Akoya Pearl Jewelry
Q.I recently bought my girlfriend a gorgeous Majorca $300 pearl necklace for our 1 year anniversary. I guess I didn't realize when I bought it that Majorca pearls are man-made . That said I've done some research online finding that this brand of man-made pearl, albeit man-made, is considered to be highly attractive, and quite genuine in *appearance*, on a level rivaled by no other man-made pearl. I've also observed that this brand is sold in many of the upscale stores such as Nordstrums and Bloomingdales, providing what some might consider to be a casual degree of validation. However, it's still not real, and for a part of me that doesn't sit entirely well. So, what are your thoughts? Would you rather have a $300 necklace of cultured pearls like Akoya (the most popular "cultured" pearl at this price point) or a $300 necklace of Majorca?
A.the Akoya's are considered "cultured" pearls which means they were created in the manner you described. The Majorca pearls are literally man-made. They've been manufactured in Spain for about 100 years. One of the female heirs to the Majorca dynasty at had a 4-strand necklace made for herself. Three of the strands were made of Majorca pearls, and 1 of the strands were authentic real pearls. Based on sight inspection alone at parties, etc, even many jewelers had difficulty telling which of the 4 strands were the "real" pearls. They are the standard in man-made pearls and sold in stores such as Bloomingdales, Nordstrums, etc. However, the Majorca unfortunately, are not *real* pearls - cultured or otherwise - which is on some level a source of discontent for me (though apparently not my gf). The cultured Akoya pearls, developed using the process you described are different in that with the exception of the core, are actual pearl material. So when I speak of pearls I speak of 3 kinds: Man-Made (ie. Majorca, the standard, as well as inferior glass and plastic cheapo knock-offs) Cultured (created using the process you mentioned) Natural (naturally occuring)
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