Japanese Kasumi vs. Chinese "Look-a-likes"

[Caitlin]

Yes! Everyone with Kasumi's and Chinese freshwaters, raise your hands! (and post your photos please!)

Adeline, those earrings are divine! And yes, that last pair is wonderful - those caps are amazing!

I'm glad someone else bought some from the same vendor (the hame of the women who sold me mine is Janet. Funny how you can tell the same pearls just from the photos!). And thanks, I had wondered exactly how dark they were as some of the photos were a bit lighter than others (but dark purple would have suited me just fine as well!) I was looking at some spacer beads for them as I think the strand may be a bit short without them (and I like the look). I think rose gold would be nice. Was thinking of some daisy bali beads but then I saw these rough cut ones and thought they suited the pearls a bit more...... I think I prefer the rounder ones to the square...... but I do like how "raw" the square ones look. I used them in silver on another necklace I have.
View attachment 13445View attachment 13446

Did youe ver put up a link to those beads?

 

[mausketeer]

i don't know if i did........ here it is...... she did a reserved listing for me for a full strand..... the ones i got were a tiny bit more 'flameball' in shape than these in the photos (although they were the same pearls - you know how different hanks can have different shapes or colours, even if they are the same, just by the way they are grouped......)

i just find they are too BIG (yes, i think some pearls can be too big now! imagine that! lol), and HEAVY...... and like, what do i WEAR with them???? only worn them once or twice since i got them.......

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73766674/freshwater-pearl-round-baroque-natural

- jodie -

 

[mausketeer]

i did have photos - thought they were on my flash drive....... here they are!

- jodie -

 

[lisa c]

Wow, the colors are mag, aren't they? Still, I know what you mean about weight. I won two on ebay, and they aren't even that big, but they're heavy, too heavy for elderly earlobes. I think a bracelet is a good option, or a pendant.

 

[Adeline Leigh]

WOAH! oil-slick pondslimes... lovely; shame about them being heavy; mine from janet are alright for the earlobes though... for now, I'd probably pay for it it ten years or so.

 

[mausketeer]

yeah, the colours are crazy! and they're the kind that changes from light source to light source (even in the same room!) "they're lavender, no wait, they're bronze, oh, they're sort of green......" etc.......

i did consider breaking the strand up and doing a lariat style with them but i thought it might look kind of weird - would need a really thick leather cord to balance the size of the pearls.......

well is anyone interested in buying THESE? nobody bit on my silver/green tahitians....... please message me if you are.......

- jodie -

 

[dmj]

i bought these around 2 years aggo already forgot i had them

foto made with a led ring light

 

[dmj]

its amazing how these pearls look like when you light them out the good way

 

[lisa c]

Ouch, my retinae feel burned!

 

[dmj]

the chinese woman at the hong kong show was quite annoyed with me i took like 30 kilo s of loose pearls and i searched for 3 hours getting the colors out there hehe

because somebody from my company just bought a 15 mm round fw necklace they where like oke we let him search they have spend some money already

 

[KarinK]

Good for you, Daniel But how can you forget you have pearls like that? You have too many!

- Karin

 

[dmj]

haha yes way to many i am cleaning everything at the moment so i am finding lots of nice things

 

[waimeamomi]

I just saw Sarah/Kojima at the Santa Monica show. She has some gorgeous Chinese Kasumi style pearls. Amazing.

 

[Katbran]

sigh, I just love the colours! When I clean things up..I only find dust bunnies...

 

[Joyful Grow]

Baroque pearl has unique shape. It should be designed well for fashion.

 

[Caitlin]

Joyful grow
Who are you? Don't tell people that irregular pearls are worthless! The ones on this thread are all highly sought after pearls of deep color and incredible luster! Why don't you quit commenting and read. You will learn more about pearls than you already know. You obviously have no idea what the pearls on this thread really are!

 

[Amrita]

This is such a great thread that I have just gone through! WOW- what beautiful pearls, great pictures and really educative and enlightening! Thanks all!

 

[Adeline Leigh]

Amrita, you are in the thick of the action, can you get us more of these? From my personal experience, my supplier's prices on these have since doubled since they first started appearing on the Chinese freshwater market 2-3 years back.

Joyful Grow, we don't just love our round iridescent pearls but these weird and wonderful ones as well. Even the textured (wrinkly skin ones with blemishes) are valuable, please go on ebay and look for "Japanese kasumi pearls". The prices will blow your mind.

And I'm adding on to the wonderful pearls shown on this thread. Perhaps you could, I quote, "Look and learn". These aren't low value value pearls; Kojima's and Catherine's pearls are in a lot of our opinions absolutely fabulous. These in my wardrobe get a lot more compliments and attention then my regular rounds that everyone else more or less already owns.

 

[Sea Urchin]

Oh, dear, I think I need a twelve step program, lol. There are some real beauties on this thread.

Excuse my likely dumbness, but on the whole Chinese vs. Japanese thing, Kasumi and otherwise, do y'all think any or much of that is really just "snob appeal" or whatever you'd call it? From my limited knowledge so far, it seems Japanese is thought to equal high class, Chinese not so much. I hear about that with the akoya pearls and people wanting assurance that theirs are from Japan. Does it matter?

 

[Adeline Leigh]

This is what I have come to understand since I love love love my baroque kooky pearls so so much. Experts, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong

From what Sarah (Kojima) and Fuji (Pacific) say, the Japanese harvest is really small, they're down to a couple of farmers in Lake Kasumigura doing the pearl thing. Plus cost of labour in Japan is high and we all know pearling is not something you can automate and reap in the profits. The Chinese freshwater industry has many players in the production front and labour is thankfully cheap (for now) hence the lower prices.

Howver, the Chinese are amazingly innovative and have been experimenting with in-body nucleation teachniques for a couple of years now and the iridescence and shapes on these lookalike pearls is mindblowing. The lower quality lookalike Chinese kasumis can be had for $100 but don't have the same vivid colours, rainbow orient and smoother skins than the pricier strands ($500 and above).

I don't own any a single kasumi pearl though I will admit to owning more than ten strands of the Chinese lookalikes at various price points. I therefore can't do a Japanese vs Chinese side by side comparison (I do think Sarah's done something similar before, can anyone surface the post?) though I can discuss and fondle my way around the varying quality and grades of the Chinese lookalike kasumis.

I'm sure this has been shared countless of times here on PG but, in truth, Sarah's museum quality Japanese strand (created in 2000 and now priced at $7200) defies all words and descriptions. I'm attaching her photos here in case one lucky person buys this and we lose the url (http://shop.kojimapearl.com/products/japan-kasumi-museum-strand) to this spectacular strand. Oh why can't the lucky person be me?