Hisgirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2011
- Messages
- 2,220
I've done two things over the past twenty years: advised consumers on financial literacy topics and run a pearl business. I DO NOT SELL PEARLS. AGAIN, I NO LONGER SELL PEARLS BUT AM STILL STAYING IN THE LOOP OF EDUCATION. It's with this knowledge, I wanted to share with my fellow disboard friends so when you do go to a pick-a-pearl, you are going in with open eyes and some pearl knowledge. You are buying an experience. A wonderful experience! 
I think it' great that you are enjoying this fun process, especially with your children. It's an amazing education for everyone to learn how an oyster and mussel grow nacre over a piece of oyster mantle tissue for a freshwater pearl and a round hard bead for an akoya saltwater pearl. (in cultured pearls, it isn't sand. Cultured just means that humans have helped mother nature by nucleating an oyster or mussel with mantle tissue and/or a bead).
Inside every fine akoya pearl is a hard, perfectly round bead. That is why after years of wear, often the nacre rubs off and you can see a bland bead underneath. (this is why I prefer high end freshwater pearls, but only the top .01% round.)
I've seen pictures of the pearls many folks have gotten at pick a pearl, and the perfectly round ones with the nice luster are bead nucleated pearls. They look very nice. If you happen to get one that is blue, grey, yellow, pink or lavender, know that they are freshwater pearls, which are grown by implanting many pieces of tissue into a mussel, which then causes nacre to grow. Again, if they are colored, they are freshwater, dyed, and not akoya. They may tell you otherwise, but akoya does not make these colors.
For these pick a pearl places, factories in Japan and also mostly in China, hand place those pearls into the mollusks. Then, the shells containing the pearls are dropped into a chemical solution that causes them to close up and stay closed until they are later opened at a pick-a-pearl place. Sometimes freshwater pearls will be placed into akoya pearl oysters. Freshwater pearls are identified by their colors and shape. Freshwater colors are often peach and lavender, blue, gray, black or green, and some of the pearls are slightly egg-shaped.
Again, just be aware that the pearls have indeed been put into these shells, they are not akoya saltwater pearls if they are colored (see above) or off round. This is a fact. You paid for smiles and a wonderful experience. Which is great!
If you do pay to have your pearl set into earrings or a ring and then later the pearl falls out of the setting, go to a craft store and find a two part epoxy. I used a 24 hour drying product. The less drying time expoxies have failed in the past. Mix the epoxy according to direction and using a tiny wire, place a tiny drop on the setting and inside the pearl. Set your pearl onto the setting point and let it sit for 24 hours. Do not get your pearls wet or the settings can loosen.
It does bother me when I see people paying the money they pay for a single pearl as you are paying about 1000+% mark up but again, seeing the joy and fun your kids have is priceless! If you are doing this to put a necklace together (as I have read some say), consider many local internet businesses that have heavy volume and excellent ratings. A beautiful necklace will run you around $100.
To give you some perspective on markup, I made a couple years ago, for my friend, a double strand, opera length 8mm pearl necklace. I paid $50 per stand wholesale (4 X $50) and the necklace appraised for $4900. For earrings, I paid $15 for the 14K gold setting, and about $12 for a pair of akoya 9MM perfectly round pearls. This was my price. I'm just giving you some perspective on markup. As a consumer, you too, can buy pearls this cheap if you know where to look.
Also know that there is not a grading system for pearls the same way diamonds are graded. It is always subjective. One person's AAA grade is another's A grade.
So don't get toooo excited if your pearl is 'appraised' at disney as being worth such and such dollars. Right now you can buy a very nice sized, high grade perfectly round pearl for $10 at many reputable places. That's full retail.
The pearl industry is HIGHLY competitive and prices have fallen tremendously since china began producing pearls. Also, pollution and natural disasters have wrecked havoc on oyster beds in Japan, thus putting more pressure on China to produce akoya-competing pearls.
Enjoy your pearl experience with open eyes and know your pearls! Don't see these places are your pearl source for an investment piece, see it as an awesome entertainment.
