Hi, I am looking for a long South Sea pearl mixed color necklace, using grey, gold and black pearls, around 30″ long. Have you ever made something similar? Kathlene
 
Dear Kathlene,
 
Thank you for your interest in PurePearls.com! We create each one of our South Sea and Tahitian pearl necklaces using loose, un-drilled pearls that are hand-matched according to your preferences for color, graduation and placement. Our customers love this method of creating their very own necklace because it gives them so much more control over the final layout and overall look of the pearls. Each pearl is priced out depending upon its’ type, color, luster, size and quality, so until a final layout is actually created, I can only furnish you a price estimate that is subject to change.
 
The typical Pelosi layout (pictured in the attachment) consists of Golden and White South Seas Pearls and the Grey/Black Tahitian pearls interspaced at set intervals i.e. 2 Tahitian pearls, 1 White South Sea, 2 Tahitians, 1 Golden, 2 Tahitians… and so on until the necklace is completed. Of course, there are individual variances according to personal taste- some women enjoy the look in reverse, or with Golden tones dominating the spectrum; there is so much room to get creative and really make the necklace a one of a kind!
 
Because the Tahitian and White/Golden South Sea pearls are the largest pearls available on the jewelry market today (their oysters P. margaritifera and P. maxima both are quite large and can attain sizes of up to one foot in length upon maturity!), their sizes will range in size from 8.0mm up to 20.0mm. The typical South Seas or Tahitian necklace will consist of a graduated range of pearls usually from 9.0-12.0mm or 11.0-13.0mm and so on, but of course, non-graduated strands (10.0-11.0mm) are also easily made. We also only deal in AA-AAA Quality pearls, and can create necklaces that are completely spotless/blemish-free or strands that have a few pearls in the mix that contain inclusions (artfully and thoughtfully hidden near the back to ensure maximum beauty J) to keep the costs down.
 
As a general rule of thumb, the Tahitian pearls are less expensive than the Golden South Seas, which are less expensive than the White South Seas, and larger sizes above 13.0mm range in the $1K and up per pearl. The price range for a typical Pelosi strand i.e. 18-Inches, 3.0mm graduation, AA+/AAA Quality using the Tahitian pearl majority layout will be about $10,000.00 to $12,500.00, so a 30-Inch necklace will be almost double that- again depending upon all the various factors described above. That said, I can honestly assure you that a necklace of this length and style will be a breathtaking sight to behold, and truly a treasure that will shine for generations. I can hardly wait to get started the more I think about it!  A necklace of this style and quality can take us anywhere from two to three Business Days to sort, match and drill, or longer depending on how detailed you want to get.
 
I’d love to know what you think about the necklace of your dreams- it sounded from your description below that you’re interested mostly in a Tahitian and Golden South Sea layout which we can easily do, but I need your ideas and vision to help guide the process! I would like to know exactly what colors, sizes, luster and quality pearls (along with your ideal budget ballpark to establish the quality mix and parameters) you’d love to see, and we can begin selecting pearls and placing them in a layout for your initial approval. Every step of the way, I provide detailed photographs of the pearls to be used and their placement, so you have a lot of say in the creative process of finalizing the design and overall look!
 
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon! Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of further assistance- I am always happy to help. J Have an excellent evening.  
Sincerely,
  
Ashley McNamara

Vice President of Sales

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What’s the difference in luster between the South Sea pearls and the Akoya?

Thanks!

Mary G.

Des Moines, IA
 
Dear Mary, The main differences between South Sea pearl luster and Akoya luster are the sharpness of reflections seen in their surfaces, and brightness. Akoya pearls are known for their bright, glossy luster and razor-sharp surface reflections- when you look to evaluate an Akoya pearls’ luster, reflected light on the surface should have sharp, crisp borders and you should be able to distinguish some of your facial features staring back at you (with really great Akoya pearls you’ll be able to make out your entire face!). South Sea pearls have a much softer, more satiny glow to them; light reflected on the surface of the pearl will be slightly blurry on the borders and it’ll be rather difficult to make out facial details. There are a few reasons for this: nacre thickness, luster treatments and the water temperature of the pearl farm during cultivation.
 
The luxurious South Sea pearls have what is considered very thick nacre around the bead nucleus- typically measuring between 2.0-6.0mm! The attribute known as luster- which can be characterized as both that subtle inner glow that entrances the eye, as well as how well the pearls’ surface reflects light and objects at the viewer- requires a light source striking the surface of the pearl and then traveling through to the center nucleus, refracting and reflecting light throughout the various layers of crystalline material (nacre) and then bouncing back towards the surface. Two to six millimeters of opaque crystal all of a sudden seems like a huge distance for light to travel through! The thick nacre deposited around the nucleus of the pearl is the result of a cultivation period that spans at a minimum 2 years, and the warm, clean waters of the South Seas which speeds up the oyster’s metabolic processes, encouraging rapid nacre deposition around the bead, and a looser aragonite platelet arrangement that results in a softer glow.
 
By contrast, Akoya pearls are cultivated in the much colder waters of Japan and China for a drastically shorter period of 9-16 months! This means that the nacre deposits around the nucleus are much thinner than that of their South Sea cousins, with an average of .3-.6mm showing around the bead.  Additionally, the colder waters actually slow the oyster’s metabolic rates, leading to slower nacre deposition, and tighter, contracted nacre layers which will transmit light beams much more rapidly and give the impression of sharper, glossier luster that the Akoya pearl is famous for the world over.
 
After harvest, the Akoya pearl is typically sent to a processing center in China, where various treatments are applied to help the pearls maintain their uniformity of look (another famous attribute of Akoya pearls is that they are all almost perfectly matched). One of these treatments can often be a luster treatment, in which a thin veneer of glossy lacquer-like substance is lightly applied to the surface of the pearl in order to enhance its’ shine. Luster treatments do not harm the durability of the pearl, and are considered standard industry-wide. It should be noted that South Sea pearls (both the Silver and Golden varieties), are not treated or processed in any way other than a bath after harvest to rid them of any left over smell, and gentle tumbling with wax-covered walnut chips, soft bark and cork pieces for about 20-30 minutes to naturally enhance their outer shine.