Tahitian Pearl Necklace- Advice?

[alg]

Hi all,

Long-time lurker of Pearl Guide here. First off, thank you for all the wonderful info! I finally decided to invest in a Tahitian pearl necklace. I bought online and was pretty disappointed, luckily the site has a good return policy. The necklace looked much darker and greener in body color in the picture online and was described as having a dark body color with subtle peacock overtones. What I received looked like bright silver balls in both artificial and natural light.

Have any of you had this experience? How do you decode the terminology online re: Tahitian pearls? I'm looking for a black pearls with green overtones.

Thank you in advance!

 

[CortezPearls]

Hello Alg and Welcome to our Pearl Loving Forum

You've got an interesting question there that I hope some of our Forum members will be able to tackle.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi alg,

Tahitian pearls are not actually black. They have a body color (most commonly either light or dark gray or green) and may also have overtone colors.

Overtones tend to pop in diffuse light -- indoors in indirect light, and outdoors in the shade or on an overcast day, and in studio lighting and a light box. In my experience the overtones one sees in one's own home are not nearly as prominent as what one sees in seller photos. Some folks request "normal light" photos from sellers to get a better idea of what the pearls they are considering may look like in their own homes.

Overtone colors may be subtle or stronger. Overtones tend to be more visible on lighter colored pearls.
Dark pearls with strong overtones, being less common, would be pricier than dark pearls with subtle overtones.

What concerns me is that you say the pearls look like bright silver balls, despite the description being dark body color. So I'm wondering if you got the actual strand you ordered or whether you were accidentally sent the wrong strand. Count the pearls, examine the strand carefully to ascertain this.

 

[StarryPearl]

I could be terribly wrong but I somehow feel like you received a strand of silver blue Akoya. I would definitely contact the customer service with a photo and let them confirm if I were you.

 

[alg]

Thank you both for your replies! I definitely think these are Tahitians, but have a light grey/silver body color. The number of pearls matches the number of pearls on the seller's website. I've tried looking at the pearls in several different angles and light, and I can't make them look (even remotely) like the pearls on the website. I'll contact the seller and ask if they sent accidentally sent the wrong strand.

I will definitely ask for normal light photos in the future- that way I can make sure that the pearls have a dark body color.

 

[pattye]

Can you post a photo here? (Please, against a white background.)

 

[alg]

Here are some photos. These were taken in a well-lit room on an overcast day. In the second I have included two Tahitian earrings and pendant that I own for comparison. The earrings and pendant have a much darker body color with green overtones. I should say that the color difference in person is more apparent than the photos.

 

[BWeaves]

I find that it's very hard to photograph Tahitians. And even then, when I get them, they change color between viewing them in the box or my hand, and actually wearing them.

I bought and returned several strands, since each strand was unique, until I found strands I liked.

So don't worry about being disappointed, as long as you order from a vendor with a good return policy. Just keep trying until you find one you like.

I also find that some vendors are better an capturing the actual color in photos. Kojima seems to be the best for capturing the actual color of the pearls I received. I love Kamoka, but I find that their photos show more color than I see with my eye.

 

[pattye]

Good photos, alg. I agree, Tahitians, with lighter silver/gray body color. Some sellers use a generic photo when they have similar items to sell; also photos may have been edited to look darker. One doesn't always receive the exact item as in the photo. Definitely I would call the seller to see if you could exchange it. Always smart to buy from a seller with good return policy.

 

[lisa c]

Since you got a good shot of the earrings & charm with the necklace, why not send that photo to the vendor(s) as you shop? I guess I’m presuming that that’s what color and intensity you’re shooting for?

 

[CortezPearls]

That is a great suggestion Lisa! It will probably save you time Alg! The vendor will be able to gauge the color depth from the photo...the problem with subtle colors (and the word here is SUBTLE) is that they are dramatically different from one monitor to another and from phone-to-phone brand/model. So, even if I see the colors the way they are on my monitor (because I took the photo) they don't necessarily look the same on your screen.

 

[lisa c]

I think phone-to-phone imaging is getting better, but I’ve noticed that some colors which folks describe on PG, particularly the pistachios, look different than I expect.

Also, my ph camera will adjust for low-light vs window daylight. That leads to What the??? moments, warmer tone vs cooler, but I don’t mind because the lower light photos pick up images more akin to ‘real life’ with pearls, more what the eyes and brain register.
Biggest reason I don’t fret this is because I’m not a merchant.

*** so my point, and I do have one, is alg, the comparison photo you took, might give the merchant an opportunity to match, or say Sorry, don’t have it, or I can get it. Might take a while, but save shipping back and forth.

Ask for different lighting; low indirect light, daylight, indoors, outdoors, light box.
Ah, you’ve probably already thought about all this!
(I’ve never been particularly techno-adept, so I’ve never calibrated my phone camera with a gray-card as has been suggested by the savvy, so I blame myself, not my phone.)

 

[86Corvettegirl]

I find Tahitians are hard to capture in photos. I have a strand of green Tahitians I got from David Norman. They are dark & definitely green although small mm size....8-9mm. I would consider your strand to be a lighter silver/grey going by your pics. Since you are not happy with the strand you received, will the vendor exchange it or accept a return? If you don't love them, you won't ever be happy with them.

 

[alg]

Thank you to everyone who responded. These are some really great suggestions!

I've asked for some different photos from another seller and included the pendant that I have as a desired color. Also asked for some pictures in different light. Fingers crossed!

 

[alg]

This made me feel better about buying a returning, thanks!

 

[alg]

I think phone-to-phone imaging is getting better, but I’ve noticed that some colors which folks describe on PG, particularly the pistachios, look different than I expect.

Also, my ph camera will adjust for low-light vs window daylight. That leads to What the??? moments, warmer tone vs cooler, but I don’t mind because the lower light photos pick up images more akin to ‘real life’ with pearls, more what the eyes and brain register.
Biggest reason I don’t fret this is because I’m not a merchant.

*** so my point, and I do have one, is alg, the comparison photo you took, might give the merchant an opportunity to match, or say Sorry, don’t have it, or I can get it. Might take a while, but save shipping back and forth.

Ask for different lighting; low indirect light, daylight, indoors, outdoors, light box.
Ah, you’ve probably already thought about all this!
(I’ve never been particularly techno-adept, so I’ve never calibrated my phone camera with a gray-card as has been suggested by the savvy, so I blame myself, not my phone.)

Awesome suggestion, didn't even think of that.

 

[CortezPearls]

Happy Valentine's Day Y'All!!!

 

[Camelotshadow]

I like that color & think they are pretty but if trying to match then its harder from photos. I used to like dark but have that & the silver now appeals to me as different & something I don;t have. Hope you were able to get the colors you wanted.