Mikimoto vs. Hanadama vs. AAA American Pearl

[kalel]

Hello. I am in the market to purchase a strand of pearls for my wife. My main concern is to purchase a strand of high quality that will look amazing. My wife mentioned to me that Mikimoto is the finest quality and I have since read various websites. I do not wish regrets and want to surprise my wife with the "OOOH" factor but the sites are very convincing. There is a lot of confusion, particularly regarding Hamadama pearls. I would appreciate assistance in the following questions:

1. How do the Internet site Hanadama Pearls compare with a Mikimoto A1 or A+ strand? Apart from price, how do they differ in quality, value and appearance?

2. One site (American Pearl) markets their highest quality of pearls as AAA and not Hanadama. How does the American Pearl AAA compare to Mikimoto A1 or A+ and how do they compare to the Hanadama pearls mentioned by the other sites?

3. American Pearl's Hanadama pearls appear to be substantially less in cost than the Hanadama Pearls of the other sites or the AAA pearls of its own site. If Hanadama is the finest quality (according to some sites) how is this so?

4. Pearl Paradise appears to sell all white natural Hanadama pearls that do not go thru a pinking process. No other site markets any such strand. Is this a better quality and better looking pearl?

I would greatly appreciate any honest assistance that anyone can provide. Thank you.

 

[Caitlin]

1. ...
I have seen very fine Mikimotos at a gem show, side by side with a strand from Pearl Paradise. If anything, the PP strand was a perfect strand. No blemishes. The highest possible quality. It was outstanding. Mikimoto also placed their best pearls on display and in my opinion, the strand from Pearl Paradise was as good as anything Mikimoto had on display when compared side by side..

2. I don't know how American Pearl's AAA or A+ really does compare to Mikimoto, as Mikimoto's grading system is proprietary. Mikimoto has made the statement that American Pearl's product is not equivalent while American Pearl claims that they are. I guess it comes down to who do you believe. If American Pearl's claim is true, the picture below should also answer your first question. The necklace on the bottom is a hanadama necklace from American Pearl and the necklace on the top is a hanadama necklace from Pearl Paradise. American Pearl claims that their A+ is the same as hanadama and the same as Mikimoto's A+ grade. So as you can see, the hanadama on the top is much better quality. If their claim is true, the hanadama from Pearl Paradise is much better quality than Mikimoto's A+.

3. Number two should answer number three. Not all hanadama are created equal. American Pearl's hanadama are inferior to Pearl Paradise.

4...
I have also been able to compare PP's untreated AAA hanadama quality pearls with their treated AAA hanadamas. Until that moment, the treated hanadamas were all I had ever seen, and they were obviously among the best quality akoyas you could find. They were better than most AAA strands because only the most exquisite quality of AAA is sent to the labs to get what should be a very special designation.

When I saw the untreated hanadama strand, I was more impressed than with any previous akoya strands I had ever seen, the Mikimoto exhibit included. One could lose oneself in the depths of the iridescent luster, the way the light played on it from different angles was breathtaking. They had a deep luster akin to SS pearls, but the surface still had the blazingly bright luster characteristic of akoya pearls. This immediately became my new standard for best akoyas around.

 

[GemGeek]

Here are two photos of my natural white Hanadama akoyas from Pearl Paradise. The first is in indirect daylight and the second is in sunshine. Does this help?

 

[Alex]

Blaire- those are breathtakingly beautiful pearls

true Hanadamas

 

[Caitlin]

I still gasp at the photos. NO PINKING!!!!! It is amazing how pretty pearls can be with the treatments, but these pearls are so much better!

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

Pretty pearls Blaire. Kalel, Have you considered ordering in a strand of pearls from several places to compare side by side? I believe most places have good return policies.

 

[Honey_and_Lemon]

High quality akoya's are going to have a wow factor. It's the nature of Akoya pearls. As matter of marketing/customer assurance, vendors may send out high quality strands to get a Hanadama certificate, which will disclose information about the quality of the pearls, and sets some standards for the overall quality of the strand.

Mikimoto sells high quality pearls for very high prices. IMHO you won't go wrong on quality with mikimoto, but chances are you could have spent less for the same quality or gotten better for the same cost.

Some people seem to get very wound up over the idea of akoya pearls being treated to enhance their appearance. Usually those people arent in the market for akoya pearls to begin with. Akoya pearls are washed, and bleached, and buffed after being removed from the oyster to improve and stabilize the color and surface of the pearls (which tends to be off-white to ivory toned in its natural state).

In Japan, they like pearls with a pinkish rose overtone, so many akoya's are "pinked" to enhance that overtone. In the US, they tend to like silver toned pearls, so there is very little added color. This doesn't really matter, as a high quality strand will be well matched, in general the rose tone vanishes when the pearls on your skin. For high quality akoya's you should be able to see your reflection in the pearl, the better the luster/surface the clearer the reflection will be.

To see another example of a hanadama strand, look in Jeweljunke's portfolio.

