Comparisons

[BWeaves]

Mom's mabe' pearls earrings. Omega backs. I really don't like mabe' pearls and Mom had a lot of big round mabe' pearl earrings from the 1990s. I only kept these, but I don't wear them. Mom loved Omega backs, but they pinch me. I've tried to have the spring adjusted on some of her Omega back earrings, and it just doesn't work. They're either too loose and the earring hangs funny, or too tight and they pinch me.

 

[CatMom]

Earrings.

Top row left to right:

Mom's South Sea diamond Huggies. The pearl drop is removable. These are very good SS pearls. No flaws. I did have to lengthen the posts because I have fatter earlobes than my Mom did. The drops are removable.

I have several pairs of diamond hoops from my Mom. Since most pearl earrings have tiny, tiny diamonds, I'd rather wear these diamond hoops and add pendants to them myself. Plus, I can swap them around.

Mom's diamond hoops. These perfectly shaped freshwater drops from Kojima have a creamy luster and an absolutely perfect drop shape with no flaws. I asked Sarah to put on a 3mm round bail so I could wear them as earring pendants.

Mom's diamond hoops. Winter Snowman and Summer Flowers pendants are really necklace pendants from Kojima. They're a little heavy on my ears, but I love to wear them with the ombre' tin-cups. I just love mismatched earrings.

Freshwater keshi earrings that Kojima made for me to match my freshwater pink keshi tin-cup. I love the horseshoe earring finding. It's very comfortable and secure.

Amethyst and Kasumi pearl drop earrings bought at RUCKUS. There was a longer pair of Kasumi earrings that everyone at RUCKUS was trying to talk me into, but I'm not really a LONG earring person, and I knew I'd wear these shorter ones more often. Those long ones were dynamite though. Maybe I should have bought both pairs? Hindsight.

Bottom row, left to right:

Mom's diamond hoops. Yes, she had a lot of diamond hoop earrings. Dyed freshwater pearls from Kojima. I asked Sarah to put 3mm round bails on them so I could wear them as earring pendants.

Dyed freshwater pearls from Kojima. These came attached to the white metal hoops. You can't tell from the photo, but there are topazes in the hoops. White topaz sparkles like diamonds.

Kojima again. Amazing Tahitian drops with opals. Unfortunately, to capture the pearls, the opals wash out. To capture the sparkle of the opals, the pearls wash out. These match La Perlagrina very well, and I always wear them together.

Kamoka 10mm Tahitians on 18K gold Bali findings. I was actually looking for 10mm studs when I saw these. They're one of the few hook earring shapes that actually stays in my ear and doesn't wiggle its way out.


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Trying to capture the sparkle of the opals.

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Top row, left to right:

White gold Mikimoto Huggies.
Yellow gold Mikimoto Huggies. Both pairs have become my travel pearls because they are very secure and easy to sleep on if I fall asleep on a plane.

Kojima feather pearls. Topaz in the hooks. These are heavy, so the hooks stay in place and don't wiggle out of my ears.

Reborn pearls. Keshi from a store in Mt. Dora Florida. They have a matching tin-cup necklace. Very lightweight.

Ruby hearts and small akoya pearls. My first drop earrings, although the pearls are round. Small and cute.

Nana's pearl drop earrings. Tiny diamond that doesn't sparkle. I don't know why they bothered with the diamond. In the 1960s, Nana would wear these earrings upside down so the drop pearl hung over the stem. It gave that double pierced, 2 pearl look that was so popular in the 1960s. Nana was also a bit of a rebel, so wearing her earrings upside down was very on brand.

Bottom row, left to right:

9 mm Hanadama studs from Pearl Paradise. The pinked Hanadamas looked better on my ears than the natural white ones. So even though my rope is natural white Hanadamas, you can't tell that they don't match when I'm wearing them all together.

Kamoka 9.5 Tahitians, peacock and lavender.

Kamoka 9.5mm Tahitians, black and white (eggplant and pale blue). These pearls go with everything. They look especially good with my natural white Hanadama rope.

Oceans Cove, 10mm peacock Tahitians.

