Takahashi natural white strand – opinions needed!

[clockworkreader]

Hi all! I need some opinions on these Takahashi strands. They are described as 6.5-7mm, natural white, gem luster with minor flaws. My priorities are luster and overall "glowiness" of the pearls. I don't mind minor flaws, blemishes or not super smooth skins — I actually prefer having some imperfections to keep the price slightly lower! To my newbie eyes, it looks like these strands have lovely lustre and orient, though perhaps lacking in glossiness. They look gorgeous to ME, but I want to know what the experts think!

I know that we're working off of very limited information as ideally we'd be able to see the strands in different lightings and videos. But I don't want to bother Takahashi too much until I commit to purchase — at this point they're basically working for free and I want to be respectful of their time.

So, my questions are:
1. Given my priorities, would you "go for it" with these strands?
2. Do you think the blemishes (which don't bother me in theory) would be significantly noticeable in person, to the point where it would detract from the overall beauty and "glowiness" of the necklace?
3. Do you think the matching of these necklaces are acceptable? In both strands, there seem to be some pearls with more silver/green and some pearls with more pink.
4. From your experience, does Takahashi's "gem luster" encompass a large range of qualities?
5. If any, which one of these strands would you pick?

(And yes, I know Takahashi would be able to answer these questions better than anyone else, but like I said, I don't want to bother them too much until I decide to purchase!)

If I may be so bold, I'd love the input of @yssie , @NY_Resonant , as well as all the other pearl experts on this forum.

Thank you in advance! <3

 

[newtojewels]

So unfortunately I'm not super helpful but I bought a 7-7.5mm "gem luster with light kizu" bracelet and a pair of "gem" akoya earring pearls during the Takahashi and Pearl Paradise livestream. I'm not sure if this helps but just in case my photos start here and continue down in the thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pearl-paradise-takahashi-livestream.282863/post-5335191

 

[clockworkreader]

So unfortunately I'm not super helpful but I bought a 7-7.5mm "gem luster with light kizu" bracelet and a pair of "gem" akoya earring pearls during the Takahashi and Pearl Paradise livestream. I'm not sure if this helps but just in case my photos start here and continue down in the thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pearl-paradise-takahashi-livestream.282863/post-5335191

Thank you for chiming in! It’s definitely useful to have some more pictures of what Takahashi considers light flaws. I wonder whether there’s a difference between “light” flaws and “minor” flaws. Mine seems like it has a lot more lumps and bumps, whereas yours looks almost flawless from a distance.

 

[newtojewels]

Thank you for chiming in! It’s definitely useful to have some more pictures of what Takahashi considers light flaws. I wonder whether there’s a difference between “light” flaws and “minor” flaws. Mine seems like it has a lot more lumps and bumps, whereas yours looks almost flawless from a distance.

It could also be that it being natural white means they accept more flaws for the grade?

But also probably no one will be that close to your neck. I'm all for minor flaws if it gets you higher luster for the budget!

 

[yssie]

Hi!

Question? Why natural white for these? Or more specifically - would you want to wear these with your Mikimoto studs (the ones that you shared in another thread)? Your Mikimoto pair has quite a bit of pink, and they read cool in tone, and so TBH these natural whites won't be a superb match for someone who's discriminating about pearl matching.

My gullet is also telling me that your Mikimoto pearls have darker body than these NW strands. Which means they'll look like they have higher contrast, which most people translate into More Lustrous. Nothing to do with pearl quality at all, it's just the way that our eyes work - everything else equal our eyes are better at seeing "more contrast" against a darker background.

Here's an example of the sort of difference I'm talking about... Both white akoya, almost identical size. Neither of these pairs are NW but for sake of example. Both are beautiful to me but I wouldn't wear them together...

If matching with your studs isn't important to you then that's a diff convo! Takahashi's gem grade for luster is tight but it's a pearl quality assessment - it's not going to favour a darker body the way your eyes will. Ditto @newtojewels - yes to accepting minor blemishing if it gets you the size and luster you want!! Luster overtakes everything else, honestly And yes, IMO those two strands are an excellent match with each other! It's normal to have pearls with differences in overtone colour and strength in this trade - if you wanted to avoid that you'd need a speciality source+sort, which would unfortunately obliterate those minor flaws savings - I'd instead vote buying a few extra pearls and swapping out any that your eyes deem egregiously out of place when you get them

 

[clockworkreader]

Hi!

