• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • UNIFORM LA CHILLICOTHE WORK JACKET Drop, going on right now.

    Uniform LA's Chillicothe Work Jacket is an elevated take on the classic Detroit Work Jacket. Made of ultra-premium 14-ounce Japanese canvas, it has been meticulously washed and hand distressed to replicate vintage workwear that’s been worn for years, and available in three colors.

    This just dropped today. If you missed out on the preorder, there are some sizes left, but they won't be around for long. Check out the remaining stock here

    Good luck!.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Pearl Stud Earrings for the GF.

hboogz

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
1,495
Reaction score
2
I can't afford Mikimoto right now and am looking for good alternatives in the $100 -$200 range. I'm in NYC and the default would be Tiffany's....any other suggestions/recommendations?

H
 

Kyoung05

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
338
Reaction score
1
IMO, I think the best pearls for the buck are from www.pearlparadise.com. I believe Mikimotos are just branded Hanadama akoya pearls (the highest grade of akoya pearls). You can get non-Mikimoto branded hanadamas through Pearl Paradise for a fraction of the cost, and they'll likely look just as good. You can get a set of 7-7.5mm Hanadama pearl studs for $230. Alternatively, you can get a set of 8-8.5mm "regular" akoya pearl studs for $185.

However, if you're on a budget, I'd highly recommend the "Freshadamas" that Pearl Paradise carries. These are fresh water pearls that closely resemble the luster of akoya/hanadama pearls. However, because they're fresh-water pearls as opposed to salt-water, they're 100% nacre (the calcium secreted by oysters that is basically the "pearl"). Salt-water pearls, on the other hand, are made up of a shell center and a thin coating of nacre (about .5mm for akoya pearls). Therefore, over time, the thin nacre coating on salt-water pearls can wear away, causing the pearl to lose some of its luster. This is not a concern with fresh water pearls. More importantly, these fresh water pearls are a fraction of the cost of their salt-water counterparts, and arguably, look just as good. I got my gf a pair of these for Valentines day, and she loves them. You can get a pair of 8-8.5mm Freshadama studs for $99, and a set of 9.5-10mm studs for $131. For the money, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better value.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 97 38.0%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 92 36.1%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 29 11.4%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 42 16.5%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 38 14.9%

Forum statistics

Threads
507,158
Messages
10,594,267
Members
224,372
Latest member
slycedbread2
Top