I`ve never been impressed with QVC pearls, even when they were Honora or any other brands they`ve sold over the years. They were either a poor quality or overpriced or both. The Lara ones fit into both categories in my opinion.
I actually had a kind of disagreement with someone who actually works for a high street jewellery brand when she said shell pearls were real pearls. They`re not, they`re made from crushed shells and moulded into a pearl shape, hence the name shell pearl. She wasn`t having it and insisted the shell pearl items they sold were real, in the end I sent her an article telling how they`re actually made.
I`m no expert but I am lucky enough to have inherited a Mikimoto pearl necklace which was almost given to a charity shop because it was found broken in my Mum`s dressing table drawer after she died and when my Dad asked me to clear her clothes and other items for him. Luckily it was still in its original box and the name rang some kind of bell with me and I nearly fell through the floor when I contacted Mikimoto in London and they asked me to send it to them for verification to check that it was genuine. It cost me £500 to have a new fastener on it and restrung but they said it was worth £3k plus.
When we were on a cruise earlier this year i saw plenty of Mikimoto items in the on board jewellers and the price of them was eye watering. Around £400 to £600 for a simple pair of pearl studs depending which size of pearl you chose. Bloody ridiculous prices. As for my necklace I really don`t know what to do with it. I`m loathe to sell it because my Mum was given it on her 21st birthday by her Father, we found a photo of her wearing it that day, she also wore it on her wedding day and yet I have no daughters but 2 granddaughters and only one necklace to leave to someone. I keep pondering what to do with it.