>Hence the dilemma as identified by Nerida. Put your money where your mouth is?
Quite seriously, I think that's the best advice given by far. And while I admit to being a cynic (or even a pessimist) regarding many of life's subjects, on the issue of bargain hunting, I have a lot of faith that there are *many* people who aren't just going to go for the lowest price.
Navigating this thought process in regard to pearls does not feel foreign to me by any means, quite probably because that I've spent the last few years putitng my grocery lists through the same type of test. I do pay more for organic foods, especially meat and dairy. It's been the 'family project' for quite some time now, and we've had to examine our feelings on everything from environmental impact, to animal husbandry, to health. We had to research these things, figure out where/how to source them, and even addressed the whole topic of if, or more accurately 'how far', we would ever want to go vegetarian. Where we seem to have landed is in the realm of preferring organic farming, especially on meat and dairy; we buy 'certified humane' when given the option (a whole nother label and a whole nother topic, but I only mention it to point out that, yes, it does cost more), and local/small-scale-farmed products. Yes, it costs more. No, we're not rich. But we will, and indeed often have, passed up supermarket 'bargains' in favor of those benefits we feel we gain (ie. benefits to our health, the environment, the local economy, and yeah, even the health of our karma).
That's where my head already was when I began researching pearls. And yes, hubby and I are going through the same thought processes in these purchases now, as we do with our grocery list. Not overly long ago, we made a few purchases from druzy. They were auctions and the items were in high demand -- the prices reflecting that. They were a few josh pearls, and the very reason we were willing to put in such a high bid in the first place was because yes, every dollar *is* a vote. A conclusion we've been coming to for a number of years now. When one auction ended pretty high, hubby even said, "Well, it speaks well for josh's farm, right?"
Currently, we're in the process of getting a very nice strand of kamokas from another vendor here. We were offered a few choices, and we went for the more expensive strand. No we still haven't hit the lottery, nor is hubby one of those AIG execs pulling down the big bonuses. But a bargain is *not* the most important factor to us. ...... I tell you, in so many cases I'm an absolute pessimist, and probably one of the biggest cynics when it comes to people's motivations. But on this topic, I just can't muster that cynicism. --- I know so many people in my everyday life who determine their grocery lists based on similar parameters, and I have no doubt that once they did their research and knew the score, they would buy their pearls in much the same way.
(And I really, really want to emphasize my disclaimer ... this has nothing to do with the vendors here, and everything to do with the sources of the pearls. I think this board is an amazing resource in that so *many* vendors here *do* stock pearls from a whole variety of farms, including those more environmentally friendly.
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