Hanadama Pearl Earrings
Every pair here is hanadama grade akoya, matched at our bench in Los Angeles. Matched pairs of studs ship with their laboratory report, and the GIA pairs are listed by the exact measured size of the two pearls. Choose by size, style and color below, and ask us to photograph the exact pair before we set them.
Choosing hanadama earrings
Four things decide how a pair wears and what it costs.
Size
Pairs here run from about 6.5 to 9.5 mm. 7.0 to 7.5 mm is the classic everyday size, and 8.0 mm and up carries an outfit on its own. Prices climb quickly with size, because large akoya are scarce before a laboratory report enters the picture.
Style
Studs sit against the ear and are what most people mean by pearl earrings. Dangles move and catch more light. The Starlight and Eternal designs add natural diamonds set in solid gold.
Color
Classic white carries the familiar rose overtone. Natural white was left out of pinking, the standard color step, and reads cooler and cleaner. Neither is the better pearl. It is a matter of taste.
The laboratory report
Matched pairs of studs ship with the report from the laboratory that tested them. The GIA pairs are one of a kind, and the title prints the two measurements, such as 7.26 and 7.30 mm, so you can see the match for yourself.
Before you buy
Do these come with a laboratory report?
Matched pairs of studs do. Each ships with the report from the laboratory that tested the pearls, and the GIA pairs carry their own numbered GIA pearl classification report. The Classic, Starlight and Eternal dangle designs are matched from certified pearls at the same bench rather than certified as finished earrings.
How closely are the two pearls matched?
We match to within a tenth of a millimeter on size, and a pair also has to agree on shape, luster, surface and overtone. The GIA pairs print both measurements right in the title, 7.26 and 7.30 mm say, so you can see the match for yourself. You should not be able to tell the two apart at arm's length.
What is natural white?
Nearly every akoya is pinked, a color step that brings up the faint rose overtone people associate with Japanese pearls. Natural white skips that one step. The pearls still go through maeshori and bleaching like every other akoya, are never pinked, and are chosen afterward for their own color. The look is a cooler white rather than the traditional rose. Neither is the better pearl.
Can you match earrings to a strand I am buying?
We already do. If you order earrings at the same time as a necklace or a bracelet, we match the pearls to that piece before anything is set. You do not have to ask and there is no charge for it. It is the reason a set bought from us in one order looks like a set rather than pieces that happen to be the same size.
What are the settings, posts and backs made of?
Solid gold throughout, posts and backs included. Never gold-plated and never base metal. Any diamonds are natural and VS1 clarity. If you need a different back, a screw back or a larger comfort back, ask and we will fit one.
Can I see the exact pearls before they ship?
Ask us and we will photograph them for you. Every pair is matched from loose pearls and set to order, so the earrings you receive are made for you rather than pulled off a shelf. Request photographs or a short video on any product page, at no cost and with no obligation to buy.
Still deciding?
Hanadama is the category where the difference between two hanadama pieces is hardest to see in a photograph and easiest to see side by side. A specialist will put several on camera for you. Most appointments run about twenty minutes.
