Opinion on Black Freshwater Upgrade?

How about getting a really nice Tahitian bracelet and then start saving up for a tahitian necklace? You get to see and appreciate your tahitians in a bracelet. Kojima pearls currently has 18percent off and has some very pretty tahitian bracelets within your price range.
 
Also, I just want to add that of all the forums I'm on, this one is the friendliest. :) The amount of snark one encounters on some forums would make anyone think twice about posting. :rolleyes:

I absolutely agree that this has been a fantastically friendly forum! I enjoy spending time here :)
 
I say save up for the good stuff. You'll never regret the money you've spent. If you buy inexpensively then it can be money wasted...not all the time...but overall you don't regret buying well.

There are lots of pretty pearls out there for just around your budget... what colour did you want that you can't find in baroque?

I'm on the hunt for some smaller blues. I'm perfectly ok with mixed blues and greens, too. I tend to only find the blues in high-end rounds at $3-5k, or as singles via Kojima. I was able to nab a 10-lot of off-round and slight-drop blues from Sarah at Kojima that I'm making into a pretty tin cup right now with some ashy aquamarines - I can't wait for that to be done! - but I've yet to find a strand of them that I like that isn't something I'd have to save up a year and a half for ;) I definitely want to save for a Kamoka strand at some point, and I know that their prices are higher due to their sustainable practices, and I'm sure they're worth it!!
 
How about getting a really nice Tahitian bracelet and then start saving up for a tahitian necklace? You get to see and appreciate your tahitians in a bracelet. Kojima pearls currently has 18percent off and has some very pretty tahitian bracelets within your price range.

I wish I were a bracelet gal but I'm not :) But I'm always on the hunt at Kojima! There was one that got away from me at the beginning of the sale that I coveted awhile - I hope whoever got it loves it loads!
 
I'm happy to discuss 'wish lists' with regular customers and that will always include price. If they can afford $1k and I am on a sourcing trip looking at pearls specifically for them which start at $3k wholesale neither of us are going to be happy and a lot of time will be wasted.
That makes sense!
How about getting a really nice Tahitian bracelet and then start saving up for a tahitian necklace? You get to see and appreciate your tahitians in a bracelet. Kojima pearls currently has 18percent off and has some very pretty tahitian bracelets within your price range.
Thank you for that info! I'm not sure about a bracelet....I thought maybe eventually but I am more interested in neckwear and earrings. But eventually I want ALL the things lol. To be honest though, for Tahitian, a bracelet might be the way to start, the more I think about it.
I say save up for the good stuff. You'll never regret the money you've spent. If you buy inexpensively then it can be money wasted...not all the time...but overall you don't regret buying well.

There are lots of pretty pearls out there for just around your budget... what colour did you want that you can't find in baroque?
This is true. I would much rather have quality over quantity.
 
I understand your concerns because we've all started out in a similar situation. What to buy, where to shop, how much to spend, etc... One thing I do is ask how much something is. If it is out of my price range, I'll ask if they have something a little bit cheaper. If it is less than I can spend and I want something better, I'll ask if they have something a bit nicer. The retailer wants to make the sale and for you to be happy. I don't tell them how much I have to spend unless I trust them or their prices are in print.

Like you, I was overwhelmed when I buying my first Tahitian strand. Prices were pretty high buying an already made strand so I contacted a wholesaler (who doesn't sell anymore to individuals, sadly). I told him what I wanted and how much I wanted to spend. His prices were online and so it was easy to rearrange what I wanted, the sizes, and the number of pearls. It did take time and cooperation with the seller. I strung my pearls myself (first time doing this) and love my strand. I've replaced a few of the pearls in the strand over the years, but I have not really wanted another main T strand because I love mine so much. So I highly recommend getting a strand that you love. If not, you'll be spending more money on getting another strand in the future. And for the record, I have bought other T strands, just nothing to replace my main T strand. The others are different types of T strands (circles, tin cups, etc..).
 
MoonSprinkles, there will always be pearl-lovers who have more, or less, budget. Please don't let that matter. So much is preference anyway: for instance while I appreciate and admire the rarity and matchedness of perfect rounds, I really prefer ovals and baroques. I like the way they feel, I like the way they seem to have movement to my eye and hand. And though I have added some fine pearls to my small collection over time (small by P-G standards, large by the standards of everyone else I know) I still depend on a strand of inexpensive oval multi-colored FW color-change metallics given to me by a dear friend. Though it is almost true that whatever pearls I am looking at in the moment are my favorite, FW metallics can always be depended upon to flutter my magpie heart.

So - Like what you like, save for what you really want, keep on looking and learning, and above all, Enjoy.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth
 
I understand your concerns because we've all started out in a similar situation. What to buy, where to shop, how much to spend, etc... One thing I do is ask how much something is. If it is out of my price range, I'll ask if they have something a little bit cheaper. If it is less than I can spend and I want something better, I'll ask if they have something a bit nicer. The retailer wants to make the sale and for you to be happy. I don't tell them how much I have to spend unless I trust them or their prices are in print.

Like you, I was overwhelmed when I buying my first Tahitian strand. Prices were pretty high buying an already made strand so I contacted a wholesaler (who doesn't sell anymore to individuals, sadly). I told him what I wanted and how much I wanted to spend. His prices were online and so it was easy to rearrange what I wanted, the sizes, and the number of pearls. It did take time and cooperation with the seller. I strung my pearls myself (first time doing this) and love my strand. I've replaced a few of the pearls in the strand over the years, but I have not really wanted another main T strand because I love mine so much. So I highly recommend getting a strand that you love. If not, you'll be spending more money on getting another strand in the future. And for the record, I have bought other T strands, just nothing to replace my main T strand. The others are different types of T strands (circles, tin cups, etc..).
I am glad I'm not the first overwhelmed person, lol! Thanks for the encouragement, I just restrung an older necklace I had and I really do like stringing so loose beads might be an option for me.

MoonSprinkles, there will always be pearl-lovers who have more, or less, budget. Please don't let that matter. So much is preference anyway: for instance while I appreciate and admire the rarity and matchedness of perfect rounds, I really prefer ovals and baroques. I like the way they feel, I like the way they seem to have movement to my eye and hand. And though I have added some fine pearls to my small collection over time (small by P-G standards, large by the standards of everyone else I know) I still depend on a strand of inexpensive oval multi-colored FW color-change metallics given to me by a dear friend. Though it is almost true that whatever pearls I am looking at in the moment are my favorite, FW metallics can always be depended upon to flutter my magpie heart.

So - Like what you like, save for what you really want, keep on looking and learning, and above all, Enjoy.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth
Thanks for that, I think I needed to hear it. It's hard not to compare sometimes. I honestly also prefer Baroque and drop shapes. They have pretty color and character, and suit my overall style a bit more. My current favorite stand is a very very inexpensive strand I got from Catherine Cardellini, they are big and dyed but I love the way they look and feel!
 
PearlDreams, That is a much better way of looking at it! I always assumed it meant that I have uneducated taste and didn't know what I was missing lol.
 
With technology you will always have to eventually upgrade. With a strand of pearls you love, those are timeless :)
 
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