(I do hope this piece is read for what it's intended purpose is. Education. I understand why these pick a pearl places are popular. You are buying a great and unique experience. And that is priceless!)
I think it' great that you are enjoying this fun process, especially with your children. It's an amazing education for everyone to learn how an oyster and mussel grow nacre over a piece of oyster mantle tissue for a freshwater pearl and a round hard bead for an akoya saltwater pearl. (in cultured pearls, it isn't sand. Cultured just means that humans have helped mother nature by nucleating an oyster or mussel with mantle tissue and/or a bead).
Inside every fine akoya pearl is a hard, perfectly round bead. That is why after years of wear, often the nacre rubs off and you can see a bland bead underneath. (this is why I prefer high end freshwater pearls, but only the top .01% round.)
I've seen pictures of the pearls many folks have gotten at pick a pearl, and the perfectly round ones with the nice luster are bead nucleated pearls. They look very nice. If you happen to get one that is blue, grey, yellow, pink or lavender, know that they are freshwater pearls, which are grown by implanting many pieces of tissue into a mussel, which then causes nacre to grow. Again, if they are colored, they are freshwater, dyed, and not akoya. They may tell you otherwise, but akoya does not make these colors.
For these pick a pearl places, factories in Japan and also mostly in China, hand place those pearls into the mollusks. Then, the shells containing the pearls are dropped into a chemical solution that causes them to close up and stay closed until they are later opened at a pick-a-pearl place. Sometimes freshwater pearls will be placed into akoya pearl oysters. Freshwater pearls are identified by their colors and shape. Freshwater colors are often peach and lavender, blue, gray, black or green, and some of the pearls are slightly egg-shaped.
Again, just be aware that the pearls have indeed been put into these shells, they are not akoya saltwater pearls if they are colored (see above) or off round. This is a fact. You paid for smiles and a wonderful experience. Which is great!
If you do pay to have your pearl set into earrings or a ring and then later the pearl falls out of the setting, go to a craft store and find a two part epoxy. I used a 24 hour drying product. The less drying time expoxies have failed in the past. Mix the epoxy according to direction and using a tiny wire, place a tiny drop on the setting and inside the pearl. Set your pearl onto the setting point and let it sit for 24 hours. Do not get your pearls wet or the settings can loosen.
It does bother me when I see people paying the money they pay for a single pearl as you are paying about 1000+% mark up but again, seeing the joy and fun your kids have is priceless! If you are doing this to put a necklace together (as I have read some say), consider many local internet businesses that have heavy volume and excellent ratings. A beautiful necklace will run you around $100.
To give you some perspective on markup, I made a couple years ago, for my friend, a double strand, opera length 8mm pearl necklace. I paid $50 per stand wholesale (4 X $50) and the necklace appraised for $4900. For earrings, I paid $15 for the 14K gold setting, and about $12 for a pair of akoya 9MM perfectly round pearls. This was my price. I'm just giving you some perspective on markup. As a consumer, you too, can buy pearls this cheap if you know where to look.
Also know that there is not a grading system for pearls the same way diamonds are graded. It is always subjective. One person's AAA grade is another's A grade.
So don't get toooo excited if your pearl is 'appraised' at disney as being worth such and such dollars. Right now you can buy a very nice sized, high grade perfectly round pearl for $10 at many reputable places. That's full retail.
The pearl industry is HIGHLY competitive and prices have fallen tremendously since china began producing pearls. Also, pollution and natural disasters have wrecked havoc on oyster beds in Japan, thus putting more pressure on China to produce akoya-competing pearls.
Enjoy your pearl experience with open eyes and know your pearls! Don't see these places are your pearl source for an investment piece, see it as an awesome entertainment.
(I do hope this piece is read for what it's intended purpose is. Education. I understand why these pick a pearl places are popular. You are buying a great and unique experience. And that is priceless!)
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Sounds more like a solicitation for customers for you than anything else.