Kojima 9mm pistachio Tahitians. These look great with my pistachio akoyas from Pearl Paradise.


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Trying to capture the luster of the feather pearls.

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Wow, what a gorgeous earring collection!!!

 

[CortezPearls]

I agree...your earring collection is stunning!

 

[BWeaves]

Pendants. I'm realizing that I really have way too many pearls. This is good anti-retail therapy.

Yes, I name my pendants. I don't know why, but most of them demand names. And sometimes the names change as time goes by.

Kamoka. La Perlagrina. I'm a sucker for an interesting bail.

Kamoka. La Petite Perlagrina.

Pearls from Pacific Pearls. A local jeweler made the pendants for me.

The Swan and the Hamantaschen.

The Swan. I wasn't expecting the pearl to be so incredibly colorful until after it arrived. It is good on all sides and looked like a leaf. I was going to just put a round bail on one end, but then I met a jeweler who had an opal in a setting like below, and I thought this pearl would look great in a similar setting. It's a pressure setting, so the pearl can be removed if I ever decide to change it.

The Hamantaschen is triangular (3 stick pearls?) with a natural large hole in the center. At first we (the jeweler and I) were going to plug the hole with a gemstone, but then we decided we needed to show off the hole, so we put a small diamond to the side to cover a weird knobber shape in the hole.

Backsides.

La Perlagrina, La Petite Perlagrina, The Queen (Kojima), Feather pearl (Kojima), Sharky (Kamoka), Jurassic Time Traveler with fossil sharks tooth (Kamoka).

Freshwater button pearl and druzy quartz pendant from a local jeweler who hits the fairs. I'm embarrassed that I've forgotten his name because I have a lot of other pieces from him that are not pearls. (UPDATE: Thomas Lott Jeweler. I finally remembered.) The druzy sparkles like crazy, but the sparkle is hard to capture in a photo.

little H soufflé' pearl and emeralds. My best pendant. I can hang it off anything because it's an enhancer. Bought at my first RUCKUS. Emerald and pearl tin cup bought at the next RUCKUS.

Left to right:

little H, Chocolate Plum (Kojima), Spring Rain (Kojima), Spring Petals (Kojima), Autumn Leaves Kasumi with ruby bail (Kojima), green carved Tahitian (Kojima), Tattoo carved Tahitian (Kamoka), freshwater button and druzy.
The Swan and the Hamantaschen.

 

[CatMom]

Pendants. I'm realizing that I really have way too many pearls. This is good anti-retail therapy.

Yes, I name my pendants. I don't know why, but most of them demand names. And sometimes the names change as time goes by.

Kamoka. La Perlagrina. I'm a sucker for an interesting bail.

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Kamoka. La Petite Perlagrina.

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Pearls from Pacific Pearls. A local jeweler made the pendants for me.

The Swan and the Hamantaschen.

The Swan. I wasn't expecting the pearl to be so incredibly colorful until after it arrived. It is good on all sides and looked like a leaf. I was going to just put a round bail on one end, but then I met a jeweler who had an opal in a setting like below, and I thought this pearl would look great in a similar setting. It's a pressure setting, so the pearl can be removed if I ever decide to change it.

The Hamantaschen is triangular (3 stick pearls?) with a natural large hole in the center. At first we (the jeweler and I) were going to plug the hole with a gemstone, but then we decided we needed to show off the hole, so we put a small diamond to the side to cover a weird knobber shape in the hole.

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Backsides.

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La Perlagrina, La Petite Perlagrina, The Queen (Kojima), Feather pearl (Kojima), Sharky (Kamoka), Jurassic Time Traveler with fossil sharks tooth (Kamoka).


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Freshwater button pearl and druzy quartz pendant from a local jeweler who hits the fairs. I'm embarrassed that I've forgotten his name because I have a lot of other pieces from him that are not pearls. The druzy sparkles like crazy, but the sparkle is hard to capture in a photo.

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little H soufflé' pearl and emeralds. My best pendant. I can hang it off anything because it's an enhancer. Bought at my first RUCKUS. Emerald and pearl tin cup bought at the next RUCKUS.

