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Rikitea Strand:

Again, having seen more photos, all the shirts that have shades of pink/purple bring out the blue.
 
Wow, this is fascinating. You shouldn't keep the pearls if you're not in love with them, but I really hope you are so we can all enjoy many many shots of them.
 
I think the variation in the appearance of the pearls in different lighting and background conditions illustrates why the vendors really do need to use standardized interior lighting as they do-- the so-called glamour lighting.

Because there is no single natural or artificial light condition that could definitively show what the pearls will consistently look like-- as we see here in bsomlo's own photos.
 
pearlsngems|1417974969|3797266 said:
Again, having seen more photos, all the shirts that have shades of pink/purple bring out the blue.
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Yes, the shades of pink/purple/lavender/rust really make the blue color pop, while gray or blue backgrounds make the pearls look more gray. I think they look great with the camel too.
 
About the lighting, Catherine Cardinelli does a great job of using lighting that shows the pearls realistically. Pearlunar and the Pearl Society, too. Indo Sea Pearls also did an excellent job of it. Also, I love it when they show the pearls on a live model to round out that substitution for real life observation reasonably well. Of course they probably wouldn't want to go through all that for the cheapest items. And it's always up to them to do things however they want anyway, according to what their own analysis shows to be most cost effective.

Regardless, as a customer, there's simply no question that I'm far more likely to click "buy," on the spot, when they present the item as closely as possible to what I'd be able to see in a brick and mortar store.
 
Here are shots in what I think is the best possible lighting for this strand:

You will see this reflected from the pearls in some of the shots:

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Some more:

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How about against a blue,a white, a black and a red top? do you wear these colours?
 
On me, candid shot not showing too blue:



lovinggems -- I tucked a black turtleneck and a red turtleneck under the pearls for you to see -- so you can see my skin tone and the pearls over red and black.

That's it for now.

My conclusion soon...

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Amazing how much more blue those pearls have on many of today's turtlenecks! Then a lovely silver on the grey one ... fascinating ... I'm really looking forward to seeing more of the Rikitea strands ... so mysterious.
 
I think the camel, royal and fuchsia show the colors most like the glamor shot. It's exciting learning from you guys and your purchases.

As far as glamor shots being misleading, I think they're just part of the photo-package. For years I've looked at the difference between the sales photos of PP and the IRL photos, and wondered why PP labored under the handicap of dull looking studio photos. I'd never have called them glamor shots, but what if they're half the pie, and the color-popping shots are the other half?
V
This year the photos seemed to come to life. 'Course, here are the pitfalls. The thrilling colors are not visible all the time to the naked eye. I'm trying to read them and I'm wondering if the colors we see in the halo at the edge of the pearls tell us what we'll see?

So, the strand I felt call to me (TAN1543) had a halo so dark, I think to the eye I'd most often see almost black pearls. Is this the secret of reading Tahitians, you think? Assume that all of the non-colorful will appear to be shades from black to silver? Or beige? What do you guys think, because you've handled more pearls than I have, by a long shot. I'm learning from you.

I don't think this'll hold true for baroque Tahitians, but I don't know.
 
Maybe it should be routine to have the color/glamor, and an outdoor shot on a human? (For that, lucky to be in LA, right?). Expect one to show color, one to show dull/base? What else would you guys suggest?

Oh, first I guess we have to learn if the halo is the color of the body? Because that could be a wrong idea.
 
Lisa C - A few things that I have learned. The vendor glamour photos show the overtones. The written description will tell you the body color. The halo of color on some pearls is a second overtone color, and the wider the halo, the stronger the overtone and the easier it will be to see. Most Tahitian body colors will range from light silver to medium grey to dark, almost black. Baroque pearls will tend to be more colorful than round pearls.

These Rikitea strands are exceptionally nice Tahitian pearls, which is why we are so excited about them.
 
Thank you! Learning, learning, learning. Exceptionally nice is understatement, from the photos. I hope the owner of 1543 posts, I want, need to know what the appearance IRL is.

BAS, any new thoughts?
 
Bsomio, do you like or love the stand at all? The body color is very dark so maybe that is why the blue is not as striking IRL as compared with the glamour photos. For the strand to appear as it does on the glamour photos, it probably has to have medium rather than dark body colour, I suspect.
 
Thank you Bsomlo, it does look bluest against fuchsia, very interesting.
I am also waiting patiently for flygirl's strand.
 
