Freshadama Strand Arrived! First Impressions
Freshadama Strand Arrived! First Impressions
So I finally received the Freshadama 6.5-7.5mm 16" necklace from PP that I ordered to compare with the AAA grade strand of the same size and length. I have to leave for a week in FL tomorrow so I won't have time to take good photos or assess them in normal light, but I definitely will when I return, and by then I would have also received the metallic drop multi!
As someone who has only seen pictures of pearls online, and some poorer quality strands at department store jewelry counters I might not be the best judge of how these strands look, so feel free point out any misconceptions I might be making.
Here goes:
1) There's definitely more luster in the Freshadama strand compared to the AAA, but what strikes me the most is the uniformity and roundness of the former. I didn't expect shape to matter as much to me as it turned out, but that might also be because the luster is pretty high in the AAA strand. The pearls were visibly off-round, which was as described by the seller, and individually they look fine but as a whole strand that is when the difference becomes very visible. The pearls in the AAA strand tended to be longer vertically (perpendicular to drill hole axis) so that there was more of a gap between pearls that made the knots more visible. It didn't seem to be due to a difference in how thick the knots were or anything, so I am attributing it to the shape.
2) The Freshadama were rosier than the AAA strand. I actually preferred the color of the AAA strand a bit more because of the contrast it created against my skin. So now I am debating whether to keep the Freshadama or try to exchange for an ivory/silver strand. Regardless of what happens with the Freshadama it is clear that I will be returning the AAA and sticking with gem quality in future purchases. When I contacted the PP Facebook page about this initially to ask about color selections, they replied that most Freshadama strands sent to customers were silver rose but that the differences were slight compared to Akoyas, so that there wasn't even a dropdown menu option to select overtones for Freshadamas.
3) There are stiff, sharp pieces of something, glue?, on two of the knots near the clasp on the Freshadama strand. I couldn't find anything similar on the AAA strand. I don't know if this is normal or a production flaw. Could anyone tell me if this is typical or should I be concerned? I could also still spot 2-3 mm wide blemishes (indentations and marks that look like when you put pressure on something and it starts to cave in) on a few of the pearls on the Freshadama strand, also closer to the clasp. Please let me know if this is to be expected.
4) Even though both strands were sold as 6.5-7.5 mm, the pearls on the Freshadama strand looked larger. This is most likely due to the even roundness, again (also, how is the size measured? is the measurement just the distance the pearl is at its widest? if so, I can see how if a pearl is longest perpendicular to the drill axis, it might appear smaller because its technically narrower width)
In summary, I really preferred the Freshadamas because of exactly the features you guys described as well as what was clearly noted on the seller website. I guess I had to really see for myself to decide what I personally would accept, and the Freshadama quality won out in the end. I do have reservations about the overtone as well as the blemishes (and odd knot glue"?) I saw on the strand I received, so I would love your input on that. I will work on photos after New Year's.
Happy holidays everyone!