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Left to right:

little H, Chocolate Plum (Kojima), Spring Rain (Kojima), Spring Petals (Kojima), Autumn Leaves Kasumi with ruby bail (Kojima), green carved Tahitian (Kojima), Tattoo carved Tahitian (Kamoka), freshwater button and druzy.
The Swan and the Hamantaschen.



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And here I thought your earrings were fabulous, lol. Your pendants are amazing as well!

 

[jeg]

I’ve been enjoying seeing your pearl groupings, BWeaves. An ambitious undertaking, but I’m having fun reliving your collection and all the pearly memories.

 

[BWeaves]

Rings.

Left to right:

Kojima: Large, thick, lustrous, coin pearl with ruby flower. I like this ring much more than I thought I would. It covers half my fingers on each side.

Douglas and Pearl Paradise. I bought this intensely colored Sea of Cortez 9.5 mm pearl from Douglas at my last RUCKUS. I then had Pearl Paradise make a ring out of it using the Frost setting and rose gold. The pearl is very intense blue green teal with intense pink towards the bottom. It's actually a drop pearl and probably should have been a pendant, but I wanted a ring, and this way I can look at it. The Frost setting keeps the sides from getting knocked around.

Kamoka: Peacock green and pink 9 mm pearl with synthetic diamonds. Celeste said that if I hadn't bought it, she was going to take it off the website and keep it herself.

Mom's Akoya ring. This ring is actually very comfortable. It sits very flat to the hand. I never liked the style of the ring when my Mom wore it, but I've grown to love it now that I've worn it. I wouldn't have bought it myself, but it reminds me of Mom, so sentimental. Another case of useless diamond chips that don't sparkle, though.

 

[BWeaves]

Tahitians. I originally thought I didn't like Tahitians because all I had seen was matched black pearls. Once I found out about baroque, circled, and rainbow colored Tahitians, I was in love. Tahitians often look blah in the box, but come alive next to skin.

Top to bottom:

Kojima: My first Tahitian strand with white gold and sapphire clasp.

Pearl Paradise: I bought these a my last RUCKUS. This was the only strand that looked like this. Near round, and amazing soap bubble colors that I normally don't associate with Tahitians.

Kamoka: Coral Atoll strand. Circled pearls from Kamoka's sister pearl farm. Intensely dark green pearls with some copper pearls.

Kamoka: 2019 All Josh Harvest strand. Along with my Hanadama rope and my little H pendant, this is one of my best pearl necklaces. This harvest strand is different from all the other harvest strands that Kamoka has sold, because it's all near rounds. No tiny pearls. No drops, or weird shapes. Every pearl was cultured by Josh, who I've met, so this strand is very precious to me. When I wear it, my eye always go to the white flying saucer pearl and the big black pearl opposite it. The necklace is not as colorful as my other Tahitians. It reads as very black and white when I wear it. Looks great with mismatched earrings.

Kojima: Long keshi tin-cup. 40 inches. No clasp. Light weight. Doubles nicely. One of my favorite necklaces.

Kojima: 24" ombre' strand of small, round pearls of different sizes. Lots of dark color, lots of purples and coppers and greens. Incredibly shiny.

Oceans Cove (the other Sarah): TNT strand. I named this strand because of the Tahitians and Tourmalines in it. Incredibly colorful and shiny, circled pearls. Sarah told me that she did not drill these pearls, so some of the drill holes aren't straight, but it adds a little charm to the necklace.

I wear these bottom two nested, because the colors and sizes are similar. They look good together.

 

[pattye]

Aww, wonderful photos to "drink in" with my morning coffee, BWeaves! And they all complement your gorgeous handwoven clothing. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[CatMom]

I'm so in awe of your pearl collection BWeaves!

 

[Marlakins]

Ombre' tin-cups from Kojima. Top: the long one (40"). Bottom: the short one (24").

I often wear the short one with the orbit clasp in front and hang one of my pearl pendants off it.

I don't wear these two necklaces together, because believe it or not, they don't go. The shorter one looks puny next to the longer one. And the lengths don't play well together.

