I want a strand longer than 18"...

MK Fine Pearls

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Hi Dear All,
I am a newb, but a fast learner and a curious one :)
I am trying to find a strand of the higher quality but having a hard time to find anything longer than 18". I guess it is just a standard length that stands are created at, giving its popularity and difficulty of matching. But I NEED something longer - 20-22" come to mind. I do not like chockers, I'm 49, an XL, and I do not find attractive a short strand on not so young lady (I know, this is subjective :p ).
I thought about a possibility of buying two separate strands of 18" and 16", for example, and restringing them, making a longer strand and a bracelet, let say... But I'd rather spend more on quality than on quantity.
What a girl to do?
Thank you in advance!
 
Can you string? Because if you can (or if you want to learn) then buy top quality temporary strands - the strands we sellers use to make our finished jewellery. You'll need to request two matched strands - or a nice seller might be able to find you a full strand and a half (left overs!)
 
Can you string? Because if you can (or if you want to learn) then buy top quality temporary strands - the strands we sellers use to make our finished jewellery. You'll need to request two matched strands - or a nice seller might be able to find you a full strand and a half (left overs!)

Thank you for your reply, Dear PS!
I have never tried to string anything like that. I have a few older freshwater strings, that worth nothing to practice on, but since I want Hanadama and/or AAA I would not risk it and I would definitely need a professional help with matching. Thus, it should come from PP or another wonderful source, already ready to be worn and enjoyed.
 
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You won't damage pearls by stringing them..and the beauty of learning is that you can cut it up and do it again and again. All of us sellers can match a couple of strands for you (although matching white pearls can be incredibly difficult. So many subtleties of colour, overtone, lustre)
 
I suggest you contact PP or whoever you want, and request that 2 matched hanadama (or AAA) strands be strung to the length you desire. They could also turn the leftover pearls into a matching bracelet or dangle earrings for you. :)

I'll be 62 soon, and while I still like wearing shorter strands, I also like larger pearls. My favorite strands are in the 9mm to 13mm range...large enough to look good on an older woman but not so large as to be heavy on my neck. If you like baroque shaped pearls you can still get beautiful pearls with great luster that don't break the bank.
 
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Hi Dear All,
I am a newb, but a fast learner and a curious one :)
I am trying to find a strand of the higher quality but having a hard time to find anything longer than 18". I guess it is just a standard length that stands are created at, giving its popularity and difficulty of matching. But I NEED something longer - 20-22" come to mind. I do not like chockers, I'm 49, an XL, and I do not find attractive a short strand on not so young lady (I know, this is subjective :p ).
I thought about a possibility of buying two separate strands of 18" and 16", for example, and restringing them, making a longer strand and a bracelet, let say... But I'd rather spend more on quality than on quantity.
What a girl to do?
Thank you in advance!


If you contact some of the online vendors like Pearl Paradise, etc. and tell them what you want, they can sell you a strand of pearls priced by the inch. I've done that before with great success.
 
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BWeaves, can she do that (buy by the inch) with hanadama pearls too? Do you know?
 
BWeaves, can she do that (buy by the inch) with hanadama pearls too? Do you know?

I doubt it, if she wants the entire strand certified as hanadama. In looking at the hanadama certificate samples, the strand is certified for the exact pearls submitted for certification.

The vendor should be able to lengthen a non certified strand, such as AAA, with additional pearls.
 
PP is entirely trustworthy, but there are sellers of fake hanadamas with duplicated certificates. It's expensive to certify hanadama pearls, so getting those extra pearls may not be easy, but you should ask. Good luck! :)
 
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I doubt it, if she wants the entire strand certified as hanadama. In looking at the hanadama certificate samples, the strand is certified for the exact pearls submitted for certification.

The vendor should be able to lengthen a non certified strand, such as AAA, with additional pearls.

oh, interesting point. I didn't know about it. I guess need to ask Jeremy directly whether it is possible to make my string longer out of two Hanadama strings, or maybe make it a string and a half, though I am not sure I care for the look.
 
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Merry Christmas, Dear Pearl Lovers, and Connoisseurs!
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PP got me a 36 strand of Hanadamas. I had to wait a little for it because it was not in stock. 2 strands of Hanadamas won't match each other to make a 36 in strand. They have to come as the 36 inch rope in order to all match. But if you want a particular length, they can get it for you. Now, for Hanadamas, you might have to buy a 36 strand and then have them string it to the length you want, but you'll have extra pearls, too. You'll get them all. For Freshadamas, or any other type of pearl, you can buy them by the inch.
 
I asked a seller about a 22 inch strand of blue akoyas. He has them available up to 24 inches but they are the baroque pearls. He did tell me that the hanadamas in blue akoya are certified at only 18", and that if pearls were added to that strand, it would not be considered certified for later re-sale.
 
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Merry Christmas!

We do lengthen or shorten hanadama strands when the pearls are available. We often have people request shorter strands so we give them the option of a shorter strand at the same price and they keep all the pearls (the same number in the certificate), or we shorten it and discount the strand. Those pearls are kept aside with the rest of our certed pearls. When someone wants a longer one, often we can use the left-over pearls.

To get an exact length of pearls that have been certified as a strand, the pearls have to be matched in Japan and then sent to a lab for certification. This is important. I've seen "hanadama" for sale at any desired length, size and even overtone, which is impossible and you can be certain the strands would never match the certificate and the pearls are not certified.
 
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Merry Christmas!

We do lengthen or shorten hanadama strands when the pearls are available. We often have people request shorter strands so we give them the option of a shorter strand at the same price and they keep all the pearls (the same number in the certificate), or we shorten it and discount the strand. Those pearls are kept aside with the rest of our certed pearls. When someone wants a longer one, often we can use the left-over pearls.

To get an exact length of pearls that have been certified as a strand, the pearls have to be matched in Japan and then sent to a lab for certification. This is important. I've seen "hanadama" for sale at any desired length, size and even overtone, which is impossible and you can be certain the strands would never match the certificate and the pearls are not certified.

Merry Christmas, Jeremy!
Thank you for your answer!
I am not sure I completely got it though. So it can be done but not so easily, right? So it is not a matter of simple restringing, right?

I can wait for the right length, time is not an issue.
 
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I asked a vendor about a 22 inch strand of blue akoyas. He has them available up to 24 inches but they are the baroque pearls. He did tell me that the hanadamas in blue akoya are certified at only 18", and that if pearls were added to that strand, it would not be considered certified for later re-sale.

Thank you, mrsadm!
That is an important piece of information to understand and consider.
 
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PP got me a 36 strand of Hanadamas. I had to wait a little for it because it was not in stock. 2 strands of Hanadamas won't match each other to make a 36 in strand. They have to come as the 36 inch rope in order to all match. But if you want a particular length, they can get it for you. Now, for Hanadamas, you might have to buy a 36 strand and then have them string it to the length you want, but you'll have extra pearls, too. You'll get them all. For Freshadamas, or any other type of pearl, you can buy them by the inch.

thank you, BWeaves!
Would it be possible to see a picture of your string worn? Pretty please? :)
 
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