Question? Why natural white for these? Or more specifically - would you want to wear these with your Mikimoto studs (the ones that you shared in another thread)? Your Mikimoto pair has quite a bit of pink, and they read cool in tone, and so TBH these natural whites won't be a superb match for someone who's discriminating about pearl matching.

My gullet is also telling me that your Mikimoto pearls have darker body than these NW strands. Which means they'll look like they have higher contrast, which most people translate into More Lustrous. Nothing to do with pearl quality at all, it's just the way that our eyes work - everything else equal our eyes are better at seeing "more contrast" against a darker background.

Here's an example of the sort of difference I'm talking about... Both white akoya, almost identical size. Neither of these pairs are NW but for sake of example. Both are beautiful to me but I wouldn't wear them together...

If matching with your studs isn't important to you then that's a diff convo! Takahashi's gem grade for luster is tight but it's a pearl quality assessment - it's not going to favour a darker body the way your eyes will. Ditto @newtojewels - yes to accepting minor blemishing if it gets you the size and luster you want!! Luster overtakes everything else, honestly And yes, IMO those two strands are an excellent match with each other! It's normal to have pearls with differences in overtone colour and strength in this trade - if you wanted to avoid that you'd need a speciality source+sort, which would unfortunately obliterate those minor flaws savings - I'd instead vote buying a few extra pearls and swapping out any that your eyes deem egregiously out of place when you get them

Hi Yssie! Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and helpful comment, I feel very lucky to have the benefit of your expertise.

I’m considering natural white because these are the only strands Takahashi have in the size range I’m looking for — I asked for either 6-6.5 or 6.5-7. I’ve also contacted General Pearl and Yokota Pearl; neither of them have any strands in my size range with top lustre. Yokota Pearl (Mr Yokota, I think) added that "the production of Akoya pearls has been drastically decreasing for the past few years, and there is no prospect for the arrival of high-quality pearls next year."

I don’t really mind if my studs and necklace don’t match perfectly, though I’d love for them to look somewhat harmonious. What concerns me more now is whether the overtone of the NW strand will flatter me. Overly green or yellow toned pearls don't suit me at all, whereas pearls with at least some pink (such as my Mikimoto studs) do. I have a warm, slightly olive skin tone that’s tan for East Asian standards. My Mikis are actually ideal colour/overtone — pink with silver/green/blue in the middle. Also, I think you're right that my Miki studs have a darker body! Turns out I prefer a darker body in my pearls, despite lighter bodies supposedly being "better" haha.

I asked Yy about whether these strands are yellow IRL, and her answer was "these strands are not yellow, the colour tone is white with a little pink". She also said she'd send a video (hopefully with different lightings) so I could see more clearly. I'm going to post the video on here when I receive it, so I hope you and other lovely PSers will still be around to give some opinions then!

I think where this leaves us now is that these strands likely aren't my ideal cool-toned pink, but the chances of me finding my absolute ideal strand within my budget, given the current situation with Akoyas, are slim to none. I think my best course of action is to go look at some NW strands in person (luckily there is a local vendor here who has them in stock — they're very friendly and I've purchased some loose pearls from them before, so hopefully they'll allow me to just come and try). I'll take some pictures then and see if they suit my colouring and whether they clash horribly with my studs! Assuming I don't hate the NW in person, something tells me that I'll regret passing on this strand, because I strongly suspect that I'm not going to stumble upon another strand of this size, quality and price.

Sorry, that was a very long ramble! I hope you aren't sick of me yet and will be back to weigh in on the incoming pictures and videos.

 

[clockworkreader]

@yssie (apologies for tagging you so much! Your notifications must be going crazy) new videos and pictures are in! Yy describes the lighting as outdoor natural light and indoor natural light.



Videos here:

https://imgur.com/a/fnGEbnR

 

[clockworkreader]

Okay, here are the pics of me wearing a NW strand which the local retailer very kindly let me try on. The overtone is more silvery with just a touch of pink in person, less pink-blue/teal. (The reason I’m not buying this strand directly is because it’s Tennyo certified and therefore outside my budget.) Indoor lighting, typical office lighting but brighter (as this is a wholesaler, not a jewellery store). I’m also wearing my (pinked) Mikimoto earrings.

