7mm x 7.5mm "AA Quality" Japanese Akoya Cultured Pearl Necklace
Please allow 3-5 Business Days to Process. For rush orders,
please email sales@americanpearl.com.
- Item #: MM7X75AA
Retail Price: $5,420
Our Price: $1,090
Free Shipping on all orders
Share
ABOUT THIS NECKLACE
This 7 x 7.5mm natural color Japanese Akoya cultured pearl necklace is American Pearl's best size for a starter necklace for a younger woman. It's the necklace she wears for her first day of work as a career woman. It's very popular as a college graduation gift and a wedding-day gift from the groom, and is also great for new mothers and just about any worthy occasion in a young woman's life: Valentine's Day, Secretary's Day, Mother's Day, a baby shower, or a "just to say I love you" present.
ABOUT THE QUALITY
The "AA Quality Pearls" shown in this necklace exhibit high luster and have thick nacre (the skin of the pearl). In fact, nacre thickness and luster are directly correlated. In order for a finer quality Japanese Akoya cultured pearl to have very high luster, it must have very thick nacre. According to the Gemological Institute of America, pearls with high luster (AA Quality) must have at least 0.45 millimeters of nacre thickness on most of the pearls.
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.
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 Bakash, 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.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS CULTURED PEARL STRAND
This fine quality pearl strand contains pearls that are perfectly matched for bodycolor, luster, shape and overtone. This strand earns the AA quality grade which is the second highest grade of the (1) A, (2) A+, (3) AA and (4) AAA grading system popularized by Mikimoto. Be especially cautious of pearls that are advertised as "AA+" or "AAAA" that break from the standard grading system popularized by fine jewelry stores. These trumped-up grades seek to mislead consumers into purchasing qualities that do not exist.
Generally speaking, the finer the grade, the more luster the pearls exhibit. Luster is defined as the mirror like quality of a pearl and really is the single characteristic that draws people to pearls. Technically, luster is defined as the amount of light that reflects off of the pearl's surface and reaches your eye.
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 7 millimeters on either end of the necklace and slowly graduate to 7.5 mm 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.
This 7 x 7.5mm natural color Japanese Akoya cultured pearl necklace is American Pearl's best size for a starter necklace for a younger woman. It's the necklace she wears for her first day of work as a career woman. It's very popular as a college graduation gift and a wedding-day gift from the groom, and is also great for new mothers and just about any worthy occasion in a young woman's life: Valentine's Day, Secretary's Day, Mother's Day, a baby shower, or a "just to say I love you" present.
ABOUT THE QUALITY
The "AA Quality Pearls" shown in this necklace exhibit high luster and have thick nacre (the skin of the pearl). In fact, nacre thickness and luster are directly correlated. In order for a finer quality Japanese Akoya cultured pearl to have very high luster, it must have very thick nacre. According to the Gemological Institute of America, pearls with high luster (AA Quality) must have at least 0.45 millimeters of nacre thickness on most of the pearls.
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.
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 Bakash, 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.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS CULTURED PEARL STRAND
This fine quality pearl strand contains pearls that are perfectly matched for bodycolor, luster, shape and overtone. This strand earns the AA quality grade which is the second highest grade of the (1) A, (2) A+, (3) AA and (4) AAA grading system popularized by Mikimoto. Be especially cautious of pearls that are advertised as "AA+" or "AAAA" that break from the standard grading system popularized by fine jewelry stores. These trumped-up grades seek to mislead consumers into purchasing qualities that do not exist.
Generally speaking, the finer the grade, the more luster the pearls exhibit. Luster is defined as the mirror like quality of a pearl and really is the single characteristic that draws people to pearls. Technically, luster is defined as the amount of light that reflects off of the pearl's surface and reaches your eye.
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 7 millimeters on either end of the necklace and slowly graduate to 7.5 mm 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.
Product Reviews
Dear Eddie:
My wife and I are thrilled with my purchases from American Pearl. You and American Pearl have helped me make make my wife's dream of owning a fine set of akoyas come true.
I know you spend a lot of time on this site educating clients on the fine points of pearls. There is so much bad information out there many of which is being propagated by a few selling mediocre quality pearls that they claim are on par with Mikimoto AAA quality pearls. I wanted to share my story with your customers (one customer to another) to help them make an informed decision. If any of your customers needs a reference from a past customer, please give my email out to any customer and I would gladly tell them my experience first hand.
I initially fell into the trap set by some other merchants and bought to other merchant's AAA grade pearls thinking that would be equivalent to high end Mikimoto pearls (which was what they claimed on their websites). Both strands were ok, but not the level of quality I was looking for. I have come to learn that the grades themselves mean nothing and are useless for comparison shopping. Because it was so difficult (impossible actually) to comparison shop for pearls online, I thought the safe bet for buying the best quality pearls online was to by a Hanadama certified necklace (certified by the Japan Pearl Science Lab) which many of your competitors claim is a guaranty that you are purchasing Mikimoto AAA quality.
