what to buy?
- Thread starter koi
- Start date
pattye
Pearl Scholar
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2005
- Messages
- 11,465
Pearls should be purchased for the enjoyment you have when wearing and owning them. One should not think of them as an investment. Most cultured pearls cannot be resold for anything close to the retail price one pays for them. Someone on the forum here described pearls as being similar to a new car, once it is driven off the lot it is considered used, and instantly worth much less.
No, I don't recommend Costco. They don't have knowledgeable sales people to help you, nor much to choose from, at least the Costcos in the Portland area.
You can spend some time reading here and learning more about pearls, looking at the photos and seeing what you like, going to jewelry stores to look at their stock. If you do this you will make much wiser purchases with your budget. There are a number of trustworthy online pearl merchants who post here. Check out links under their names in the posts.
No, I don't recommend Costco. They don't have knowledgeable sales people to help you, nor much to choose from, at least the Costcos in the Portland area.
You can spend some time reading here and learning more about pearls, looking at the photos and seeing what you like, going to jewelry stores to look at their stock. If you do this you will make much wiser purchases with your budget. There are a number of trustworthy online pearl merchants who post here. Check out links under their names in the posts.
KarinK
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2010
- Messages
- 1,961
I second Pattye (I'm the one with the car reference 
). You will certainly be able to find pearls you love that will easily last you 10-20 years. All but akoya with the thinnest layer of nacre should be able to do that. But if you buy new pearls you will never get any where near their original value if you decide to sell them later. Neither will a diamond from a jewelry store, by the way.
Buy pearls because you love how they look and get great joy from wearing one of nautre's miracle. This forum is a good place to learn about pearls but also to get inspired by how different they can look and how many choices there are. If you want the most for your money, hang around here for a while and get to know more about what you like.
- Karin
). You will certainly be able to find pearls you love that will easily last you 10-20 years. All but akoya with the thinnest layer of nacre should be able to do that. But if you buy new pearls you will never get any where near their original value if you decide to sell them later. Neither will a diamond from a jewelry store, by the way.Buy pearls because you love how they look and get great joy from wearing one of nautre's miracle. This forum is a good place to learn about pearls but also to get inspired by how different they can look and how many choices there are. If you want the most for your money, hang around here for a while and get to know more about what you like.
- Karin
BAS
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 25, 2013
- Messages
- 1,944
It's like buying a timeshare. Don't buy as an investment, buy because you love the space and location and look forward to years of enjoyment of the property. You will NOT get your money back by reselling (timeshares or pearls OR cars) and no-one else in the family may love it as much as you do down the line... although hopefully they'll cherish the time spent there and the memories made there (or in the case of pearls -- memories of you happily wearing them).