Any thoughts? Are the tones of the pinked akoya (earrings) clearly more flattering on me? Is the colour difference between the strand very noticeable?

I swear I’m not fishing for compliments here — please feel free to be honest! Holding off on my own thoughts so I don’t influence the comments.

 

[yssie]

Ohhh so great that you were able to actually try some on!! What size was this strand? Of course all NW are different etc etc etc but seeing some in person is really the absolute best way to get a general idea

I'm actually the same way, I prefer a darker body and cooler tone. But to answer this question -

Is the colour difference between the strand very noticeable?

No, not at all! At the end of the day these are all white pearls and mooooost people will just see "white, classic, glowy"!! This is really a discussion just for yourself, what you're comfortable with - what's eyeclean and mind-clean for *you*.

So let me flip the question - how did you feel about about these pearls, in the mirror? "Super flattering!!"? "They're lovely but"?

FWIW I think they're beautiful on you - you seem to be one of those lucky few who looks good in many overtones But your preferences are what matters here. Even if the Takahashi are more cost effective than these Tennyo, and even though the akoya shortage is real... I still wouldn't ever recommend FOMO buying something that you don't love and love yourself in... It's still just too expensive for that...

 

[NY_Resonant]

Hi!

Question? Why natural white for these? Or more specifically - would you want to wear these with your Mikimoto studs (the ones that you shared in another thread)? Your Mikimoto pair has quite a bit of pink, and they read cool in tone, and so TBH these natural whites won't be a superb match for someone who's discriminating about pearl matching.

My gullet is also telling me that your Mikimoto pearls have darker body than these NW strands. Which means they'll look like they have higher contrast, which most people translate into More Lustrous. Nothing to do with pearl quality at all, it's just the way that our eyes work - everything else equal our eyes are better at seeing "more contrast" against a darker background.

Here's an example of the sort of difference I'm talking about... Both white akoya, almost identical size. Neither of these pairs are NW but for sake of example. Both are beautiful to me but I wouldn't wear them together...

If matching with your studs isn't important to you then that's a diff convo! Takahashi's gem grade for luster is tight but it's a pearl quality assessment - it's not going to favour a darker body the way your eyes will. Ditto @newtojewels - yes to accepting minor blemishing if it gets you the size and luster you want!! Luster overtakes everything else, honestly And yes, IMO those two strands are an excellent match with each other! It's normal to have pearls with differences in overtone colour and strength in this trade - if you wanted to avoid that you'd need a speciality source+sort, which would unfortunately obliterate those minor flaws savings - I'd instead vote buying a few extra pearls and swapping out any that your eyes deem egregiously out of place when you get them

Such a lovely stud collection...Just begging for a beautifully GREEN Tahitian set to join the family .

 

[NY_Resonant]

Okay, here are the pics of me wearing a NW strand which the local retailer very kindly let me try on. The overtone is more silvery with just a touch of pink in person, less pink-blue/teal. (The reason I’m not buying this strand directly is because it’s Tennyo certified and therefore outside my budget.) Indoor lighting, typical office lighting but brighter (as this is a wholesaler, not a jewellery store). I’m also wearing my (pinked) Mikimoto earrings.

Any thoughts? Are the tones of the pinked akoya (earrings) clearly more flattering on me? Is the colour difference between the strand very noticeable?

I swear I’m not fishing for compliments here — please feel free to be honest! Holding off on my own thoughts so I don’t influence the comments.

I'm pretty picky about pearls, my wife is 100% Han Chinese with a very similar skin tone to yours. I bought a Tennyo gem natural white strand from Takahashi and she wears normal non-NW stud pearls without any conflict or sense of incompatibility at all. The studs are not OVERLY pink and the NW have a slight pink overtone, similar to what Yy indicated for your potential set.

I think you'll be very pleased with the combination and should not be fearful of a mismatch. For my wife, the NW actually looked better on her skin tone than the pinked necklace.

Note: Some NW can come across with too much green overtone. I dislike those personally. Trust Yy, if she says these do not give off that impression then they do not.

