Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2007
- Messages
- 9,741
It's a good idea to buy the earrings and bracelet at the same time even if there is not special pricing, because then they can match the tone better.
Akoya pearls don't really get larger than 10mm, and at those sizes are relatively scarcer and very pricey in top qualities. The reason is that akoya oysters are small and can't tolerate a larger bead nucleus (which is placed in the gonad). South sea pearl oysters are huge and can produce very large pearls! 20mm and larger.
Hanadama pearls are top quality pearls that have been sent to the Pearl Science Lab in Japan for certification. They must meet certain minimum criteria for luster, nacre thickness, cleanliness of surface, and iridescence. 18" strands and loose pairs are certified. I don't think bracelets are; you might need to buy a AAA bracelet instead. (Edit: I seem to have been wrong about hanadama bracelets as obviously there are bracelets for on the PP website!)
Or you could buy a full hanadama strand and have a 2-strand bracelet made from it. Extra pearls, if any, could be made into dangle earrings (for when the baby is older.)
Alternatively you could have it strung as 2 segments, with 2 identical clasps, so it could either be worn as a bracelet or, by connecting the 2 segments end to end, as a necklace.
I'm sure there are even more options.
Virtually all akoya pearls are routinely first bleached (to remove naturally occurring discolorations) and then pinked by soaking in a dye solution. This is done at the factories and is not considered a treatment that has to be disclosed. The pinking is very subtle and the pearls look white against the skin. Natural White Hanadama pearls are not subjected to the same kind of bleaching and they are also not pinked. They are whiter looking. The ones I have seen photos of (I have not seen them in person) have gorgeous pink and blue overtones. See the photos in this thread (click on it): Hanadama pearls from Pearl Paradise.com
You could ask for side by side photos of the natural white hanandamas and the regular (pinked) hanadamas.
Or side by side hanadama and AAA to get an idea of how they compare.
Just a comment about bracelets: They tend to get banged around more than earrings or necklaces. If this bracelet will be worn every day, solid nacre freshwater pearls may be preferable. I personally don't wear pearl bracelets much because they'd be dragging all over my desk as I type, getting wet as I cook and clean etc. I would only put a pearl bracelet on to go out. But that's me.
Akoya pearls don't really get larger than 10mm, and at those sizes are relatively scarcer and very pricey in top qualities. The reason is that akoya oysters are small and can't tolerate a larger bead nucleus (which is placed in the gonad). South sea pearl oysters are huge and can produce very large pearls! 20mm and larger.
Hanadama pearls are top quality pearls that have been sent to the Pearl Science Lab in Japan for certification. They must meet certain minimum criteria for luster, nacre thickness, cleanliness of surface, and iridescence. 18" strands and loose pairs are certified. I don't think bracelets are; you might need to buy a AAA bracelet instead. (Edit: I seem to have been wrong about hanadama bracelets as obviously there are bracelets for on the PP website!)
Or you could buy a full hanadama strand and have a 2-strand bracelet made from it. Extra pearls, if any, could be made into dangle earrings (for when the baby is older.)
Alternatively you could have it strung as 2 segments, with 2 identical clasps, so it could either be worn as a bracelet or, by connecting the 2 segments end to end, as a necklace.
I'm sure there are even more options.
Virtually all akoya pearls are routinely first bleached (to remove naturally occurring discolorations) and then pinked by soaking in a dye solution. This is done at the factories and is not considered a treatment that has to be disclosed. The pinking is very subtle and the pearls look white against the skin. Natural White Hanadama pearls are not subjected to the same kind of bleaching and they are also not pinked. They are whiter looking. The ones I have seen photos of (I have not seen them in person) have gorgeous pink and blue overtones. See the photos in this thread (click on it): Hanadama pearls from Pearl Paradise.com
You could ask for side by side photos of the natural white hanandamas and the regular (pinked) hanadamas.
Or side by side hanadama and AAA to get an idea of how they compare.
Just a comment about bracelets: They tend to get banged around more than earrings or necklaces. If this bracelet will be worn every day, solid nacre freshwater pearls may be preferable. I personally don't wear pearl bracelets much because they'd be dragging all over my desk as I type, getting wet as I cook and clean etc. I would only put a pearl bracelet on to go out. But that's me.
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