Comments on: How to Buy Pearls

on 9/2/2008 I'm so sorry to hear you had such a terrible experience with that company. Shopping online can be daunting when you don't know who you can trust! There are some important factors to look for when shopping for pearl jewelry.
1. How long has the company been in business?
2. What is their return policy?
3. Do they have a lot of proof factors? (ie: high profile press, strong rating from Better Business Bureau, great reviews from customers, are they responsive to questions, calls, and emails?)

Often, if you are not sure about a company, simply call them or chat with them on Live Chat. You will get a good feel for the company by interacting with them.

Customer service should be a company's #1 priority!

Best,
Amanda Raab
CEO
PurePearls.com
www.PurePearls.com

on 12/18/2007 I took the advice of "eHow Friend" 8/8/2006 and ordered a pearl necklace set from Pearls by Angela Carol which cost nearly $1,100. I had them shipped by FedEx overnight express. After waiting for three days and no delivery I called the company and left a message on their answering machine requesting a tracking number. I waited another two days (no delivery and no response to my first call) and called again and left another message. I also called FedEx who to my dismay informed me that Pearls by Angela Carol didn't ship my jewelry. It appears that I have been scammed by an elaborate website run by crooks. I'm sorry that I didn't shop at our local high end jewelry store.

on 10/11/2007 list of jewelry stores online:
http://jewelry.jewlery-stores.com/

on 6/27/2007 One way not to buy pearls is through Angela Carol. The user ahead of me listed several online sites and she was the first listed. After 8 days the order had still not shipped and I was under an anniversary deadline. Despite numerous attempts via email, phone and fax, I was not responded to. I canceled the order and reordered through Pearls of Joy. They answered the phone when I called and were able to get the order in hand the next day. That's customer service. I will repost when I inspect them. I am still not convinced that these online pearls will be up to my standards but I hope to be surprised.

on 12/9/2006 Pearls- They aren't just round and baroque: In addition to classic pearls that are viewed as being round or baroque you can also find some very strange shapes that I never knew existed. Perhaps the oddest one was a chicken foot pearl necklace which was found on a website called Aloha Pearls. For those of you curious here's the image location. http://www.alohapearls.com/img.php?name=833_CK1%20(2).jpg&width=350&height=350 I was also surprised to find other websites with similar items in the forms of sticks and fishing hooks! What's worked for me, is if you want to buy some pearls, do a little research (site's like ehow are great), research your company making sure they are members of the BBB or sililar and hunt down your item! Good Luck!

on 8/8/2006 Mall jewelry stores, such as Zales or Kay's, have lines of Mikimoto pearls that are made just for them. They are generally of lower quality than the lines that you find in exclusive Mikimoto stores. The grades that you will find at your Mall stores will generally be AA grade (which would be the second to the lowest grade of pearl - A, AA, AA+ and AAA). The AAA grade Mikimoto pearls could cost you more than $10,000 for a single necklace.

It should be noted though that these same quality of pearls are available from other sources at significantly lower prices. While it is a scary thing sometimes to buy jewelry online, there are some online stores that specialize in nothing but pearls. They buy these pearls directly from the pearl farms in China and Japan (the same farms that produce supply Mikimoto and other high end lines), string the pearls themselves and then sell them directly to the public.

The people that run these businesses are much more versed in quality, luster, grading and nacre thickness than anyone in your local Mall store. The names that come to mind (and that I have done business with) are Pearls by Angela Carol, Pure Pearls, Pearls of Joy and Pearl Paradise (just to name a few). At these online stores you can find AA+ and AAA grade pearls and prices that are significantly less than what you would pay for lower grades in your mall store.

Also, if you talk to the companies, you will also find that they have a limited number of Hanadama grade pearls. These are more expensive than the AAA grades, but that is due to how rare they are. The Hanadama grades would be the equivalent of the $10,000 Mikimoto line but these stores sell them for much less because there are not middle men and the overhead is low.

To find these companies, just search for their names on the web.

on 11/22/2005 Mikimoto pearls are considered the best brand name pearls you can buy.
Usually, I don't like to buy jewelry at discount or mall stores (like Zales or Kay's). As a general rule, you get what you pay for.

However, once in a while stores like these will have have their entire inventory on sale, including Mikimotos. In that case, you can actually save money on the same product by buying there, rather than at a higher end jewelry store.

A good trick is to open a credit line at that store just to get Mikimoto's cheaper. This also works for other brands which are rarely on sale, for example - Movado watches.

Keep in mind that Mikimoto's also have several ratings (A, AA, AAA), so if you are comparison shopping Mikimotos, making sure you ask for the specific grade, as well as the size.

on 11/22/2005 In addition to preventing the loss of more than one pearl, knotting prevents pearls from rubbing against each other. This rubbing can result in a chipping of the nacre coating of the pearl around the hole. Pearls are a very soft gem.