8.5 x 9mm Collection Quality Cultured Pearl Necklace

  • 8.5 x 9mm Collection Quality Cultured Pearl Necklace
Please allow 3-5 Business Days to Process. For rush orders, please email sales@americanpearl.com.
  • Item #: 859COL
Our Price: $6,500
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ABOUT THIS NECKLACE - COLLECTION QUALITY

This 8.5 x 9mm natural color Japanese Akoya cultured pearl 16 Inch necklace known as COLLECTION QUALITY is one of American Pearl's most popular sizes. American Pearl feels so strongly about this superior quality pearl necklace that each necklace is accompanied by a appraisal and a PROOF PEARL taken from the necklace that is cut in half to show you the actual nacre thickness of the pearl so you can see it for yourself by examining this PROOF PEARL when you receive it. Sample grading criteria of the COLLECTION QUALITY pearls can be seen below as well as a sample of the PROOF PEARL you will receive. If you were in a finer jewelry store in AMERICA and mentioned AMERICAN PEARL, the salesperson would explain to you that AMERICAN PEARL is the supplier of the finest quality Japanese Akoya cultured pearls harvested each year from Japan and noted for their superior luster and rose hues. Each year, American Pearl procures these finer quality pearls and offers them to our customers.

AMERICAN PEARL TESTING

AMERICAN PEARL is famous for their detailed examination and testing of cultured pearl strands as they are carefully selected for the Collection Quality Grade.

ABOUT THE SIZE

8.5 x 9mm is the Porsche of pearls. A power strand -- elegant, classy and chic. It's the Rolex Daytona of pearls -- Rolex Daytonas are the hardest watches in the world to get your hands on but are still attainable. This strand is plainly recognizable as among the more expensive breed and thus projects power, strength and stability. It makes for the perfect choker for senior-management corporate culture while doubling very nicely as an evening piece for a black-tie event. These are sure to be deeply appreciated by a sophisticated woman who loves and knows her pearls. A triple strand of these is what Jackie Onassis typically wore.

ABOUT THE QUALITY

American Pearl's absolute finest quality cultured pearl strand. Collection quality pearls are the rarest cultured pearls available in the world—representing the finest 1% of pearls from Japan's pearl harvest. Simply regal -- and extremely rare. For a refined, discriminating woman who is serious about her pearls and won't settle for anything but the best. Collection quality pearls will hold their value and appreciate in time. The pearls on this necklace are evenly graduated from 8.5 x 9mm and are affixed with American Pearl's signature 18K yellow gold clasp. These are the finest quality pearls that are available. It is the maximum luster that the oyster can produce. Although AAA quality exhibit VERY HIGH LUSTER, Collection quality pearls have the thickest "nacre" (or skin of the pearl) and therefore produce a level higher known as EXTREMELY HIGH LUSTER.

There is a direct relationship between nacre thickness and luster (the mirror-like quality of the pearl). Thicker skinned pearls have higher luster. Also, pearls that have a thicker nacre also weigh more. So a Collection quality strand is actually heavier than a AAA quality.



When American Pearl purchases pearls in volume, we buy by the weight. So the weight of the Collection quality pearls is reflected within the price. Collection quality is for someone who is looking for the absolute best quality available. This means that the pearls, if properly cared for, will truly hold their value and appreciate over time. If one were to shop all the jewelry stores of the world, matching this quality would be extremely difficult. Were you to find it, it would be extremely pricey.


PURCHASE THE FINEST QUALITY PEARLS IN YOUR PRICE RANGE

American Pearl always advises you to purchase the finest quality pearls in your price range; even if this means stepping down to a smaller size more brilliant pearl. There are numerous reasons why this holds true. Finer quality pearls have more of the qualities for which people are enamored with pearls in the first place. That is, they are more beautiful as they exhibit higher luster. Beauty is the paramount quality of any jewelry or gem that secures its value. The more beautiful a gem has the more valuable it is. Finer quality pearls therefore have the best chance in holding their value and appreciating in value over time. In addition to beauty and value, finer quality pearls are more durable. In order for a strand of pearls to exhibit higher luster, it must have a thicker nacre. Nacre is the so called "skin" of a pearl and luster and nacre thickness are directly correlated. Lastly, because finer quality pearls are indeed more beautiful, they will be enjoyed more. Hence, this is why purchasing the finest quality pearls in your price range is always the wisest choice. In fact, you can see from an actual photograph of the PROOF PEARL that the nacre thickness of the pearls are approximately .7mm on most of the pearls.

ABOUT SURFACE QUALITY

At American Pearl, we want you to know that whatever pearl strand you choose, you can be sure that the pearls on your necklace will be unblemished. In keeping with this strict selection system, American Pearl does not deal with blemished, marked pearls. Blemished pearls whose surfaces show imperfections, pitting, spots or other irregularities are worth half the value of perfectly clean unblemished pearls. Because the pearls we purchase from our farmers consistently and continuously for the last 50 years are the top 1% of the harvest, you can be sure that the pearls offered to you from American Pearl are indeed finer and cleaner than any pearls offered to your from an outside source. As America's leading pearl company, it has become the mantra of our founder, Charlie Bakhash, to offer our customers the cleanest finest quality pearls in the world—A reputation we have earned through the cleanliness of our pearls.

