First time in the Pearl Thread- would love some help!

[Paisley2628]

I've been around awhile - but this is my first posting in Pearls

My son will be going to Japan in March - a friend of his from college is working there and he is going to visit and vacation.
He asked if there was something I would like him to get for me and I thought of pearls. I don't own pearls and have only tried on some when I visited a Tiffany store.
He will be in Tokyo- and Mikimoto is there.

I also know that there are a lot of stores that sell preowned jewelry - I think that would be a large cost savings versus buying new at Mikimoto.

I would like to avoid the "classic" white pearl necklace/earrings. I will be turning 60 (ugh) very soon and I don't want to look older than I already am! I feel the white pearl necklace would be very aging on me.

Any thoughts on more casual/fun pearl options - in colors that would enhance rather than detract?

Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions!

 

[molinePDG]

Very broadly speaking, pearls that are not round tend to be considered more "casual." The more color variance (on purpose) in pieces - for example, mixed type strands - tend to also be considered less classic style.

Finally, pieces like station necklaces or partial metal pieces that incorporate chains with some pearls should be available in many different places and might be considered less classically styled.

For colors, check out Tahitian pearls as well as gold south sea for a variety of color variants and overtone

Happy birthday to you for your approaching special day - pearls are a lovely gift and you'll be thrilled, I'm sure!

 

[glitterata]

Hi, @Paisley2628 ! I think you and I may have similar taste--I ADORE the pieces I bought from you. If that's the case, I think you would be happy with baroque Tahitian pearls, especially "circled" shapes. They are magical!

Also, you should check out the lovely @Pomelo 's threads on her pearls and on Japanese resellers:

Thread 'Japan trip - Pearls edition'

Dec 13, 2024

When my husband was in Japan for a conference, I jumped on the opportunity to take a short solo ‘pearls and jewels’ trip. The first part of the write-up on second-hand jewellery shops in Japan is here, and this is the second part about pearls!

Here is my itinerary - hopefully you’ll find it useful if you’re ever in Japan and want to do something pearly.

TLDR:

• Day 1: Osaka - meet Flower Jem (pearl vendor on Instagram/Etsy)
• Day 2: Kobe, Mikimoto Pearl Island - see akoya and Tahitian vendors in Kobe, go to the Mikimoto pearl museum
• Day 3: Nagoya - resale stores
• Day 4...

• Pomelo
• Replies: 24
• Forum: Pearls

• 
• 

Thread 'Japan - resale shops'

Sep 24, 2024

I just came back from a short trip to Japan, dubbed my pearls and jewels trip. In this thread, I’ll focus on resale stores in Japan - hopefully you find this helpful if you travel to this wonderful country and fancy a spot of shopping!

Japan is well known for being strict on counterfeits but you should still exercise caution and do your own due diligence! There are many reputable stores that sell pre-owned luxury jewelry and watches (a list is below).

This is a long post split into sections:

1. Top tips
2. List of resale stores
3. Examples of what I bought and from where...

• Pomelo
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Show Me the Bling! (Rings, Earrings, Jewelry)

• 
• 

Thread 'Pomelo’s pearls'

Jun 26, 2024

@yssie asked to see my collection, so here it is!

I bought my first strand at the beginning of April this year. It’s now late June and I cannot believe the speed at which my collection is expanding!

For me, I like things to be perfectly imperfect, so I am drawn to baroques and keshi more than perfectly round pearls. Lustre matters, but I won’t be upset if it’s not super lustrous.

I’ve focussed on necklaces and earrings for now, as I don’t trust myself not to batter bracelets and rings, and I think the physical size/volume of pearls makes wearing a bracelet/ring a bit...

• Pomelo
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Pearls

• 
• 

(I don't know which is lovelier, Pomelo or her pearls.)

 

[Pomelo]

Thanks for the tag and kind words @glitterata !

@Paisley2628 congrats on your upcoming birthday!

Re: pearls that are more casual (which is what I prefer too), going for non-round and especially baroque or drop shapes helps. I have a strand of semi-round Tahitians that basically look round from a social distance so they have a more formal feel to them.

Re: colours that enhance, I think this is very difficult to say as it depends on your skin tone, your clothing preferences and what is pleasing to your eye! I’m a sucker for Tahitians and grab them most of the time esp because my wardrobe consists mostly of dark colours, but I do have a few strands of lighter coloured pearls for warmer months.

