Freshadama for men

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Matt_95

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 19, 2013
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Hey all,

I've been lurking here for a few weeks. I am wanting to put a large pearl on a piece of leather to wear around my neck. I am looking at freshadama because they're closer to round than AAA quality pearls which is what I am after. A round Tahitian would be ideal but far to expensive for my budget, and I prefer the cfwp as well as they are completely nacre.
I am wondering which colour would be the least feminine, I a, assuming white? I am looking at the 10-11mm ones, how do I pick an overtone as well?

Thanks in advance for the help and I apologize if my questions are rather silly.

Matt
 
Welcome, and don't worry about questions being 'silly'! We're All here to learn, love pearls and like to help. For instance, now we'll learn if there's any reason Freshadama pearls can't be drilled large and threaded on leather. Maybe we'll learn that they're even better suited to leather than Tahitians.

Where are you located, and where have you looked so far? Assuming you've looked at pearl paradise already, since you mentioned freshadamas. Have you contacted anyone yet?
 
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Why not consider a black freshwater pearl? Maybe a metallic baroque one? That's masculine.
Or you could have a tahitian which was not perfect perfect* - although I do note that you say you prefer a freshadama because of its perfect roundness. If shape is an important criterion for you, ignore what I just wrote.
Freshwater pearls v easy to large drill - I've drilled 3.5mm with a 1.5mm hole for threading on leather (though that was very tedious to do!)
* Or how about a Galatea carved tahitian
like this - galatea-pearls-220x300.jpg Chi Huynh wearing one of his own carved Tahitian pearls..fabulous
I've not stocked any but I believe Pearl Paradise got some at the HOng Kong show
 
Hi again, Matt_95! The vendors here don't usually contact members, unless you invite them to, but you can contact them.

I also gave a thread with a lot of different Tahitians a bump so you can see the variety in non-round Tahitians, just FYI. It's called something like my new mother's day Tahitians. I put your forum name into the last post of that thread as I bumped it, so if you type it(your posting name) into the search bar the thread'll pop up in the results.

I also started to list some of the reliable tahitian vendors, but I was afraid I'd miss someone...most of them post on PG frequently though, so if you call up Tahitian on the search bar, and start reading, you'll learn a lot :)
 
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I second the idea of a black freshwater! I think men look better in black pearls, personally. Baroque black FWP can be very attractive.
 
Thank you for the help everyone!

I'm located in Australia, I do prefer to shop within Australia but I have found shopping for gemstones looking overseas seems to be the way to go. I can't recall all of the websites I've looked at but I have been on Pearl Paradise a lot and I usually open any of the links I see in someone's signature while I am browsing here as well. I haven't contacted anyone yet, I thought it would be better to figure out what I wanted first so I am not wasting anyone's time by chopping and changing.

Is it difficult to find a dyed black pearl in a large size? Roundness is definitely an important point for me, I do quite like the look of baroque pearls and off rounds. However I do prefer round pearls, I think if I went with a pearl that wasn't round for this project I wouldn't be satisfied with it.

I do really like the carved Tahitians, I've not seen them for sale on Pearl Paradise, would I need to contact them directly about it?

I've just finished reading through that thread, thank you for bringing that up for me. I love the look of all the pearls in that thread, however I do still feel myself pulled much more strongly towards the rounds, I think if I went with an off round shape for this, I would ultimately end up buying a round one anyway. I would like an off round for a bracelet if I ever go in that direction.

Another question, how difficult would it be to thread the leather through the pearl? I was planning on doing it myself since I have leather and findings at home already. And are pearls ever put onto hemp?

I am usually quite rough on any jewelery I wear, would I be better to go for an AAA grade if it is going to see a bit of wear? I am also very forgetful and often end up sleeping in it, I have found that sleeping wearing my ancient coins has rubbed the patina off parts of them so I imagine this would also be quite damaging to a pearl?
 
I made a Tahitian necklace for my husband on leather.

I bought a pearl loose/drilled and widened the drill hole myself with a battery powered reamer. Then I bought leather lace and end crimps in a size suited to the leather (the crimp needs to be very slightly larger in diameter.) I like this type; you use pliers to squeeze the middle section, which grips the leather: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-STERLIN...513?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4852422781
These come in various diameters.
You can add a drop of clear cement when inserting the leather into the crimp, to be doubly sure the ends don't come off.

