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Buying pearls online is an excellent option if you want to get the best bang for your buck. With fewer overheads and greater selections, online pearl retailers typically offer top quality products at competitive prices.
A quick search for pearls online will bring up hundreds of pearl retailers, so how do you choose the right one? It’s important to ensure that you’re purchasing from a reputable and trustworthy company with a great track record.
The good news is we’ve done the work for you. We’ve sifted through dozens of online pearl sites to narrow it down to the top 8 vendors.
To make it to our list, the retailers were assessed on independent customer reviews, quality and selection of products, customer service quality, after sales policies and communication. Here are the 8 retailers that made our cut:
1- Pure Pearls
Shop for pearls at Pure Pearls
Why: Top quality products, transparency, excellent communication, care for customer
Point of Difference: Offers customization of pearl jewelry
Where: Own website and Amazon
Established in 2003, Pure Pearls has quickly grown to be one of the best in the business. The company focuses on providing high-quality pearl jewelry at great price points. Owned and run by Ashley McNamara, a pearl enthusiast with years of pearl expertise, Pure Pearls ensures that they establish a personal touch with their customers.
It’s nice to know there’s a face behind the business which gives you the feeling that you’re dealing with humans and not just computers.
Ok but what about their pearls?
Pure Pearls have all the main types of pearls on offer, and sometimes have access to special and exotic varieties like Sea of Cortez pearls or rare blue pearls. They source their pearls from auctions and pearl processing houses which helps them to keep their costs low.
Source: Pure Pearls
The jewelry on offer is of high-quality craftsmanship and made using precious metals like gold and platinum.
What happens if you can’t find a piece of jewelry that you like?
You can always have Pure Pearls customize it for you. They promise that there’s no pearl jewelry design they won’t be able to create for you.
The shopping experience on the Pure Pearls website is streamlined with high quality images and zoom function of all jewelry and loose pearls. The entire site was recently upgraded and is neat, user-friendly and professional looking.
Pure Pearls Offers:
- Free shipping and returns in the US
- Up to 80% lower than retail prices
- Free returns
- All jewelry handmade and built to order
- Customization of jewelry
Shop for Pearls at Pure Pearls.
2- Pearls of Joy
Shop for pearls at Pearls of Joy
Why: Competitive prices and excellent craftsmanship
Point of Difference: 100 day returns for full refund
Where: Own website and Amazon
Pearls of Joy markets their products as luxury pearls at a fraction of the price. They confidently stand by their products with a 100 day returns policy for a full refund. Think about it… you could wear those pearls for a full 3 months and a week and return it if you felt that they aren’t to your liking. That’s pretty generous of the company.
Unlike some of the other companies mentioned here, Pearls of Joy is smaller and more intimate in how its run, which means that you get individual attention when you purchase. The team takes pains to ensure that the customer is satisfied with a high-quality product.
With over 16 years’ experience in the business, Pearls of Joy are able to offer you among the top 1% of pearls harvested. They import their pearls straight from the source, removing all middlemen and reducing costs.
What does this mean for you? High-end luxury at affordable prices.
Pearls of Joy Offers:
- 100-day returns
- 100% refunds
- Transparency on pricing
- Free shipping, including return shipping
Shop for pearls at Pearls of Joy
3- Pearl Paradise
Why: Large inventory, affordable pricing
Point of Difference: Inventory with over 1,000,000 pearls
Where: Own website and Amazon
Pearl Paradise is one of the largest pearl retailers, with over a million pearls stored in their inventory on site. The company has been around for almost 2 decades and has established a reputation as one of the best in the business.
Pearl Paradise was one of the first pearl sites to take their business online, which allowed them to streamline the process of e-shopping for pearls and made them a leader in the online gemstone space.
Shopping for pearl jewelry at Pearl Paradise is easy as the website is fully functional and each product comes with HD, magnified images. The descriptions are detailed and gives the customer sufficient information to make an informed choice about the product.
We love their wide range of collections and gorgeous jewelry designs and especially their pearl color collections.
Pearl Paradise states that their pearls are up to 80% less expensive than most retail prices. With their excellent customer service and personalized assistance, shopping for pearls at Pearl Paradise is a breeze.
Pearl Paradise Offers:
- Free shipping and returns in the US
- 3 months return policy
- Loyalty program with easy ways to collect points
4- Pearl Source
Why: Wide range of collections, affordable pricing
Point of Difference: Largest collection of independent customer 5-star ratings
Where: Own website and Amazon
The Pearl Source offers a wide range of pearl jewelry collections of all the popular types of pearls as well as loose pearls. Some of their popular collections are the Leather Pearl Jewelry (with many unisex designs), Build-A-Pearl-Necklace and Bridal Pearl Jewelry.