Going for white pearls isn’t necessarily aging IMO - I have a strand of 7-8mm natural white drop-shaped akoya that are fun and casual.

I’d highly recommend trying on a range of pearls before your son goes to Japan in order to narrow down what you want - colour, size, shape etc. You might surprise yourself with what you like - I fully expected my first strand to be chunky white round Edison’s (think Wilma Flintoff) and ended up with lustrous drop/baroque peacock Tahitians

 

[Paisley2628]

Very broadly speaking, pearls that are not round tend to be considered more "casual." The more color variance (on purpose) in pieces - for example, mixed type strands - tend to also be considered less classic style.

Finally, pieces like station necklaces or partial metal pieces that incorporate chains with some pearls should be available in many different places and might be considered less classically styled.

For colors, check out Tahitian pearls as well as gold south sea for a variety of color variants and overtone

Happy birthday to you for your approaching special day - pearls are a lovely gift and you'll be thrilled, I'm sure!

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions- and thank you for the birthday wishes
I will be spending the next few days researching the world of pearls!

 

[Paisley2628]

Hi, @Paisley2628 ! I think you and I may have similar taste--I ADORE the pieces I bought from you. If that's the case, I think you would be happy with baroque Tahitian pearls, especially "circled" shapes. They are magical!

Also, you should check out the lovely @Pomelo 's threads on her pearls and on Japanese resellers:

Thread 'Japan trip - Pearls edition'

Dec 13, 2024

When my husband was in Japan for a conference, I jumped on the opportunity to take a short solo ‘pearls and jewels’ trip. The first part of the write-up on second-hand jewellery shops in Japan is here, and this is the second part about pearls!

Here is my itinerary - hopefully you’ll find it useful if you’re ever in Japan and want to do something pearly.

TLDR:

• Day 1: Osaka - meet Flower Jem (pearl vendor on Instagram/Etsy)
• Day 2: Kobe, Mikimoto Pearl Island - see akoya and Tahitian vendors in Kobe, go to the Mikimoto pearl museum
• Day 3: Nagoya - resale stores
• Day 4...

• Pomelo
• Replies: 24
• Forum: Pearls

• 
• 

Thread 'Japan - resale shops'

Sep 24, 2024

I just came back from a short trip to Japan, dubbed my pearls and jewels trip. In this thread, I’ll focus on resale stores in Japan - hopefully you find this helpful if you travel to this wonderful country and fancy a spot of shopping!

Japan is well known for being strict on counterfeits but you should still exercise caution and do your own due diligence! There are many reputable stores that sell pre-owned luxury jewelry and watches (a list is below).

This is a long post split into sections:

1. Top tips
2. List of resale stores
3. Examples of what I bought and from where...

• Pomelo
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Show Me the Bling! (Rings, Earrings, Jewelry)

• 
• 

Thread 'Pomelo’s pearls'

Jun 26, 2024

@yssie asked to see my collection, so here it is!

I bought my first strand at the beginning of April this year. It’s now late June and I cannot believe the speed at which my collection is expanding!

For me, I like things to be perfectly imperfect, so I am drawn to baroques and keshi more than perfectly round pearls. Lustre matters, but I won’t be upset if it’s not super lustrous.

I’ve focussed on necklaces and earrings for now, as I don’t trust myself not to batter bracelets and rings, and I think the physical size/volume of pearls makes wearing a bracelet/ring a bit...

• Pomelo
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Pearls

• 
• 

(I don't know which is lovelier, Pomelo or her pearls.)

Hi @glitterata !
I am so happy that you are the owner of my "special" Victorian pieces!!!
Thank you so much for all of your suggestions - and links to @Pomelo - So much information for me to read! I will pay special attention to baroque Tahitian pearls - since I agree our tastes are similar!

 

[Paisley2628]

Thanks for the tag and kind words @glitterata !

@Paisley2628 congrats on your upcoming birthday!

Re: pearls that are more casual (which is what I prefer too), going for non-round and especially baroque or drop shapes helps. I have a strand of semi-round Tahitians that basically look round from a social distance so they have a more formal feel to them.

