Online stores to buy pearl necklace?

[volt26]

Hello everyone. My girlfriend recently showed a lot of interest for a pearl necklace. We visited many jewelry stores and we asked questions.. I was very disappointed by the fact that none of them were able to give me a specific quality gradation based on industry standards (if there is any).

Also, jewelry stores are shady and look no better than my local pawn shop in my opinion.

I would like to know your opinion about online stores. Can I expect to have more for my money there? What sites do you consider reliable and trustworthy? I prefer canadian websites to avoid trouble with the borders but I'm open to all suggestions.

So far my eyes went on a set from https://www.pearlsonly.ca/white-freshwater-5-6mm-pearl-set.html

My girlfriend specifically showed interest into 5.5mm white pearls. Where they come from has no importance to her, she told me as long as it's a pearl, I don't care if it was farmed or if a diver found it in the bottom of the sea.

I want to make sure I don't do a stupid move (like get a 20$ piece of junk for 200$) so please share your opinions and give me your recommendations. Thank you very much!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Generally speaking, online stores can afford to sell their pearls for less since they do not have the same overhead costs as brick and mortar stores. They can buy large volumes and cut out the middleman.

There are no industry standards for pearl grading (other than top of the line akoya pearls which must pass specific standards to be given a "Hanadama" certificate by the Pearl Science Lab in Japan.) Every vendor makes up his or her own grading system. Hopefully they would have a page where they explain what you can expect from each grade. The most common one by far is an A-AAA system.

Some vendors, like the one you are looking at, use an A-AAAA system. In their system a set of AAA pearls are not their best quality. I looked for a chart on their website for a description of what AAA means but didn't find one.

I also notice that the clasp on that set is only 10K gold and there is a huge markup if you want a 14K clasp. The earrings look button-shaped instead of round. 5-6mm is also very small.

 

[Katbran]

There are several very good online store in the USA and some in Europe . It's easiest to shop online close to or with your own country as it's avoids issses of duty and customs . Also if there is a problem returns are more difficult. What country are you in ?

If America you can look at Pearl Paradise and see what they have - it's good to call them and tell them exactly what you want and your budget and they can find something that works for you. In England you have Pearlessence .

Are you sure about the size ? Those would be very tiny pearls .

 

[Pearl Dreams]

... I prefer canadian websites to avoid trouble with the borders but I'm open to all suggestions.
...

We have a Canadian member, cmd2014, who has experience with purchases from US vendors. On other threads she posted this:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/s...ikimoto-Pearls&p=172904&viewfull=1#post172904

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/s...rls-in-Toronto&p=149042&viewfull=1#post149042

 

[SunSeeker]

I agree with all of the above comments and would suggest you look at the online sites to better understand the various factors that influence pearl valuation. Any reputable dealer will share thier grading system so that you can compare apples to apples within products on their site. I agree, 5.5mm is very small, but I personnally like the tiny pearls, especially in a longer rope that can be worn long or doubled. And keep in mind that "farmed" pearls are in fact real pearls!

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

Uggg. I went to their site to look at their merchandise and now their online store ads are on every page I view online...

 

[BWeaves]

Clear your cache, your cookies, your browser history, and their ads should go away.

 

[Karman]

volt26, I'm from Canada, and I do the majority of my online shopping across the border. I have never encountered any major issues with getting shipments cleared across the border, or having a parcel confiscated, if that's what you're worried about. I probably receive upwards of 50 parcels a year coming in from the US. If possible, avoiding couriers like UPS or FedEx will save you $$ in brokerage charges, but it also depends on the shipping service that is used. Some expensive like UPS Worldwide Express includes the brokerage, so you'll just have to pay duty+taxes.

You can use this calculator to estimate how much you might have to pay for duties:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/dte-acl/est-cal-eng.html

Pearl Jewelry made in the USA is duty free but you will have to pay GST/HST on it. If coming from elsewhere, I think it carries a 10% duty + GST/HST.

 

[Pearly-Whites]

Another online vendor to add to this would be American Pearl.