so much more personality than rounds.

 

[v_ni]

hi knotty panda,

thanks for answering my question, now i understand that gem-quality fwp are not round to the eye as described.

i did eventually manage to find a few posts on the same subject and the conclusion seems to end on the same note.

Yes, I do understand. The point I was making is that "round" is not the only gem quality shape. Your strand may show some pearls which are slightly off-round, however, they are gem quality if that is how the vendor sold them to you.

 

[knotty panda]

I guess what you need to consider is which quality is more important to you -- the shape or the qualities the pearl displays such as luster and orient. For instance, I specifically know of one high end retailer who sells gem quality freshwaters but will never say their freshwaters are round as perfectly round freshwaters are very rare, even gem quality. I wouldn't be surprised to find that if you took your strand outside and looked closely at the pearls which are a bit less round in the bright sunlight, that those less round pearls would become your very favorites as they tend to be the most beautiful.

I'll say one thing, you can definitely consider yourself a NCN! Who else analyzes each and every pearl in a strand! Welcome to the club!