Re: colours that enhance, I think this is very difficult to say as it depends on your skin tone, your clothing preferences and what is pleasing to your eye! I’m a sucker for Tahitians and grab them most of the time esp because my wardrobe consists mostly of dark colours, but I do have a few strands of lighter coloured pearls for warmer months.

Going for white pearls isn’t necessarily aging IMO - I have a strand of 7-8mm natural white drop-shaped akoya that are fun and casual.

I’d highly recommend trying on a range of pearls before your son goes to Japan in order to narrow down what you want - colour, size, shape etc. You might surprise yourself with what you like - I fully expected my first strand to be chunky white round Edison’s (think Wilma Flintoff) and ended up with lustrous drop/baroque peacock Tahitians

Thank you for your reply @Pomelo !
I am going to do some research- and I hope to have some idea of what I may like! It sounds like Tahitian is the way to go.
I agree with you that trying on various pearls in multiple shapes/colors/sizes is important. I will have to find jewelry stores in my area that sell nice quality pearls.

It would be much easier if I was the one going to Tokyo - not my 27yr old son! This task may be too much for him

 

[molinePDG]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions- and thank you for the birthday wishes
I will be spending the next few days researching the world of pearls!

You've chosen an excellent board of very knowledgeable prosumers who can absolutely help point you for good places to research, ask educational questions, or view helpful things to see

 

[newtojewels]

One of the things to know with Tahitians is that the impressive colors aren't visible in all lighting. Here are photos I just took of the same pearls in indirect versus direct light:





The loose pearls are from Moline who commented above and the ring is mine from Mikimoto.

This thread may be helpful to you as you do your research: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tahitian-pearls-vendor-vs-irl-pictures.205879/

As a side note, my partner is also going to Japan soon! I wish I could send him on @Pomelo's shopping trip for me!

 

[Paisley2628]

One of the things to know with Tahitians is that the impressive colors aren't visible in all lighting. Here are photos I just took of the same pearls in indirect versus direct light:





The loose pearls are from Moline who commented above and the ring is mine from Mikimoto.

This thread may be helpful to you as you do your research: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tahitian-pearls-vendor-vs-irl-pictures.205879/

As a side note, my partner is also going to Japan soon! I wish I could send him on @Pomelo's shopping trip for me!

Thanks so much @newtojewels !
The pearls you posted are beautiful- The Moline pearls are especially mesmerizing!

I'm beginning to feel that there is too much for me to learn in a short amount of time- I think it may be better for the pearl purchase to be made by me after giving it the amount of time needed to make a smart purchase.

My son may be off the hook in finding pearls for me in Japan- I hope your partner brings you back a pearl surprise from his trip!

 

[newtojewels]

Thanks so much @newtojewels !
The pearls you posted are beautiful- The Moline pearls are especially mesmerizing!

I'm beginning to feel that there is too much for me to learn in a short amount of time- I think it may be better for the pearl purchase to be made by me after giving it the amount of time needed to make a smart purchase.

My son may be off the hook in finding pearls for me in Japan- I hope your partner brings you back a pearl surprise from his trip!

Your son would probably be happier that way too! Tahitians aren't from Japan anyways so I don't know if there's much you would be saving by him buying there, but of course I'm no expert. I have heard and Pomelo's experience supports that Japan is amazing for secondhand designer pieces. You could always tell him that if he found something small from Mikimoto or Tasaki preloved somewhere that it wouldn't go amiss

 

[NY_Resonant]

Pearls are very personal. You should love how they work off your skin tone and there is definitely a learning process. It would be fine if your son bought the pearls but you'd need to first go to a pearl store near where you live and NARROW down what type of pearls work for you and what you love.

Example: Golden South Sea pearls look AMAZING on my mother's skin tone. My wife cannot wear them, it looks absolutely terrible on her.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thanks so much @newtojewels !
The pearls you posted are beautiful- The Moline pearls are especially mesmerizing!

I'm beginning to feel that there is too much for me to learn in a short amount of time- I think it may be better for the pearl purchase to be made by me after giving it the amount of time needed to make a smart purchase.

My son may be off the hook in finding pearls for me in Japan- I hope your partner brings you back a pearl surprise from his trip!

i think if your son has some spare time and its not out of the way he should still buy you a strand of something anyway, its too good an opertunity to pass up
just dont overthink it and enjoy what he brings back