 

[GemGeek]

Thanks for the compliments. Honey and Lemon, you're right in that the pinked pearls don't appear pink once they are on the skin. They are all beautiful. My pearls have a balance of blue and pink overtones, which I find irresistible.

 

[newberry]

I have seen GemGeek wearing the strand above giving a talk under regular room lighting. She looked like she was wearing a necklace of white neon they had a glow from within. I am not a fan of Akoyas but her strand is something to behold they are that good!

 

[kelluvpearls]

Thanks for the compliments. Honey and Lemon, you're right in that the pinked pearls don't appear pink once they are on the skin. They are all beautiful. My pearls have a balance of blue and pink overtones, which I find irresistible.

hi GemGeek

Is your strand representative of the usual natural white Hanadama Akoya strand sold on Pearl Paradise's website or is your strand of a higher quality than the standard fare?

 

[GemGeek]

I picked it out of a batch in person, but they were all pretty close in quality. Jeremy had one amazing strand that was a level better - each pearl handpicked - but he donated it to the CPAA pearl museum display. I also got to compare it to the pinked Hanadamas and they were very pretty too, but the natural whites just pop. If you have seen all the photos I have taken of it, you'll see that it looks very different from light to light. Newberry is right - the pearls look good in standard fluorescent lighting too. In some light they look like regular pearls, but not often.

If you're thinking about them, remember you can always order, then return them if they don't ring your chimes. That's the only way to find out if you like them. I used to hate akoya pearls - just ask Caitlin! We used to joke about pearly ball-bearings.

And then one day I saw a strand in the PP office and it changed my mind. Here is the photo of the first one I saw before Jeremy decided to carry them...



Later, I tried it on at the first Ruckus, then I forgot I had it on, when one of the staff politely asked to retrieve it!

 

[Caitlin]

Oh, yeah, you SO forgot.

I think many of us pearl plated bead snobs have been won over by the natural untreated akoyas. It is the color and overtones that are so important. The number of flaws would not matter to me if it had those bi-color overtones Blaire's had. I guess they could tint blue as they do pink, but I doubt they could get them both on one pearl.

 

[GemGeek]

Well, I was pretty sure they weren't giving out party favors!

 

[kelluvpearls]

Gemgeek thanks for the description, your strand is truly amazing. I am still not totally won over by Akoyas (luckily I haven't seen yours in real life). It's good to know that if someone orders from Pearl Paradise online they will get similar quality. However, I am sure it is a whole lot more fun being able to pick your own pearls from the vault.

 

[dkan 168]

Top quality large akoyas are beyond my reach, therefore, I shall continue to admire those on show on PG.

DK

 

[Amanda]

Later, I tried it on at the first Ruckus, then I forgot I had it on, when one of the staff politely asked to retrieve it!

We believe you, darling - thousands wouldn't.....

 

[Adeline Leigh]

How in the wide world does an oyster get so clever at laying down such a gorgeous PINK overtone? Those were lovely pictures, Blaire. Thank you.

 

[Katbran]

Sigh ... one day I would like to see all these pearls in person! The photos are amazing!

 

[Caitlin]

GG, Remember how I put that strand from Nerida on at that same ruckus (i think) and forgot I was wearing it. I woke up and realized that wasn't my strand of pearls. So I am the last one who should tease you! It is so totally fun to put on pearls unlike anyone I own.

 

[Honey_and_Lemon]

I like the "natural white" akoyas, but I really think the standard for pearls if the strand look high quality and looks good on you. Once you leave the world of low-quality, everything starts looking pretty good.

A simple experiment is to go to a mall that has a mid-range department store, a mall jeweler, and high end jeweler/department store (Tiffany's, Nordstrom, Ross Simons, Saks). Ask to look at pearls at the department store, ask for a saltwater strand, or if the counterstaff is clueless, look for the strand with the spherical pearls, and try to find the one that is most out of place on the price/value curve (e.g they may have a good 5.5-6.0, but the 6.5-7.0 would be worse, or the longer strand is worse). Roll it back and forth on the chamois, looking for divots, dull spots (especially near the drill hole), chalkiness, or variations in the brightness/overtones of the pearls, look at the pearls nearer to the clasp.

Next wander over to Zales/Kay and look at Blue Lagoon/Sea Magic by Mikimoto strands. These are probably a bit nicer, you may notice that they have a bit of glow to them, try stepping back away from the glass counter and look them as well. Look carefully at the clasp, its important. If you want to be obnoxious ask how they compare to the Mikimoto strands at Nordies/Saks/Ross Simons or say that ones you saw there were nicer.

Next invoke your inner Audrey Hepburn and wander over to Tiffany's or Nordies/Saks/Ross, and ask to look at pearls. They may have a house brands of pearls and probably sell Mikimoto as well. Compare these pearls the same way to the previous ones. Ask about the price.

Now go back to the department store, and look at the original pearls. This should give you a feel for what to look for.