Circled pearl pendants

[pattye]

ennui, have you thought about restringing your leather bracelet? Leather cord is not expensive, and there are tutorials available that show different knots. I can imagine triple ringed pearls on a chain is very attractive, too.

 

[ennui]

Thanks, pattye, but I find I have fun with the loose pearls. Because of the large drill hole, they fit on chains, and my favorite is to place them on a safety pin and wear as a brooch. I like to fasten the pin from behind, so all you see is a floating pearl(s).

 

[pattye]

Gosh, ennui, I LOVE the floating pearl idea, very creative!!

 

[amti]

Neat idea on the floating pearl, ennui!

I bought the leather pearl necklace off Josh's neck at the Ruckus two years ago. I converted it to a bracelet wore it daily until it got claimed by my daughter. The nice thing about leather is you can wear it without taking it off.

 

[pattye]

Helen, how well I remember that moment, lol! (The 'roo leather Kamoka uses is exceptionally strong.)

 

[Bluebyrd]

So, I received the faux white pearl on a leather cord necklace that I had bought from Ebay to try out the style. It works! I think how the color of a Tahitian would blend into the black leather is just beautiful.

I also have some questions about Tahitians, in general, if you would.

I'm kind of afraid of that flat battleship grey or black color. Do they all do that in certain lights? Is there a way to avoid that? What lighting do they do the best in? I sometimes see pictures of the same pearl in which the color can be very flat, but put it in a different light and it then becomes metallic multicolor wonderfulness. I guess I should expect that and they all do that? Would I be safer with a lighter color pearl, as I think I could handle flat light grey better than a flat darker color?

Also, in general, are the lighter colors less "valuable"? Is that because the overtones on them won't be as strong?

Thanks so very much.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

All else being equal (size, shape, surface, luster etc.) the darker pearl is more valuable. But all else is usually not equal. There will be some lighter body pearls that are more valuable than some darker body pearls because of the other factors.
That's market value, but your own taste in pearls is what is more important here, not some abstract market value. And since you like lighter pearls, you can get what you love and pay less for it.

Tahitians are going to look different in bright light-- it's the nature of the beast. On pearls with intense overtones you may still see some color.

However, the overtones are likely to be more noticeable on a lighter body color pearl than on a darker body color pearl. So if you prefer the lighter gray color in bright light conditions, go for a lighter colored pearl, and aim for a pearl having intense overtones.

My baroque Rikitea pearls have great overtones. I still see the overtones in bright light but there is no question they look far more colorful in diffuse light. However, I love how dark they are in bright light and chose them for that reason.

 

[Bluebyrd]

Thank you so much, PD. Those are just breathtaking!!

Perhaps the best way to avoid the flat grey or black color I fear is to simply avoid low quality pearls? (I know very little about Tahitans and am still learning.)

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I've seen Mikimoto Tahitians at Nordstrom that had no visible overtones in the store lighting. They were quite uniform. They certainly weren't low quality, but they didn't appeal to me at all, and I think you would not have cared for them either.

If buying online, when you see a strand you like, ask the vendor for photos in varied light conditions. Not just the glamour shots/ studio light shots.
And only buy from vendors that accept returns, because the ultimate test is how the pearls look on your skin, in the lighting conditions where you live, and with the kind of clothes you like to wear. Yes, the clothes you wear will affect how your pearls look-- some colors make the pearls pop, others not!

Don't forget, many vendors have pearls in stock that are not currently on their websites. So you could also just contact the vendor, describe what you are looking for, and see what they come up with. Inquiring doesn't obligate you to buy.

 

[GemGeek]

Great advice from everyone! The value in a perfectly matched round strand is very high, even if it is not colorful. Matching sounds easy, but it is fiendishly difficult. As you work at it, you become more aware of slight variations in color and size, and then understand why you need mass amounts of pearls in order to get a good match. Jeremy is a master at matching and he enjoys it, although he doesn't have the free time it requires.

I also love the manly pearl redesign!

 

[BlackPearlDudeDC]

While generally not a rule...lately I am finding it seems to be a big problem with non-mikimoto boutique "T" strands for some odd reason. I've been to the BH, CM and LV. My last real "inspection" however was sat a store in Puerto Rico. In BH (not the boutique) I saw a 2nd hand strand and what I would call deep cherry all the same color super well matched and I can't imagine how long it took to complete that, it was also untouchable, LOL.

and to try and sorta get back on topic...my favorite "T"s are what I call super circled, most people have no clue what they are, and I kinda like that.

I've seen Mikimoto Tahitians at Nordstrom that had no visible overtones in the store lighting. They were quite uniform. They certainly weren't low quality, but they didn't appeal to me at all, and I think you would not have cared for them either.

If buying online, when you see a strand you like, ask the vendor for photos in varied light conditions. Not just the glamour shots/ studio light shots.
And only buy from vendors that accept returns, because the ultimate test is how the pearls look on your skin, in the lighting conditions where you live, and with the kind of clothes you like to wear. Yes, the clothes you wear will affect how your pearls look-- some colors make the pearls pop, others not!

Don't forget, many vendors have pearls in stock that are not currently on their websites. So you could also just contact the vendor, describe what you are looking for, and see what they come up with. Inquiring doesn't obligate you to buy.

 

[ennui]

There are so many factors to consider. I recently saw some "battleship gray" Tahitians that had really beautiful reflective qualities due to their lustre and perfect shape.
The real test is how they look against your skin, not how they look in the box. Tahitians come to life when worn.

 

[Bluebyrd]

I'm sure, Ennui. Grey is actually one of my favorite colors. However, when I say battleship grey, I mean flat, no luster. Think of battleships - no luster at all.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If luster is the issue and not overtones, then you should be able to get lustrous gray pearls without too much difficulty.

 

[Bluebyrd]

Thanks PD. I need overtones and circles, also, though. The strand you posted before has been haunting my thoughts all day, btw.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Ah, I too love the combination of luster + overtones + circles...as you can see. *sigh*

Of all my Tahitians the Rikiteas have the highest luster.