Another question about Hanadama pearls

[Marilyn]

I had never thought about buying Akoya pearls before last week when I saw a Mikimoto display at my local jewelers. Some of the pearl strands had the most lustrous pearls I have ever seen --- they just glowed! Seeing those pearls started me researching Akoyas, and finding the posts about Hanadama pearls. The previous, recent posts about Mikimoto and Hanadama indicate to me that the Hanadama pearls are the equivalent of "cherry picking" Mikimoto's AAA grade pearls, both in luster and surface quality. Correct? I also see that hanadama pearls seem to come in white overtones, rose overtones and silver overtones. Is one of these overtones considered the best? Or, is it a just matter of personal preference? There also seems to be a range of prices for similar mm size pearl strands from vendors mentioned on the P-G forum. So, what accounts for the difference? In other words, are all hanadama strands of similar mm size equal in luster and quality?

Thanks for any help and guidance you can provide me!

Marilyn

 

[jshepherd]

Any strand of Mikimoto AAA strand would pass hanadama certification. Their AAA are already cherry picked from the best. Although their AAA is not perfectly clean on the surface, the luster really is amazing.

Hanadama does have a range. It is a term used to describe the top of the harvest in Japan. It means the best, but it is possible to cherry pick from the best. Even if you find the more perfect pearl in the world, some day, a better one will come along. That's part of the beauty of an organic gem.

No overtone is really better than another. There are those that claim this color or this color is worth more than another. But it really comes down to personal preference. The pink overtone is not natural - it comes from pinking. The pearls have also been bleached to obtain their white color. Different overtones are intentional because there is a market for each. Most regular hanadama strands do have a rose overtone. But the natural white hanadama strands tend to have more of a silver overtone with almost a hint of green undertone that comes out in the orient.

 

[Caitlin]

That is one way to top Mikimoto, get a strand of the natural, unbleached hanadamas. Blaire put up photos of hers. I don'r know of anyone but Jeremy who can source those, yet at a fraction of the Mikimoto costs, all you are lacking is the Miki signature clasp! The pearls might actually be better too, if unbleached and picked for surface as they do for luster. That picking for surface might add to the cost.

 

[Alex]

if you want to see the 'real deal' re Hanadama pearls, then check out this thread......

Natural White Set

Over Christmas, I tend to handle most of the really difficult requests because Mia and the other ladies are just too overwhelmed to do much other than get the packages out as quickly as possible. This season I worked with two separate customers to create something genuinely special. The first...

www.pearl-guide.com

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but wouldn't "natural color" be the same thing as "tahitian black color"?

Maybe "untreated color" or "original color" are the better terms.

 

[Caitlin]

Sorry? Please explain what you mean. I mean not enhanced, natural.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Sorry? Please explain what you mean. I mean not enhanced, natural.

For every claim on eBay of "tahitian black" there is a claim of "natural white", which is suggestive of natural pearls.

I understand the intent of this thread (nor the product line) is not to mislead anyone, but there is nothing natural about a cultural event.

 

[Caitlin]

Natural colors are always called that in freshwaters, because so many are dyed. Just because some eBay person misuses the term, does not invalidate it for proper use. I believe the hanadama in question was described as 'natural color, unbleached" because that is what it was. Tahitian black is not used by by anyone but cheaters. I did see that natural white is misused on eBay, when I looked just now, but I never noticed it before or took that into consideration when terming an unbleached hanadama as a natural white. When I say it on pearl-guide, that is what it is.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

When I say it on pearl-guide, that is what it is.

Of course and my apologies for the impression of suggesting something nefarious. "Natural" clearly means without human intervention, by any means.

I know it, you know it, most of us here know it, but does the average consumer know it? I'm not so sure.

Donor selection and some grafting techniques are human interventions that influence color, albeit with random results.

This forum has done well to dispell myths and expose fraud and as such we should be mindful to not needlessly perpetuate other myths or undermine the beauty and value of natural pearls.

This thread is about hanadama pearls, so I'll stop here as to not derail it any further, with my apologies to the group.

 

[GemGeek]

I saw those pearls in person in LA and in Tucson. Wow, they really were stunning. Almost too perfect - almost!