In my quest to find the best price for a 18" 7x7.5mm certified Hanadama necklace. In the course of my search, I discovered American Pearl. American Pearl was selling a Hanadama necklace (certified by the JPSL) for substantially less than its competitors. Your site advised that Hanadama certified only means that the pearls meet a minimum standard and most competitors are only submitting pearls that just pass this standard and sell them at a tremendous markup. You don't do that, which is why you can sell your Hanadama pearls for substantially less. When we spoke on the phone, you personally urged me to spend a few dollars more for your AA necklace and said there is a noticeable difference in quality. I thought I wanted the certainly that Hanadama purportedly guaranteed, so I disregarded your advice and bought the Hanadama. Since the price was so good on the Necklace (which came with matched A graded studs per a coupon), I ordered a AA bracelet separately (to take advantage of different coupons).
The Hanadama necklace wasn't nearly as fine as the strands I had previously seen at Tiffany and wasn't anything like the AA strands I had seen Mikimoto (definitely not Mikimoto AAA quality). When the AA bracelet arrived (a few days after the necklace because of the way I ordered), I compared the AA bracelet to the Hanadama necklace and it was night and day. The American Pearl AA blew the Hanadama away!! I immediately ordered the complete set of AA 7x7.5mm akoyas (which you are selling for an outstanding price) and upgraded the clasps and added two inches to the length of the necklace.
After I received the set, I can tell you that I am a true believer in the value and quality offered by American Pearl. At first, I didn't believe American Pearl's claim that it benchmarked its grades to mikimoto's grading system (which none of your competitors actually do, but claim to do). Apparently, American Pearl does adhere to Mikimoto's high grading standards.
Although I have not yet had a chance to make a head to head comparison between Mikimoto AA pearls and American Pearl AA (putting one strand next to the other), yesterday (12/26/11) my wife and I drove over to Tiffany
My wife and I are thrilled with my purchases from American Pearl. You and American Pearl have helped me make make my wife's dream of owning a fine set of akoyas come true.
I know you spend a lot of time on this site educating clients on the fine points of pearls. There is so much bad information out there many of which is being propagated by a few selling mediocre quality pearls that they claim are on par with Mikimoto AAA quality pearls. I wanted to share my story with your customers (one customer to another) to help them make an informed decision. If any of your customers needs a reference from a past customer, please give my email out to any customer and I would gladly tell them my experience first hand.
I initially fell into the trap set by some other merchants and bought to other merchant's AAA grade pearls thinking that would be equivalent to high end Mikimoto pearls (which was what they claimed on their websites). Both strands were ok, but not the level of quality I was looking for. I have come to learn that the grades themselves mean nothing and are useless for comparison shopping. Because it was so difficult (impossible actually) to comparison shop for pearls online, I thought the safe bet for buying the best quality pearls online was to by a Hanadama certified necklace (certified by the Japan Pearl Science Lab) which many of your competitors claim is a guaranty that you are purchasing Mikimoto AAA quality.
In my quest to find the best price for a 18" 7x7.5mm certified Hanadama necklace. In the course of my search, I discovered American Pearl. American Pearl was selling a Hanadama necklace (certified by the JPSL) for substantially less than its competitors. Your site advised that Hanadama certified only means that the pearls meet a minimum standard and most competitors are only submitting pearls that just pass this standard and sell them at a tremendous markup. You don't do that, which is why you can sell your Hanadama pearls for substantially less. When we spoke on the phone, you personally urged me to spend a few dollars more for your AA necklace and said there is a noticeable difference in quality. I thought I wanted the certainly that Hanadama purportedly guaranteed, so I disregarded your advice and bought the Hanadama. Since the price was so good on the Necklace (which came with matched A graded studs per a coupon), I ordered a AA bracelet separately (to take advantage of different coupons).
The Hanadama necklace wasn't nearly as fine as the strands I had previously seen at Tiffany and wasn't anything like the AA strands I had seen Mikimoto (definitely not Mikimoto AAA quality). When the AA bracelet arrived (a few days after the necklace because of the way I ordered), I compared the AA bracelet to the Hanadama necklace and it was night and day. The American Pearl AA blew the Hanadama away!! I immediately ordered the complete set of AA 7x7.5mm akoyas (which you are selling for an outstanding price) and upgraded the clasps and added two inches to the length of the necklace.
After I received the set, I can tell you that I am a true believer in the value and quality offered by American Pearl. At first, I didn't believe American Pearl's claim that it benchmarked its grades to mikimoto's grading system (which none of your competitors actually do, but claim to do). Apparently, American Pearl does adhere to Mikimoto's high grading standards.
Although I have not yet had a chance to make a head to head comparison between Mikimoto AA pearls and American Pearl AA (putting one strand next to the other), yesterday (12/26/11) my wife and I drove over to Tiffany
Steve T
from Bellmore, NY
The pearls you picked out were absolutely amazing. My wife called them "stunning!" I don't think she has taken off the necklace since she got them lat week! Thank you for all of your help!
Brian
from Texas