Picking a Pearl - Seaworld or Epcot?

[Daysleeper40]

Hi All,

I have decided that I would like to pick a pearl and have it set as a keepsake on our upcoming trip (only three weeks to go now!). Just wondering if anyone can give me a comparison of doing this at Seaworld vrs Epcot. I have seen lots of info about the Epcot location but not so much on Seaworld. On our previous trip Seaworld was one of my favourite places (and our Disney days were my least favourite!) so in a way I'd like to have it done at SW. We will only be at Epcot one day though so if the choice of settings etc is better at Epcot then I would need to get it that day.

Thanks for any help in advance,
Fi

 

[orangetiggs]

i did this on my first trip at down town disney and it was set on a whales tale, this was back in 97 though so cant really help but i loved mine

 

[Daysleeper40]

i did this on my first trip at down town disney and it was set on a whales tale, this was back in 97 though so cant really help but i loved mine

I remember seeing the Pearl divers at SW on our last trip but it was only when I was reading about the Epcot location today that I realised what a cool keepsake of the holiday it would be. We will be at Epcot first so I suppose I will just have to have a look at the settings there and if I really like one just get it.

I can always get another one at SW - we will be going there at least three times on our trip so I will have plenty of opportunities at SW!!

 

[starrysky]

I did the EPCOT one a couple of years ago and got a lovely 8mm white pearl that I had set in one of the silver cage settings. They had lots of choices of settings including if you wanted gold/ silver etc.

I seem to remember that sea world had a nice selection as well and they also had a nice selection of pearl jewllery as well.

Either way the pearls I saw people getting from both locations looked equally nice.

 

[BRobson]

I picked mine at Downtown Disney and got a White gold necklace

My DD tried her luck at Epcot and got Twins - so i got them made into earrings

 

[Twilight Terror]

We have done the pick a pearl at SeaWorld. We wanted something a little bit different, it was almost my birthday and Pearl is my birth stone. So we did it. Basically, the guys are in the tank all day driving and swimming around. When you want to pick a pearl, you choose the pool you want and the diver goes down, grabs a handful of shells and brings them back to the surface. You then get to choose which of the shells you would like to take and open. Once selected, you head the cart where they pop open the shell and reveal your pearl.

The pearl is then cleaned and polished, ready for your inspection. You are then given the option of taking the pearl as it is (and just pay for the selection), or picking out a silver or gold jewelry piece in which you can have your pearl set for extra. They do pendants and earrings, and I think maybe rings too, but I could be wrong on that one. I ended up going for a gold pendant piece - three dolphins in a circle, each touching their nose to the tail of the one in front.

They will set your pearl into the jewelry piece, there and then. They drill a tiny hole which sets the pearl into the piece. The whole thing is wrapped and packed in a pretty little mesh bag.

Also, as an annual passholder, we got 10% off the whole process, both off the pearl selection, and then the jewelry piece. Hope that helps!

 

[Daysleeper40]

Thanks very much for the info everyone... I'm starting to think I might need to pick a pearl at Seaworld AND Epcot

 

[Disbabe]

I have done both. My very first time was at Seaworld in 2001 and they did a proper ceremony of the pearl's "Birth". They then told me it was male and asked me to choose a name for it. The one I got was a blue pearl - so named it moonbeam. I got a certificate with its birthdate and name on it. I had that one mounted in 14K white gold prong setting with a diamond. I still love it!
I've had 2 pearls from Epcot and whilst they have a ceremony its not like the one at Seaworld. I've had a Gold one and a Cream one - both big sizes. One I had mounted in a sterling silver cage and the other I brought back in its bag and purchased a gold plated Cinderella Carriage Cage from ebay, which I love.

I'm sure you will just love the proceedure whichever you choose, or both!

 

[ohana7]

SoundS good. Is it expensive?

 

[Daysleeper40]

SoundS good. Is it expensive?

From what I have read it is between $15 - $20 to "pick" the pearl in the first place and then the cost of the setting entirely depends on what you pick. I have heard a lot about these carriage cages on Ebay - I think that must be the cheapest setting you can do... other end of the scale will be gold settings with diamonds etc.

I'm aiming for a sterling silver setting (probably a cage of some kind) and expect the whole thing to total approx $50.

 

[Twilight Terror]

SoundS good. Is it expensive?

I'm trying to think how much ours were. We did the pearl picking and had a gold setting each. I think it was a total of just over $100 each, because we got back about $30 (between the three of us) with out 10% annual pass discount. I could be wrong, but thats what seems to be in my mind.

 

[ohana7]

Thanks we have AP's so that's a good excuse to buy one - for the discount.