Freshadama or Akoya

Q: I have just returned a AAA akoya 7mm pearl strand to another online dealer as the quality was not what I expected. I could see quite a few surface imperfections and the lustre of some of the pearls was not as good as others. The overtone of the pearl was rose and this looked to be very uneven. Is this normal? I had a jewelery asessor look at them who said it would not be worth doing a valuation as on first view she could see the nacre was very thin. I am very disappointed as I would like a high quality strand for my daughter's 21st birthday and a price tag of over $1800 at local jewelers is out of the question. I guess what I am asking is if I purchase from Pearl Paradise how can I be assured that I will be getting the highest quality akoyas possible, excluding handamanas which I can't afford, or do you think I would be more satisfied with the freshadama pearls that I just noted on your website? I am now more confused than ever. Also with the freshadamas is the "rainbow orient" overtone very noticeable? I am looking for 7-7.5mm white 16" strand and can afford up to 600 Austrlian dollars.

A: The comparison of AAA Akoya and Freshadama pearls is happening quite a bit of late, even with our regular customers who have purchased Akoya pearls only. Akoya strands are the traditional choice for graduation and wedding gifts because of the perfect round shape and rich luster. As for the AAA quality Akoya pearls, based on our grading scale there should be no more than 5% blemishing on the pearls, the luster will be very high and mirror-like, the overtones should be even and well-matched, and the nacre should be sufficient to create a warm depth and not appear chalky. We just received some new inventory of Akoya pearls in 6.5-7.0mm and I looked through them to see what we have available. There are quite a few AAA strands in all the overtone options right now.

Freshadama freshwater pearls have some advantages if the appearance of the pearls is more important than the genetics. These pearls rival the Akoya in appearance because they are very close to perfectly round (only 5% deviation or less) and have that same mirror luster. The Freshadama also have some different qualities such as the depth of luster and colour due to the thickness of the nacre and warmer water but also they very often exhibit the orient you refer to in your message. Orient is that rainbow reflection on the surface which is very like the reflection you see on soap bubbles. This effect can be quite pronounced on some strands. I have checked the inventory of the 7-8mm Freshadama strands and there are several strands with a strong orient, some are more ivory and some are rose. We don’t offer a choice of overtone on the website since the inventory is often quite limited but if you have a preference of overtone there is a way to indicate your preference when you place the order and we’ll choose the strand that best matches that preference.

The nature of Akoya pearls is more delicate overall for a variety of reasons so if you are considering the option of Freshadama pearls instead, this may be one of the deciding factors. The Freshadama are quite stunning and are an excellent option to the Akoya pearls. If the tradition is a higher priority for your purchase and part of the choice is for the strand to be used for future generations, then the Akoya strand may be the choice for you.

I hope this is helpful in determining your final choice and if you do find you’re not pleased with the strand, you have 90 days to return it for either exchange or refund. Please let me know if we can be of any further assistance and we’ll be happy to help.