This thread is very therapeutic for me. It's reminding me that I already have way too many pearls, and I need to quit coveting everyone else's stash. And I really do not need any more.

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The long one doubled. I don't tend to stack them this close. I usually have one loop longer than the other, which changes the spacing on the colors.

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The white south sea pearl at the center top of the next photo is carved in a 3 strand braid pattern. My eye always goes right to that pearl.

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These are really special. I had eyed them for some time on the website and still regret not purchasing! Good for you.

 

[BWeaves]

These are really special. I had eyed them for some time on the website and still regret not purchasing! Good for you.

I actually lost out, too. I wanted to purchase an ombre' tin-cup right before Sarah went to Tucson, and she took the necklace to Tucson and it sold. Then I saw this other one in JEG's Pearls by the Bay photos and I contacted Sarah again, and bought it. I actually like this one better than the one I missed out on.

So, if you really regret not getting one, just contact Sarah and I'm sure she'll make you one. I had that happen with the pink keshi tin-cup. It got sold before I could buy it, and Sarah made me another one.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

It may have been good therapy for you, but it was pure enjoyment for all of us. What a lovely and diverse collection. Once a person has the "Pearl Bug" it never leaves. You're in great company here at the pearl-guide forum. Now you have photos of all your pearls to date-Fantastic! You might consider printing them out and put values and dates next to them, also what metal they are and if they are gold, then list 10K, 14K or 18K gold, CZ or Natural diamond. Those things are so important to have recorded and saved. I know if I hadn't done that with my collection I would never remember what the make-up was of my beads and findings.
Thanks so much for sharing all this with us. I agree with Pattye, it was great to just walk through your collection. I'm sure I'll do it again!

 

[BWeaves]

Oh, I'm not done yet! There's more.

And yes, part of doing this is to create a separate inventory I can put with my will, so my brother and sister know what everything is and what it's worth.

And part of this is to remind myself that I don't need any more.

 

[BWeaves]

More white pearls.

Top to bottom:

Mom's 9mm akoyas. Soft luster. Choker length.

My birthday pearls. Choker length. Mom bought these small, perfect, white akoyas when I was born in the late 1950s. They still look amazing. Really amazing for being 65 years old. No, they are not Mikimotos. Mom bought two long strands of AA Mikis and had them strung as a double strand necklace using a non Miki clasp. Mom reused the Miki clasps on other pearl strands because the clasps are large and easy to work. After Mom died, my sister wanted the Mikis and Mom's baroque South Sea pearl rope. I let her have them. I did suggest we break up the Mikis and restring back them into two necklaces, so we could each have one, but she wanted it all. I'm OK with it. I won't argue over an inheritance. So I bought myself the natural white Hanadama rope from Pearl Paradise, and I love it.

Aunt Love's Blue Lagoon strand. My cousin bought these for his mother (my Aunt Love), but she never wore them. She sold them to me. For being Mikimoto's "lesser quality" brand, they are very, very nice akoyas. Small, but no blemishes, well matched, and lustrous. The clasp is narrow, which makes it perfect for hanging pendants on.

Mom's mabe' pearl and diamond enhancer. She wore this a lot on my birthday pearls necklace. I prefer it on Aunt Love's longer necklace.

Back in the early 1980s I was a total Princess Diana fan. I had this dog collar made with a white gold, pearl and diamond clasp on one side, and a cameo with yellow gold on the other side. I could wear either "clasp" in front for different looks. I had long hair, so the clasp in back did not show.

But those high dog collars are very uncomfortable to wear. It would slip down around the base of my neck and choke me. I kept restringing and adding pearls. Finally I ran out of pearls, so I sent the necklace to Pearl Paradise, and had them add a bunch of new pearls and restring the necklace so it sits like a collar around the base of my neck. Choker length. Much more comfortable. PP did a wonderful job matching the pearls, but I can tell which pearls came from PP because they are more lustrous than my original pearls.

6 mm akoya pearls in the necklace. 9 mm pearls in the clasp. The pearls in the clasp are whiter than the pearls in the necklace.

