Please help me decide which strand to keep!!!!

[Still learning]

Hi all,

I am completely new to the world of pearls and need your help. I have two Akoya strands and am trying to decide which one (if any) to keep. My husband and I each have a choice. I am not going to state our preferences.

One is smaller than the other, but size should not play a role in your advice to me because I like both sizes. I am mainly looking for shine/glow. I see a difference. Do you?

HELP!!

Thanks!!

(These pics are the best I can do.)

 

[JerseyPearl]

Welcome! Thanks for sharing your photos...we love to help people decide! I prefer the less pink strand. But both are lovely, though and it depends on your skin coloring as well.

 

[MMtwo]

Neck shots would help...agree, your skin tone would be very important in the mix. They are both lovely strands.

 

[Still learning]

LOL. You guys sound just like my BFF -- who is demanding neck shots. I guess I should have thought of that. I definitely appreciate the feedback.

I am not sure why my neck looks so pink. I may be allergic to pearls.

Does one look more lustorous than the other to your trained eyes??

(Both ARE pretty and I feel blessed that this is the kind of thing about which I am preoccupied.)

 

[MMtwo]

Without skin in the equation, it's really hard to know! Here are my thoughts. The rose overtones are softer against your skin and compliment you very much and echo your coloring. If you were born with pearls attached to your neck, I think they would be the rose strand

However, the whiter strand stands out against your skin. I think they will be more visible as a contrast to your skin tone, if that makes sense.

 

[pattye]

Still learning, Welcome!
I'd probably choose the larger strand because of the contrast with your beautiful complexion. It appears to not have been pinked, as most akoya are. The camera can alter our coloring slightly. Both strands are quite close in luster; both appear to be high quality. Tough choice!

 

[Still learning]

MM -- I absolutely understand what you are saying and now I am in love with the idea of people being born with pearls attached to their necks. What a pretty image!!! But you just gave me more to consider, which make my job harder. LOL.

Patty -- Thanks for the welcome and the nice words. I like the more natural look and contrast of the white strand and the romance (thanks for that word MM) of the pink strand, but I can't keep both. To my eye, the pink strand glows a bit more too.

My husband says the white one looks too Marge Simpson. But what does he know?

 

[newberry]

I like how the unpinked strand pops against your skin. If the luster is the comparable on both strands then I would suggest going for size. If you become a pearl collector there is a syndrome called PSS (pearl shrinkage syndrome) and you will want to have a larger pearl size. Therefore I would choose the white larger sized pearl strand.

 

[MMtwo]

My husband says the white one looks too Marge Simpson. But what does he know?

LOL, men. You don't look Marge-like in those pearls. Can you post a shot in each necklace (neckshot) singularly?

 

[cmd2014]

It's a tough choice. I think the rose ones have slightly higher luster. And they go well with your skin tone (they're a bit more subtle and look 'real' so to speak). The silvers look a bit more like freshwater to me even though they're not (I love pinked Akoya though), BUT the luster is good and they have more contrast against your skin.

Keep the ones YOU love, not the ones your husband does.

 

[BWeaves]

I vote for the whiter strand. The pink strand blends into your skin a bit too much and almost disappears. The white strand stands out and says PEARLS! Plus the white pearls are larger, and pearl shrinkage syndrome is a very real thing.

 

[Still learning]

Why is this soooo hard??????? (I am laughing at PSS). Here are shots of each one alone.

 

[cmd2014]

I still think the pink has slightly higher luster, but I agree that the silver pops more against your skin.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I like the larger strand that is cooler toned. It has lots of luster and pops against your skin, and has the advantage of being larger (despite what you said about size.) As we get older (and especially if we get larger) larger pearls tend to look better on us, IMO. It's a question of proportion.

That said, you are the one who is going to be wearing them, so go with the one that you like better.

 

[CathyKeshi]

Welcome, Still Learning! Both strands are lovely. My eye can't distinguish any significant difference in luster between the 2 strands. I really love the way the slightly bigger, more silvery white pearls pop against your neckline Have fun deciding; there's no wrong answer here.

 

[Still learning]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input. One strand (white) is Hanadama. Both are beautiful, but I was expecting the Hanadama strand to really stand out. It definitely shouldn't look like FW, right? So confused. I go back and forth.

But, like you all have noted, they are both pretty, so it isn't like there is a wrong choice.

 

[newberry]

Why is this soooo hard??????? (I am laughing at PSS). Here are shots of each one alone.

Trust us when we say PSS is real

 

[CathyKeshi]

Just my opinion, but I think the white Hanadama strand is the knock out look there ... and no, it doesn't look a bit like FW pearls to me But think on it for a bit, try with different outfits, and go with your heart.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Also, check the strands on your neck in different lighting.

Both of those strands are small compared to South Sea pearls. No risk of a Marge Simpson look!

 

[Still learning]

My BFF has been saying for years that my husband needs to work on his delivery. He could have gone with -- "I like how the pink ones compliment your skin tone," but, instead, he decided that "you look like Marge Simpson" was the better approach. LOL. I am going to take your advice and give each a test drive.

Still laughing about PSS. I have no doubt it is real. But where, when, and how does it end???????