The Pearl Source has very competitive pricing, making their jewelry affordable for all price points. Their jewelry ranges from around $60 to over $75,000. There is something for everyone on offer here.
The Build-a-Pearl section allows you to customize your pearl jewelry to some extent. Even though it’s still limited to pre-set designs, at least you get to play around with different options, changing the chain, color of the pearl and total number of pearls to make it yours.
Pearl Source – Customization Tool
The pearl source is one of the oldest pearl retailers around, having established in 1991. A quick online search will show that they have a large, loyal client base with over 6100 5-star reviews on independent sites like Trustpilot!
Pearl Source Offers:
- Free shipping and returns in the US
- 60-day return policy
- 100% refunds
- Discount for members of the military
5- Amazon
Why: Easy to compare pearls across vendors
Point of Difference: Marketplace for range of pearl vendors
Where: Amazon (duh!)
You might be wondering why we included Amazon in an article on the best place to buy pearls. We have a solid reason for this.
Most of the vendors listed on this page already sell their products on Amazon. So this means that by going straight to Amazon, you can access all the top retailers in one place. You’d easily be able to compare different vendors’ products and prices and pick the one that suits you best.
In addition to this, there are also a range of dodgy vendors, so ensure that you check carefully and don’t get ripped off. You might be able to steal yourself an amazing deal of unique pearl jewelry that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere.
A benefit worth mentioning is that if you have an Amazon Prime account, you’d be able to make use of priority shipping and free deliveries without having to pay more.
Amazon Offers:
- Prime Membership
- Easy comparison of products across retailers
- Vast range of choice
- Hard to find or one-off jewelry
- Handmade jewelry
6- Blue Nile
Why: Beautiful designs and great craftsmanship
Point of Difference: Smaller collection
Where: Blue Nile Website
Blue Nile is known for their large diamond inventory, but they also offer an excellent pearl jewelry collection. If you’re looking for high-end yet affordable pearl jewelry by a reputable jewelry brand, then Blue Nile fits the bill.
The company offers all the main types of pearl jewelry, although in smaller selections. The jewelry is beautifully crafted and gorgeously designed. The higher end pieces combine precious metals, diamonds and pearls to create stylish, contemporary pieces.
Blue Nile is known for their great customer service and large base of customers. While the jewelry here does come with a slight premium, if a strict budget isn’t a concern, you’ll enjoy shopping here.
Blue Nile Offers:
- 30-day refunds
- Free lifetime warranty
- Free gift packaging
7- Mikimoto
Why: For luxury pearl jewelry from a well-known brand
Point of Difference: Creators of the cultured pearl
Where: Own Website and Amazon
Mikimoto is probably the most famous name in the world of pearls. And why not? After all, it was the founder Mikimoto Kokichi who revolutionized the pearl industry by introducing the first cultured pearl jewelry.
Today Mikimoto has turned into a luxury pearl brand, offering high-end pearl products. The company no longer cultures their own pearls, instead purchasing their pearls from the same sources as most other pearl retailers. However, the luxury and prestige associated with the name hasn’t really diminished.
Yes, you could probably find the same product elsewhere at a fraction of the cost, but it wouldn’t be a Miki, would it? People gravitate towards Mikimoto because of the beautiful jewelry designs and the rich history of the brand.
If you aren’t cutting costs, then Mikimoto is an excellent choice. It’s also perfect if you’re someone who loves branded products and exclusive jewelry.
Mikimoto Offers:
- One of a kind pearl jewelry designs
- Highly reputable brand
- 15-day refunds or exchanges
- Free second-day delivery
8- Paspaley
Why: Easy to compare pearls across vendors
Point of Difference: Luxurious pearls and stunning jewelry designs
Where: Own Website
Paspaley is an Australian company that’s been in the business since the early 20th century. Although the company has a strong presence in Australia, they retail their products around the world.
Paspaley offers only the very best of pearls, dealing exclusively in South Sea pearl jewelry. These are the best variety of pearls and are not only the most expensive but also among the rarest. While this means that Paspaley jewelry is not ideal for a budget conscious shopper, it also means that you’re getting the very best pearls. They market their pearls as the most beautiful pearls in the world and we don’t doubt that. They truly are beautiful.
The company offers a range of unique pearl jewelry collections and even allows you to customize your pearl jewelry with a Build-Your-Own tool. These high-end jewelry pieces are excellent for those after the very best.
The company also has a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and ethically sourced pearls.
Paspaley Offers:
- Only the very best pearls
- Ethically sourced pearls
- One-off designs
- Build Your Own pearl jewelry