The jeweler even custom made the clasp. It's a nice and thick round box clasp. Very easy to work. And has a good safety catch.

Even the back side is pretty.

 

[BWeaves]

Faux pearls and dyed pearls.

First the real pearls.

We had a pearl necklace making workshop at the last RUCKUS. Sherrie gave us leather, a metal ring, and 6 circled freshwater pearls, and we all made a necklace in minutes. I love it. I really want to replace the metal ring with something nicer, because it's tarnishing. It's a copper color, but it's turning black in places. I'm half tempted to use my wedding band, since it hasn't fit on my finger for the last 25 years.

Squiggle necklace. I made this necklace from bead store dyed freshwater pearl drops that had been side drilled. I was originally going to use the pearls on the fringes of my handwoven shawls. But I loved how they looked when strung straight from the bead store, so I decided to make a necklace out of them. It's lightweight and has no clasp. No knots between the pearls, either. Great drape. I like to wear the silver "knots" asymmetrically.

Faux pearls.

Nana's Richelieu faux pearls. When I was 11 years old, my grandmother gave me this necklace because she knew I loved pearls. Then she said, "They're Richelieu pearls. They're the best pearl that is not a pearl." My heart sank and I never wore them. They also needed restringing and a good cleaning. I finally did restring and clean them a few years ago, and they're not bad. They've yellowed, but I can pretend they are golden pearls, right?

Nana's Richelieu faux pearls. had a sterling silver clasp.

The loose pearls at the bottom of the next photo are Nana's original real pearls. I inherited her choker after she died. I wore them daily. She probably bought them in the early 1960s, and they were not the best quality to start with. Lots of flaws, and a lot of the nacre had worn off. They looked dull and chalky when I wore them, although they don't look that bad in this photo.

I cut off the diamond and pearl clasp and sent them to PP to replace the original pearls with Freshadamas. I liked the necklace so much, that I sent it back to PP to add a second strand of Freshadamas. I show the Freshadamas in the first photo of this thread comparing them to the Hanadamas, but I haven't photographed the full finished necklace. Maybe tomorrow.

​

And an arts and crafts fair necklace that I love to wear in the Autumn. The "golden" pearl at the bottom has turned brown. That's a bit disappointing. I'd often thought of replacing it with a real pearl, but I'm not sure it's worth doing.

 

[CatMom]

Oh I love, love, love your Autumn necklace. While it does fit in with the theme I think replacing the bottom pearl would be totally worth it.

 

[BWeaves]

Last one.

"Nana's" necklace. Only the diamond and pearl clasp is Nana's at this point. The pearls are 8 mm Freshadamas from Pearl Paradise. Nana wore it as a 17 inch length necklace with a single strand and the clasp in front like a pendant. The clasp can handle 3 strands, if they are graduated. With the 8 mm pearls I really could only fit 2 strands of 8 mm pearls on the clasp. I could have fit 3 strands of 6 mm pearls.

I actually thought about doing 6 mm pearls and 3 strands, but it really bugs me when 3 strands don't nest exactly evenly. In hindsight, looking at the clasp and earrings, I maybe should have done 7 mm pearls. NAH! This necklace looks great worn with my natural white Hanadamas which are also 8 mm.

The clasp is a triskelion, and I love the optical illusion of the pearl strands looping through the clasp.

Nana's earrings. They're like apples with stems and leaves. And a tiny, tiny chip of a diamond that doesn't sparkle.

Nana used to wear them upside down in the 1960s for that double pierced look. Oddly enough, they don't look half bad that way.

And, I'm done. I do not need any more pearls. Repeat. I do not need any more pearls.

 

[BWeaves]

Forgot one.

Mom's retro circle pin. It's a little over 1 inch in diameter, so the pearls are tiny, but very nice. I don't really like the brooch, because I don't like the Florentine finish (the crosshatches on the gold). But the brooch looks cute when worn. I'll wear it when my neckline doesn't play well with necklaces.

 

[CortezPearls]

Lovely & Grand Collection @BWeaves
Having my coffee and enjoying your photos and descriptions...I'm sure to start my day in a great way!