Dear PurePearls:

I have been looking on your website for a set of white pearl earrings. I was looking at the Akoya and Freshwater pearls and was hoping you could give me some direction about which ones to go with as I have no knowledge in this area. Thanks in advance for your help.

D.Steele

Dear Ms. Steele,

Thank you for your interest in PurePearls.com! Trying to decide between the two most popular white pearl types- Akoya and Freshwater pearls- can be a very difficult choice indeed! Some pros and cons to help you decide…

Your classic white pearls would be the famous (and the original) saltwater Akoya from Japan and China- distinguishable for their perfectly round, smooth shapes, their white color and bright, glossy luster that made the gem an instant favorite with War Brides the world over. If you’re looking for shiny, bright and perfectly round pearl earrings, then the Akoya pearls are definitely the best way to go. Our AA+ and AAA Qualities are nearly equivalent in terms of luster, but with AAA Quality pearls, you are assured a flawless surface.

Next up are cultured Chinese Freshwater pearls; only recently have the Chinese been able to culture truly round shapes, but they have definitely made up for lost time! These pearls are an excellent value, composed completely of nacre, they will last generations! They are known for being more satiny in terms of luster, and slightly off a truly round sphere (except in our Elite Collection / Gem Quality pearls), but again offer an excellent alternative to their higher priced saltwater cousins. We offer AA+, AAA and our Elite Collection Qualities- and of the two sizes you’re thinking about, I would very highly recommend that you purchase the 10.0-11.0mm size as we have extremely limited qualities (maybe 5 pairs?) and have recently become very hard to get.

I hope this helps you come to a decision, and if you have any other questions or if I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me at anytime- I am always happy to help! I am looking forward to hearing from you soon, and have an excellent day!

Sincerely,

Ashley McNamara

Hi Everybody! 

We’re expanding our Pearl Tin Cup Necklace Collection just in time for Valentine’s Day! Now you can choose from a variety of styles and colors that are guaranteed to please- we’re featuring our super-saturated and iridescent Tahitian Baroque and Freshwater version, an Elite Collection White Freshwater Graduated Tin Cup, both the White and Multi-Colored Freshwater pearl versions, along with two new items: our Golden South Sea Pearl and AAA Quality Round Tahitian Pearl Necklace in any overtone of your choice! Each one of our gorgeous Tin Cup Necklaces is made entirely by hand- from selecting only the most beautiful pearls based upon your preferences to the delicate wire-wrapping finish in 14K Gold. When you purchase a PurePearls.com Tin Cup Necklace you are completely guaranteed of the very best quality and value. This Valentine’s Day, say it with pearls!

Hi Everbody!  

One of my very favorite customers recently asked me to create a pair of Clip-On Dangle Freshwater pearl earrings as a birthday gift for her Mother In Law, and the earrings turned out so beautifully, I thought I’d share! The top pearls are AA+ Quality, 8.0-9.0mm Pinkish-Lavender Button-Shape Freshwater pearls, and the bottom pearls are also 8.0-9.0mm, but are AAA Quality, Peach Drop-Shape baroques. I love the way this piece is proportioned and the contrast in colors really lights up the earrings- I wish I’d made a pair for me! I hope you like them too, and just so you know: I created more than a few matched pairs and set them aside for the future… Just in case.

Hi Everybody! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend! To kick off the first official week of holiday shopping, we have decided to offer all our customers a Free Pair of Freshwater Pearl Stud Earrings with any purchase over $140.00!!! The pearls come in your choice of White, Pink/Peach and Lavender (my favorite!), and mounted on 14K White or Yellow Gold. Simply type in Free Earrings (designate your desired color, or we’ll match it to your purchase automatically) in the Special Instructions Box located at the bottom of Page 2 during the Checkout Process aka the Billing and Shipping Information Page. Any questions? Feel free to use our Live Chat to speak with Ashley, or just give us a call at 1(800) 762-0977! We are here and ready to answer any and all queries! Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping from PurePearls.com! Stay tuned for other Holiday Specials coming your way soon!

Dear PurePearls.com,
 
My son’s name is ____ 8 years, (DOB 31st May, 2001 time 1.49pm) as per his astrology chart, he is supposed to put pure pearl. Can you please suggest to me what type of pearl I have to give my son?
 
Thanks Regards,

S.
 
Dear S.,
 
Thank you for your interest in PurePearls.com! We get requests from time to time regarding the proper gems for people as determined by their Astrological Charts, and although I am no expert, I can say that the modern cultured pearl that is closest in nature to a purely natural pearl is the Chinese Freshwater pearl.
 
Freshwater pearls are “tissue-nucleated”, which means that a surgical technician causes the mollusk to stimulate pearl sac formation by implanting a 1mm square piece of donor mantle tissue from another mollusk into the hosts’ mantle. This irritant causes the host to form a pearl sac around the donor mantle tissue square and begin secreting nacre in order to smooth over the irritant. Gradually, a beautiful pearl is formed, and the initial piece of tissue dissolves to leave a pure, round pearl that is composed completely of crystalline material. This is the same process by which natural pearls are formed, however in nature, it is usually a parasitic worm or piece of deitrus that finds it’s way into the mollusk that will stimulate the animal into creating a pearl- there is no human intervention involved.
 
All cultured saltwater pearls such as the famous Akoya, the Black Tahitian pearls and luxurious White and Golden South Seas pearls from Australia and the Philippines are all “bead-nucleated”, which means that a large, round, smooth Freshwater bead is inserted into the host oyster along with a piece of mantle tissue to stimulate pearl sac formation. When the oyster is finished covering the internal bead nuclei with nacre (crystalline material), the farmer harvests the oyster and the pearl inside. This pearl basically consists of a few millimeters of crystal covering a round bead- this is part of the reason why some of these pearls are so sensitive to chemicals, sweats and oils- the thin covering of nacre is eaten up and wears away, exposing the bead inside.
 
Almost all of our round Freshwater pearls are ½ drilled for mounting purposes- we receive them this way from the auctions and our overseas suppliers; your best bet would be to try and find larger Baroque pearls (Off-Round, Oval-ish, or Drop-Shaped- not spherical) that have yet to be processed and drilled- we do have a selection of these that are available, and I would be happy to pick out the largest, most lustrous and luminous pearls of the lot for you to choose from, or if you must absolutely have round, un-drilled pearls, I can try to see what is available in the matched stock that I have- you never know! I wish you the best of luck in finding the proper gem for your son.
 
Sincerely,
 
Ashley McNamara
Vice President of Sales

Hi Everybody!
 
The latest Prominent Pearl Sighting simply must go to Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays the beloved writer/fashionista Carrie Bradshaw in the new Sex and the City movie that just debuted to rave reviews last week. The famous Opera Length strand of pearls makes the scene in just about every shot featuring the daring Bradshaw, virtually ensuring that the strand length known for it’s versatility (wear it any way you want: single strand, double it up, it always looks fabulous!), will be one of this summer’s IT items. To celebrate, we’ve decided to offer our Opera-Length Akoya and Freshwater pearl necklaces to all of our customers at discounted prices ALL SUMMER LONG!!
  
In addition to our everyday super-low wholesale prices, both the AA+ and AAA Quality versions of these stylish strands will be discounted an additional 10% to 15% Off their original retail price!!
Psst: Sarah Jessica… we love your pearls!!! 
*photo courtesy of National Jeweler

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