I love your baroques ! I know that's no help...but ... you are the only one who knows whether or not they are what you were looking for .. they certainly have a beautiful lustre .. but then that's not your issue. Sleep on it for a couple of days..maybe put them away for a day and then look at them with fresh eyes.
 
if nothing else, i hope this thread is helping you love and adore your baroques! it's certainly doing that for the rest of us. :love:

your rikiteas do absolutely pop on the beiges, purples and pinks, so if you wear those a lot, and want to wear that strand with them, i'd keep them. i can't believe how much they DON'T shine against the other colors! :( i totally see why you're wavering and you know, now that you know what you know, i'd send 'em back, but with a standing order to PP for exactly what you DO want. if Jeremy read this thread, he'd know exactly what it is you're not seeing in this strand and also know how to keep an eye out. im' also curious if perhaps one of the other strands currently for sale, like 1565, 1552 or even 1553 would BE the pearls IRL that you thought you were buying with this strand...? maybe see if PP can send photos in sunlight or even regular office light to see if they'd be more suitable...?

(thinking out loud here, if you have changed your mind and adore them, ignore! :))
 
A few shots from this morning, followed by my conclusion:

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In conclusion:

This is an elegant and sophisticated strand of Tahitians. The pearls are well-matched and high quality. I was expecting a vibrant blue and would call this color (which changes according to lighting and color of clothing) charcoal/green or gunmetal/teal or slate/moss.

I am going to return this strand (with a heavy heart) because it should belong to someone who loves the color.
 
It makes sense to return it if it isn't what you truly want.
 
bsomlo|1418051444|3797665 said:
In conclusion:

This is an elegant and sophisticated strand of Tahitians. The pearls are well-matched and high quality. I was expecting a vibrant blue and would call this color (which changes according to lighting and color of clothing) charcoal/green or gunmetal/teal or slate/moss.

I am going to return this strand (with a heavy heart) because it should belong to someone who loves the color.
Click to expand...

I can totally understand. I would have returned it, too. Although beautiful- it is not the vibrant blue I expected to see either and the darker tahitians just don't "sing" to me (which is good for the pocketbook as lighter tahitians are not considered as "valuable"). In time you will find a beautiful blue strand that you love.
 
bsomlo - thank you for documenting your journey with this Rikitea necklace - your comments and multiple photos taken on different days, in different lights, and with different backgrounds are so helpful in terms of conveying the many moods of this strand, and the changeable nature of pearls in general.
 
what marymm said....and also good to have a thread like this on round tahitians. most photos/discussion are of baroques, which i think are a lot more varied and fickle (and therefore more likely to be pleasing) in that many lighting/clothing conditions.

lots of lessons here about round Ts, most of which i had no idea about. lovely thread.
 
This has been such a thought provoking thread for me too. Thank you for posting your experience.

I'm sorry that the strand didn't work out for you, but I think the greater tragedy would be keeping a strand that you don't absolutely, unconditionally, make your heart skip a beat every time you pull it out, love.
 
Bsomlo, thank you for posting your journey with this strand. As you've documented so carefully, it's a lovely strand, and you've done your homework and study on it, and you're doing the right thing for you. Somewhere there's someone just crying for a teal strand :) You've made me think long and hard about a strand I've been keeping myself (from a different, and wonderful vendor) ... debating, debating, debating ... as it just wasn't AT ALL the colors on any of the photos ... I realized this morning, thanks to you, that if I have to debate this long, it needs to go back and find a home where it will be loved for itself, and not for my expectations. THANK YOU :)
 
I agree with other posters, for me this thread has been incredibly interesting and helpful in my search for the right Tahitians for me. Thank you, Bsomlo.
 
This has been such a wonderful review of your Rikitea strand, bsomlo. Very instructive with the various lighting conditions and color backgrounds. It must be disappointing to return them but I hope you can enjoy your exotic strand of Tahitians a little more. Until these pictures, I hadn't realized how unique and beautiful they are :love: . The blues will find a happy home and I think you'll find your own strand eventually, too.
 
Re: Riketia Strand:

Fly Girl|1417493269|3793681 said:
And then there is this one, 18-inch AAA 8.7-10.9 Tahitian Round Pearl Necklace

"This stunning strand of round Tahitian pearls features pearls exhibiting the coveted "dark cherry" colors. The body color is very dark, and the cherry overtones pop."

I keep thinking of this dark Tahitian strand that I saw at the ruckus. I wonder if this Rikitea strand would be similarly stunning in real life? :drool:
Click to expand...


Just popping over to say this is a most interesting discussion and wanted to mention that the dark pearls on the young woman in the black and white top on page 1 are dyed freshwater from me, not Tahitians. (I hope I don't get in trouble. sorry if so.)
 
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