I also bought a pinked Takahashi necklace (Gem luster with minor flaws) that I gave to my wife's Mother who has a slightly darker skin tone. It looked beautiful on her, better than on my wife. The "minor flaws" were mainly things like sharkskin and not holes/bumps in the pearls (Holes/bumps bother me a lot more than sharkskin).

From normal viewing distance, the "minor flaws" are not noticeable at all.

 

[NY_Resonant]

@yssie (apologies for tagging you so much! Your notifications must be going crazy) new videos and pictures are in! Yy describes the lighting as outdoor natural light and indoor natural light.



Videos here:

https://imgur.com/a/fnGEbnR

Personally I would pick the bottom strand in those pictures. Simply draws my eyes more and I prefer the sharkskin imperfections -- the top strand has a couple of "bump" imperfections that would bother me.

@yssie can opine best about the matching between the pearls in these strands, I can't hold a candle to her color sensitivity... but the matching seems So-So to me with some having more pink and some more green which is pretty standard in a lot of these strands unfortunately. I would second her advice to potentially buy 2-3 extra pearls to replace any that "stands out" to you --- also good for replacements or extending the necklace length if you want.

 

[clockworkreader]

Ohhh so great that you were able to actually try some on!! What size was this strand? Of course all NW are different etc etc etc but seeing some in person is really the absolute best way to get a general idea

I'm actually the same way, I prefer a darker body and cooler tone. But to answer this question -

No, not at all! At the end of the day these are all white pearls and mooooost people will just see "white, classic, glowy"!! This is really a discussion just for yourself, what you're comfortable with - what's eyeclean and mind-clean for *you*.

So let me flip the question - how did you feel about about these pearls, in the mirror? "Super flattering!!"? "They're lovely but"?

FWIW I think they're beautiful on you - you seem to be one of those lucky few who looks good in many overtones But your preferences are what matters here. Even if the Takahashi are more cost effective than these Tennyo, and even though the akoya shortage is real... I still wouldn't ever recommend FOMO buying something that you don't love and love yourself in... It's still just too expensive for that...

I just love Hong Kong for pearls! You’d love it here. It would be so fun to do a PS meet up at one of the annual jewellery and gem trade shows…

I think I loved the NW pearls on! My first impression was that they were very white (and therefore optically bright), more so than my earrings. It’s funny because my earrings are probably more lustrous (individual earrings vs I also didn’t think they clashed with my earrings — there was a clear colour difference when I held the strand up to my earrings, but they didn’t *clash* in my opinion.

Such a lovely stud collection...Just begging for a beautifully GREEN Tahitian set to join the family .

I agree!! I think we've all been craving some new Yssie pearl eye candy

 

[NY_Resonant]

I just love Hong Kong for pearls! You’d love it here. It would be so fun to do a PS meet up at one of the annual jewellery and gem trade shows…

I think I loved the NW pearls on! My first impression was that they were very white (and therefore optically bright), more so than my earrings. It’s funny because my earrings are probably more lustrous (individual earrings vs I also didn’t think they clashed with my earrings — there was a clear colour difference when I held the strand up to my earrings, but they didn’t *clash* in my opinion.


I agree!! I think we've all been craving some new Yssie pearl eye candy

Luster is very important when judging a pearl by itself on a table. The contrast it provides with your skin is *very* important when you put it on your neck. That's why my wife loved the NW given her slightly yellow skin tone, it made it POP and the white glowy contrast in a NW strand really stood out beautifully.

We liked it more at Takahashi's office than a grandpearl necklace she tried on... And the Granpearl had slightly better luster. I didn't personally like the Granpearl that much at the office because it felt "warm" and like @yssie, I prefer a "cool" feelings in my pearls.

 

[newtojewels]

I'm a very different skin tone (pale and pink) but I like my silvery (according to Hisano on the livestream) pinked Takahashi akoyas much better than my Moline natural whites on me. I'm glad I didn't splurge on a natural white necklace. I'm hoping to get a nice necklace that matches those earring and bracelet pearls someday!

The necklace in your photos looks lovely and bright on you, @clockworkreader Like Yssie, I think both types look great on you and you just wear pearls well.