Then I attached a clasp, using pliers to open the jump rings. Here is a site that sells various clasps etc: http://www.artbeads.com/


If you really prefer FWP, see these loose black FWP in various sizes:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/Loose-Black-Freshwater-Pearl1633.aspx

You can ask PP to drill the pearl wide enough to pass a leather or hemp cord through. Leather will be more durable than hemp. If you decide on hemp, run the hemp through a block of beeswax before stringing it; it will be more water resistant and durable.
 
Hi Matt,

If threading leather through the hole in the pearl, the size of the hole makes a difference, as it should be slightly larger than the leather if your cord is round. If your leather is flat, it can be the same width or perhaps a speck wider as it can smush down a little. It's sometimes difficult matching up leather cord with pearls; I speak from experience. I'm not aware of black freshadama, but there are good quality dyed freshwaters to be had. If you are going to have a hole custom drilled, you will first need to know the width of the leather cord you want to use.
 
Is it difficult to widen the pearl myself? I wouldn't want to damage or crack it. I've got 2mm cord, how big should the hole be for that?

I had been looking at those dyed freshwater pearls, the largest ones only come in AA+ grade though, I don't have any other pearls to compare what that would look like in person.

Thanks for that link! I'm not to keen on the three loose rounds in that link, I do really love one of the carved ones, but it is set already. I looked through the store though and there are two slightly off round Tahitians that I think I would like.
 
Matt,

The pearls you show would work; I especially like colors of the first one for a guy. If you have a reaming tool you could do it yourself, but I'd ask for it to be drilled out. Is your cord round or flat? Some of the drills bits come in slightly larger sizes than 2mm. If you haven't done reaming before I'd recommend asking Druzy to please drill it out for you, and be willing to pay a little extra.

This way you have a very handsome pearl, but not a huge investment if you decide it's not your look.
 
pattye said:
Matt,

The pearls you show would work; I especially like colors of the first one for a guy. If you have a reaming tool you could do it yourself, but I'd ask for it to be drilled out. Is your cord round or flat? Some of the drills bits come in slightly larger sizes than 2mm. If you haven't done reaming before I'd recommend asking Druzy to please drill it out for you, and be willing to pay a little extra.

This way you have a very handsome pearl, but not a huge investment if you decide it's not your look.
Click to expand...

I do prefer the first one myself as well. The cord is round. If I go that route I will definitely ask.

Is the nacre on a Tahitian likely to wear out after a few years? I am still not sure I am sold on them as I feel I am buying a pearl plated bead rather than a solid pearl if I go the freshwater route.
 
​Wow, both of them are gorgeous, but i think the second is most unusual for such a dark rich almost truly black- or are my eyes deceiving me? #2 isn't as round as you like... I love that shade of blue for #1
 
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I think if I pick from one of those two, I will go for the first as I like the blue shine it has and it is closer to round.

Will the pearl be okay if I wear cologne as it won't be on the part of my neck/chest that I put cologne on? The only lotion I ever use on my chest is sunscreen, is that damaging to the pearl? Will it need to be wiped off after? And I do need to wear hairspray sometimes if I am going out somewhere that I need my hair to stay in place and it won't work on its own. I assume I just do that before I put the pearl on?

Am I alright to go swimming in it?
 
A 10mm pearl isn't very big....depending on the look you want you may be visualising something bigger
Drilling a larger hole is pretty straightforward if you have a pearl drill or it can be done with a Dremel type device. There is always the risk of cracking or damage, of course, with any drilling operation.
The best place to get a carved Tahitian would be from Galatea themselves http://www.galateausa.com#
The larger the pearl the more chance of a minor flaw or off roundness. Slight off roundness won't be visible to the naked eye when the pearl is on you
 
Hmmm I haven't had a pearl in hand to compare sizes myself so I was guessing a bit. I am quite tall (6'4") and I do have broad shoulders. I am still quite lean though. Would you think I need a bigger pearl?
Thanks for the link. It's probably right in front of my eyes, but where do I see the price?
The look I was going for is like what the guys in the first photo of this thread are wearing.
 
Wendy has a point, you might want to go for a larger pearl. My suggestion would be to get the inexpensive fw pearl first, string it up and see if you like it. With your height a 12mm pearl would look fine, the 10mm might be a too small. Once you know what pearl size pleases you, get one of the carved pearls. Nothing wrong with having a collection.

You have the right idea about the cologne and sprays. Gently cleaning the pearl and cord after using sunscreen is wise. One of the members here posted a photo of a pearl that had pitted from hair spray. He said it was the aerosol that was so damaging.
 
Great idea! I'll do that. Where could I get a suitable 12mm pearl from? The ones at Pearl Paradise stop at 10-11mm.

Will swimming with the pearl on be alright for it?
 
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