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Compare Macy's 8 mm pink button pearls (left) next to my ivory round 7 mm and 10 mm pearls. |
In the 1990s, advances in the pearl industry made pearls, the only gemstone created by a living organism, affordable to ordinary people. At one time only royalty could afford a string of pearls, but now we no longer have to go deep diving, a dangerous endeavor, to find the Queen of Gems in mollusk shells in the ocean. Today pearl farmers grow cultured pearls on freshwater and saltwater pearl farms bringing the production of pearls way up and the costs way down.
A comparable occurrence is now happening in the diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire industries with lab-grown gemstones, and this Lover of Gemstones can't wait for the prices of lab-created diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires to hit rock bottom!!! With future industry improvements, we'll be able to buy bigger, cleaner, vivid-colored gemstones for far less moola! It's thrilling, count me in!
Meanwhile, there are still bargains to be had! Every year Macy's offers its 8 mm - 9 mm button pearl earrings with sterling silver posts for $6. Since round earrings are the most popular pearl shape, buying button pearls (dome-shaped) is nearly always cheaper. Yet in your ears, you get the same effect as round ... classic and cute. Expect to buy bigger button pearls for less money. This annual Black Friday offering is especially good, so on Monday, I bought my Mamma a pair of pink button pearl earrings. They are also available in ivory, grey and black. Many customers order all 4 hues during Macy's Black Friday sale since the price is so low. BTW: These are the 4 pearl colors found in nature. The color of a pearl in nature is determined by the lip of the mollusk. The one criticism I have about these earrings is a universal complaint. Jewelers are skimping on hardware. The back closures could be more substantial. It takes nimble fingers to put them in your ears. Nowadays the backs of earrings are so slight wearers are afraid of losing their earrings. Although slim backs are less than ideal, they are still a $6 steal!
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