Yet, why are we so insistent in boasting about our pearls' superior quality and unblemished surfaces? Time and time again, consumers unknowingly purchase pearls they think are fine quality, yet overlook the most critical factor: the pearl's surface. Purchasing a strand of pearls that is blemished is like buying a stock without knowing its price. Or consider purchasing a piece of real estate without knowing its location. The analogy is the same for pearls, except this time, it is cleanliness of the pearl's surface that is the key factor in determining its value. A wise consumer will insist that the pearls on their necklace are perfectly round, perfectly clean and matched for bodycolor and luster. The composition of a perfect strand of pearls is an art that we have perfected for over 50 years of pearl trading.

WHITE BODYCOLOR PEARLS ARE WORTH MORE

In addition to selling you clean pearls, American Pearl is renowned for selling you the whitest bodycolor pearls with your choice of a silver or rose overtone. American Pearl does not sell you yellow creamy pearls. White Bodycolor pearls (with your choice of silver or rose overtones) are the most valuable bodycolor pearls in the marketplace compared to their light cream counterparts. Many consumers unknowingly purchase a strand with a slightly light cream or yellowish bodycolor to the pearl which are worth considerably less. In fact, according to the the Gemological Institute of America, pearls with a light cream bodycolor are worth 40% less than pearls with a white bodycolor. So examine the pearls you are considering very carefully. Are they creamy? Yellowish? Or are they white? Be especially doubtful of pearls that claim to be "bright white" or other made up names that are not part of the official nomenclature used by the Gemological Institute of America as shown by the chart below:



EXAMINING PEARLS UNDER CONTROLLED LIGHTING

When examining a strand of pearls, it is advised that you do so under a controlled setting for grading pearls. The Gemological Institute of America, through their coursework and literature, recommends that you always examine your pearls under a fluorescent light against an either white or grey background. A glass surface is the least effective area on which to examine pearls as the bodycolor of the pearls in question is difficult to detect. In fact, when the owner's of American Pearl sell their pearl's to Tiffany & Co., it is our experience that they always use a fluorescent lamp for grading. This setting creates a neutral environment where the nuances in bodycolor—from white to light cream—can be identified. Because a pearl's surface is so reflective, one must consider very carefully the light source used to examine and grade pearls.

THE PEARL MIRAGE

One should be particularly skeptical of an incandescent light source used for the grading of pearls. Incandescent light, by its very nature, shows a fuller distribution of color from the color spectrum. When used in the grading of pearls, one may be associating attributes to the reflective qualities of the pearl's surface that are in actuality originating from the light source. This PEARL MIRAGE does not take place under fluorescent lights.

The most valuable lesson to be learned here is that upon the examination of pearls, make sure you are grading the pearls, not the light source. The quality and awe of a fine quality pearl seen under a fluorescent lamp will be obvious. Because pearls have hundreds of concentric layers of skin (what we call nacre) that are translucent, reflecting light as well as allowing light to pass through each layer, a "play-of-light" is achieved on the surface of a pearl which gives PEARLS the very qualities for which people have marveled in awe over them.

It is for this reason that pearls with bodycolors of white are featured at American Pearl, Tiffany & Co. and Mikimoto. They are the most valuable in the world.

NECKLACE LENGTH AND GRADUATION

This necklace comes standard length at 16 inches long which includes the clasp. If you are looking for a longer strand, please click the pop-up menu located below near the order button to choose any length up to 51 inches.

All the pearls begin at 8.5 millimeters on either end of the necklace and slowly graduate to 9mm millimeters in the necklace's center. These pearls were farmed in the saltwater oceans off the shores of Japan. This is where the inventor of the cultured pearl made his first round cultured pearl that changed the world.





Customer Feedback
American Pearl | Five Star RatingLocation: Houston, TX
Delighted
Really special products at very fair prices. I admit to being reluctant to shop for such merchandise over the internet without having seen the actual product I was buying, but their story, their service, and their products are real. You will be delighted. Byron F.

Product Reviews

5 out of 5, Based on 1 Reviews.
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Overall Rating:

I had the good fortune to work directly with Eddie of American Pearl on the purchase of a Collection Quality 16 pearl necklace as a gift for my wife on our tenth anniversary.

The experience was exemplary in every way. Eddie and his staff were patient and professional, explaining various the options and trade-offs in selecting pearls. He encouraged me to visit his big-name competitors, which I did. Apparently, a research trip to Mikimoto and Tiffany nearly always leads to a customer returning to (and buying from) American Pearl.

The pearls are magnificent, my wife is ecstatic, and I have the satisfaction of knowing we got the very best at an extremely fair price.

Being treated with respect by a firm that takes its product and services sersiously is a rare treat. I would recommend American Pearl to anyone interested in purchasing pearls. I also recommend their website to anyone who simply wants to learn more about this extraordinary product of nature.
from New York