 

[clockworkreader]

I'm pretty picky about pearls, my wife is 100% Han Chinese with a very similar skin tone to yours. I bought a Tennyo gem natural white strand from Takahashi and she wears normal non-NW stud pearls without any conflict or sense of incompatibility at all. The studs are not OVERLY pink and the NW have a slight pink overtone, similar to what Yy indicated for your potential set.

I think you'll be very pleased with the combination and should not be fearful of a mismatch. For my wife, the NW actually looked better on her skin tone than the pinked necklace.

Note: Some NW can come across with too much green overtone. I dislike those personally. Trust Yy, if she says these do not give off that impression then they do not.

I also bought a pinked Takahashi necklace (Gem luster with minor flaws) that I gave to my wife's Mother who has a slightly darker skin tone. It looked beautiful on her, better than on my wife. The "minor flaws" were mainly things like sharkskin and not holes/bumps in the pearls (Holes/bumps bother me a lot more than sharkskin).

From normal viewing distance, the "minor flaws" are not noticeable at all.

Hi NY Resonant! Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me out.

I've been admiring your wife's gorgeous NW necklace for ages and it's great to know that she wears them with pinked earrings just fine. If it's good enough for you, it's certainly good enough for me! I think you're right that your wife and I have a similar skin tone. I just hope my strand ends up looking half as lovely on me as they do on her!

When I tried on the NW necklace, I think I finally understood what you meant by NW "popping" more against our skin tone. The pinked Akoya strand looked very harmonious with my skin tone — it almost "blended in" with the warmth in my skin (in a very nice way, I have to say), whereas the brighter, truer white of the NW contrasted with my skin in a way that made the pearls stand out more. IMO the contrast between my skin tone and the NW pearls highlighted the warmth and the richness of my skin tone — white always looks great with a tan!

It's interesting that Takahashi describes these strands strands as "minor flaw", given that they seem to have visibly more blemishes than both your necklace and @newtojewels's light kizu bracelet. I honestly don't mind in the slightest because luster > everything for me, but interesting nevertheless.

 

[clockworkreader]

Ohhh so great that you were able to actually try some on!! What size was this strand? Of course all NW are different etc etc etc but seeing some in person is really the absolute best way to get a general idea

I'm actually the same way, I prefer a darker body and cooler tone. But to answer this question -

No, not at all! At the end of the day these are all white pearls and mooooost people will just see "white, classic, glowy"!! This is really a discussion just for yourself, what you're comfortable with - what's eyeclean and mind-clean for *you*.

So let me flip the question - how did you feel about about these pearls, in the mirror? "Super flattering!!"? "They're lovely but"?

FWIW I think they're beautiful on you - you seem to be one of those lucky few who looks good in many overtones But your preferences are what matters here. Even if the Takahashi are more cost effective than these Tennyo, and even though the akoya shortage is real... I still wouldn't ever recommend FOMO buying something that you don't love and love yourself in... It's still just too expensive for that...

Just realised I forgot to answer: the strand I'm wearing above is 6.5-7, just like the Takahashi strand. The size is perfect for me — I've always favoured dainty jewellery, so to me this size is big enough to be seen (and doesn't veer into baby Akoya territory), but still small enough that I don't feel like it's too ostentatious. I'm also only in my early twenties and in my first full-time job after college, so I think (I hope??) this is an age-appropriate size for me.

I realise that this size is probably going to feel very small to me in a few years (or a few decades? lol), but I'm okay with that — this can be my twenties strand and then maybe in my thirties I'll upgrade to a bigger size! <3

Oh, and no worries about Takahashi being less mind clean than the Tennyo! The Takahashi is actually more mind clean for me because I trust Takahashi and their assessment of gem luster, whereas I don't really trust the PSL's designation of Tennyo I've seen some Tennyo strands that I thought were a bit meh and I don't want to accidentally end up with a just-scraped-by Tennyo!

 

[clockworkreader]

Personally I would pick the bottom strand in those pictures. Simply draws my eyes more and I prefer the sharkskin imperfections -- the top strand has a couple of "bump" imperfections that would bother me.

@yssie can opine best about the matching between the pearls in these strands, I can't hold a candle to her color sensitivity... but the matching seems So-So to me with some having more pink and some more green which is pretty standard in a lot of these strands unfortunately. I would second her advice to potentially buy 2-3 extra pearls to replace any that "stands out" to you --- also good for replacements or extending the necklace length if you want.

