Pearl necklace for a wedding gift

[mrsmarycandice]

My SIL got married and I was the matron of honor in her wedding. I want to get her a simple 18" strand of pearls and have no idea what I am looking for. She is very traditional and so I would like something along those lines.

What diameter should I get? What type of pearls? I know they need to be white.

Any help would be great.

THANKS!

[Talyssa]

i think a price range you are looking at would be good. Pearls can range from inexpensive to VERY expensive. ... very very very very very expensive. would matched round freshwater pearls be acceptable (they are never as perfect as real pearls but they are much much cheaper)?

[mrsmarycandice]

Sorry about that. I am not looking to spend more than $200.

[towhee]

i'm supposed to get my mothers pearls for mday. I could not find great sites on the web that helped you pick them out. Since they are for mom, the price range can be fairly high. I am assuming high is 1500-2000 or under. Any advice would be helpful as I don't just want to spend a lot at a jewelry store if I can get a SD.

[Talyssa]

For under 200 I'd say you could go with something like
http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/14k-Akoya-Cultured-Pearl-Necklace-7-7.5mm-18in/46465/product.html
or
http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/14k-Akoya-Cultured-Pearl-Strand-7.5-8mm-18in/70855/product.html?sec_iid=33969

The difference is in the size of the pearls. I'm a little bit partial ot the slightly larger pearls but htey do cost more. I can't vouch for hte quality since I've never ordered pearls from overstock, but those seem to be basic strands of inexpensive pearls. There's probably going to be more size variation than in a really good strand of pearls, but the reviewers seemed happy with what they got.

One thing I would personally question is the clasp, as on cheaper jewelry its common to skimp on the clasps. But in terms of hte overall basic look those seem to be what you are looking for. The risk of buying online is that it will take you a while to get them replaced or your money back if you don't like em. The alternate is to follow the strategy below and hten just search til you find something you like in your price point.

Towhee - since you probably need to go to a brick and mortar store at this point I'd suggest you go do some window shopping first. Pearl quality can vary WIDELY. Look in particular for a real clasp (they can vary in outward appearance but they are not lobster claws or those little round things like on cheap jewelry). Anyway look at a few stores, make note of which pearls are better looking (they should sort of glow - lustre) and mark down prices of what you like and don't like. get a list of a few you want to target, check your local paper for coupons, and then find a salesperson. I think a lot of people are not aware of how much negotiating power jewelry sales people have. Even at big department stores like Macy's, if they have a dedicated jewelry area, they have sales people who can negotiate. Since those stores are always running "sales" the sales person will whip out a big calculator and show you what your price is after hte 'sale' discount. Let them keep marking that price down "well I can give you an extra 20% off today only, becuase my manager says we need to move some inventory", show them your coupon (they'll probably mention it before you do) and then if you are happy with the price, go for it.

Because pearls don't have the kind of heavily defined rating system that diamonds do, I would probably only buy online if I knew they'd be easy to return, but you can use a reputable online jeweler and you may do well. read reviews.

Hope that helps you both. The one thing I can't really do is help you tell what's good quality and what isn't. The clasp is an indicator but the look of the piece is something you just need to get experience with.

[ehong33234]

sorry, i couldn't resist but I can give her a nice pearl necklace.