Why are some pearls like alot more expencive than others?

Question

like i saw a whole set for 150$ and then in another store just a a necklace for 638$

Answer 1

The difference in the value/price that you saw in the two sets is based on three factors; the type of pearl, the quality, and the size.

The difference in price does not reflect whether the strand is "cultured" or "natural". I think this is important to note, as many answers thus far have made this distinction.
Natural pearls have not been commercially harvested in nearly a century. A natural strand of pearls is so rare that most people will never have the opportunity to see one apart from a photo or painting. For example, a double strand of natural pearls recently sold on auction for more than $7 million. All pearls you see in any jewelry store will be cultured - always.

The type of pearl is the most important factor in determining price. Within a category of pearl, the next determining factor of price will be quality. If all quality factors are equal (such as luster, shape, and surface), size is the determinant.
There are four commercially available types of pearls; South Sea pearls, Tahitian pearls (aka black South Sea pearls), akoya pearls, and freshwater pearls.

South Sea pearls are the most expensive and the most valuable. Fine strands wholesale in the $50,000 range, and can retail for upwards of $1 million. The pearls are generally large and range from 9 mm to 23 mm. The pearls are white and golden with varying shades of overtone.

Tahitian pearls are the next most valuable. Fine strands range from $2000 to $20,000 wholesale. Retail prices range from two to three times wholesale.

Akoya pearls, the third most valuable, are the classic pearls first marketed by Kokichi Mikimoto, founder of the Mikimoto pearl company in Japan. These pearls are most often white, perfectly round, and smaller in size. Akoya pearls range in size from 2 mm to as large as 10 mm. Akoya pearls will retail from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars depending on size and quality.
The more expensive set you saw was likely an akoya set.

Freshwater pearls are generally considered the least valuable of all cultured pearls, with the rare exception of extremely high-grade freshwater pearls such as freshadama (freshadama freshwater pearls are composed of gem-grade loose pearls). Freshwater pearls are also the most common, with China producing 1,500 metric tons in 2006, more than all other cultured pearl production in the world combined.
Freshwater pearls retail from as little as $10 per strand for low-grade, to $1000 per strand for high grade. The rare exceptional strands, such as a freshadama, can retail for more than $20,000.
The less expensive set of pearls you saw was most likely a freshwater pearl set.

Answer 2

1. Easter bunny- The name is cuter & more original. 2. Umm sure why not? 3. CHOCOLATE. YUM. 4. Outdoor egg hunt- I've done both and it is much more fun and adventurous outdoors. 5. Banana with peanut butter- The other one just sounds nasty! 6. On easter? Then go to church. 7. Egg dying- The messier the more fun =] 8. Presents and candy would be nice but I just get candy on Easter. 9. Am I aloud to choose neither? If not then the banana Laffy Taffy 10. Pastel pink :] You must like bananas?

Answer 3

They are real pearls and lab grown pearls. Also pearls have to be harvested and matched to one another to make a strand the more effort it takes to do this and the higher the quality pearl the higher price. Rare kinds of pearls are more money also.

Answer 4

it depends on the pearls; if they're freshwater or saltwater, natural or cultured. Also, it depends on a combination of the luster, color, size, lack of surface flaw and symmetry that are appropriate for the type of pearl under consideration. All factors being equal, however, the larger the pearl the more valuable it is.

Answer 5

Size, grade and type.
I have seen pearls that cost thousands.
I won pearl necklaces on auctions, ebay. I am saving them for someday, you know. I am single so I don't have anyone to give them to....I gave one pearl necklace, set with small diamonds, to my sister as a gift....
I know they have value and it knocks me out when I win an auction. You can't pawn them though...pawnshops don't take pearls. They really are just nice ornaments, not an investment or anything.

Answer 6

One is natural-the other is cultured. Also take into consideration the color, the MM size, how it is strung (cotton or nylon) and do not forget freshwater. Grab a book and educate. And last but not least! The luster the pearls have. Meaning the kind of iridescent allure they give.!!!

Answer 7

Usually things are worth what you pay for them. Don't buy into the idea that people charge whatever they want to try to rip you off. Poor people with no appreciation for the finer things promote that fallacious idea.

Answer 8

It's like, the quality of the like pearl, whether it was like, farmed in an oyster farm, or like, harvested like.

Answer 9

shape
size
cultured
freshwater

all different qualities and the natural large round shape to be formed naturally is almost impossible to get

Answer 10

the natural ones are more expensive than the cultured pearls. And the rarer it is the more expensive it'll be. i.e. black pearls