Yy just got back to me, and she prefers the bottom strand as well! She says they're about the same quality, but the bottom strand has a pinker overtone (which I can see in this latest pic she sent). I swear I don't keep bugging her for pictures, she just sends them to me without prompting! It's like she knows there's a thread full of hungry PSers waiting for her eye candy!

I actually want to turn this strand into a choker, a la Grace Kelly (but a bit less tight). Since I'll be removing quite a few pearls anyway (probably 10+), I'd probably get away with just removing any offending pearls without having to replace them. Trying on the NW Tennyo also made me realise that I actually like the look of a somewhat imperfectly matched strand — I love the subtle flashes of different colors!

If I were making a regular 16" or 18" necklace, I'd definitely get some extra pearls to replace the removed pearls. Good shout!

In the meantime, thoughts on making a station necklace or bracelet with the spare pearls? I wonder if a station pearl necklace would look good layered with a pearl choker...

 

[clockworkreader]

I'm a very different skin tone (pale and pink) but I like my silvery (according to Hisano on the livestream) pinked Takahashi akoyas much better than my Moline natural whites on me. I'm glad I didn't splurge on a natural white necklace. I'm hoping to get a nice necklace that matches those earring and bracelet pearls someday!

The necklace in your photos looks lovely and bright on you, @clockworkreader Like Yssie, I think both types look great on you and you just wear pearls well.

Thank you so much for the lovely comment <3 your Takahashi bracelet is absolutely TDF and it looks perfect on you. You should absolutely get a necklace to match your bracelet and earrings and post about a million pictures

 

[NY_Resonant]

Hi NY Resonant! Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me out.

I've been admiring your wife's gorgeous NW necklace for ages and it's great to know that she wears them with pinked earrings just fine. If it's good enough for you, it's certainly good enough for me! I think you're right that your wife and I have a similar skin tone. I just hope my strand ends up looking half as lovely on me as they do on her!

When I tried on the NW necklace, I think I finally understood what you meant by NW "popping" more against our skin tone. The pinked Akoya strand looked very harmonious with my skin tone — it almost "blended in" with the warmth in my skin (in a very nice way, I have to say), whereas the brighter, truer white of the NW contrasted with my skin in a way that made the pearls stand out more. IMO the contrast between my skin tone and the NW pearls highlighted the warmth and the richness of my skin tone — white always looks great with a tan!

It's interesting that Takahashi describes these strands strands as "minor flaw", given that they seem to have visibly more blemishes than both your necklace and @newtojewels's light kizu bracelet. I honestly don't mind in the slightest because luster > everything for me, but interesting nevertheless.

I’m not sure how they compare because the flaws really only stand out at a very close range with my mother in law’s pinked strand.

Examples:











That’s why my favorite type of “flaw” is sharkskin. They really blend away with a little distance, only leaving a slightly imperfect reflection of light/etc from the non perfectly smooth surface.

 

[clockworkreader]

I’m not sure how they compare because the flaws really only stand out at a very close range with my mother in law’s pinked strand.

Examples:











That’s why my favorite type of “flaw” is sharkskin. They really blend away with a little distance, only leaving a slightly imperfect reflection of light/etc from the non perfectly smooth surface.

Your new pictures are very illuminating! I see the shark skin now. When you posted the photos of the entire strand, I was literally like what flaws?? Where are the flaws??

It looks like the bottom strand, which you and Yy both prefer, have more of this shark skin type imperfection compared to the top strand, which has smoother skins but more pinpricks and “pimples” (for lack of a better word).

Your gem with minor flaw necklace really does suit your MIL! Dare I say, she looks like a very cool lady.

 

[newtojewels]

Thank you so much for the lovely comment <3 your Takahashi bracelet is absolutely TDF and it looks perfect on you. You should absolutely get a necklace to match your bracelet and earrings and post about a million pictures

I'm a little older than you and want to think through the final size and how often I would really wear a high-quality necklace. I love it in theory but maybe not in practice. But the fun thing about pearls is that you don't ruin them by restringing -- I'm thinking about turning my current rarely-worn strand into a half-and-half long strand with another kind of stone or with a chain a la Tiffany:

 

[yssie]

Yy just got back to me, and she prefers the bottom strand as well! She says they're about the same quality, but the bottom strand has a pinker overtone (which I can see in this latest pic she sent). I swear I don't keep bugging her for pictures, she just sends them to me without prompting! It's like she knows there's a thread full of hungry PSers waiting for her eye candy!

