I think overall the colors are better with the smaller pearls, but mainly because there are a lot more smaller pearls produced, so there are more to choose from - but we made a lot few of the larger strands. The luster is quite consistent.
It really comes down to a percentage of the pearls available, and for genuine rounds (less than 3% deviation) with colors like gold and silver over pink and lavender, make up a very small percentage of production and are reserved for loose pearls - which is why your strand is .6 - .9 drilled from side to side on each pearl.
In the smaller strands you sometimes see a perfect metallic white pearl or two. These are very few and far between in the larger strands.