I actually want to turn this strand into a choker, a la Grace Kelly (but a bit less tight). Since I'll be removing quite a few pearls anyway (probably 10+), I'd probably get away with just removing any offending pearls without having to replace them. Trying on the NW Tennyo also made me realise that I actually like the look of a somewhat imperfectly matched strand — I love the subtle flashes of different colors!

If I were making a regular 16" or 18" necklace, I'd definitely get some extra pearls to replace the removed pearls. Good shout!

In the meantime, thoughts on making a station necklace or bracelet with the spare pearls? I wonder if a station pearl necklace would look good layered with a pearl choker...

I mean. Seems like the bottom strand checks all the boxes! I prefer the bottom one too - thritto @NY_Resonant and Yy!
And perfect that you want a choker, you've got some spares built in
I made a DBTY (long necklace) with my spares. Great way to repurpose those extras!

 

[clockworkreader]

I'm a little older than you and want to think through the final size and how often I would really wear a high-quality necklace. I love it in theory but maybe not in practice. But the fun thing about pearls is that you don't ruin them by restringing -- I'm thinking about turning my current rarely-worn strand into a half-and-half long strand with another kind of stone or with a chain a la Tiffany:

Your ideas sound amazing, I hope you’ll share whatever you end up doing on PS!

You’re absolutely right about the cost-per-wear (I mean it’s not exactly what you were saying, but sort of). There isn’t much point in having lovely jewellery if you don’t wear it! That’s part of the reason why I’m going to turn my strand into a choker. I just think it’ll be more casual and wearable for me

 

[clockworkreader]

I mean. Seems like the bottom strand checks all the boxes! I prefer the bottom one too - thritto @NY_Resonant and Yy!
And perfect that you want a choker, you've got some spares built in
I made a DBTY (long necklace) with my spares. Great way to repurpose those extras!

Yay for a unanimous vote! I really can’t thank you and NY Resonant enough for your help — I’ve learnt so much from your threads that I really value your opinion

And of course, I’ll be posting updates and pictures of the final product once I have them!

 

[clockworkreader]

Unexpected twist to my pearl necklace saga. I’ve just found this necklace in a local jewellery shop for almost exactly the same price as the Takahashi strand + shipping. The luster is remarkable — it actually beats my Mikimoto AA earrings! And we all know that earrings tend to be higher quality than strands. It has my ideal pink-silver overtone and is neither overly pink nor overly silver. The matching in terms of luster and overtone are both good. It does have some minor flaws, but I don’t care about flaws if it means I get luster for a good price! Having seen a ton of pearl necklaces in person, I think I’ve stumbled across a unicorn — my ideal size, overtone and luster.

My phone camera is awful and does not accurately capture the luster, but I tried:



@yssie What do you think? The necklace is a touch pinker than my earrings, but as we’ve established, I’m not that picky on matching!

 

[clockworkreader]

Okay… I did it. I bought the other strand from the local shop. I just couldn’t pass up on this strand which I had seen with my own eyes, and I knew checked every single one of my boxes. I feel really bad that Takahashi took time to send me so many pictures I really hope they know that I was asking in good faith and that I completely intended on buying their necklace.

Anyway, more pictures of my new strand!!! I don’t have it yet as it’s getting knotted, but after that it’ll be MINE ALL MINE!!!

 

[Ann]

Beautiful!

 

[pearlsngems]

I agree-- you got a great necklace!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Okay… I did it. I bought the other strand from the local shop. I just couldn’t pass up on this strand which I had seen with my own eyes, and I knew checked every single one of my boxes. I feel really bad that Takahashi took time to send me so many pictures I really hope they know that I was asking in good faith and that I completely intended on buying their necklace.

Anyway, more pictures of my new strand!!! I don’t have it yet as it’s getting knotted, but after that it’ll be MINE ALL MINE!!!

i think this all worked out perfectly
how fortunate you were to have that quality on your doorstep (well in your own city)