Pick a Pearl in Epcot

[Alicatt]

Hi can anyone give me the details on how this works? I understand the process but how long in total does it take usually? I know that the jewelry has a large range but what is available on the lower end. My dad is buying it for my daughter for her birthday and I don't want to give him a heart attack.

 

[Leigha]

Welcome to a new addiction! How long it takes would depend on how long the line is. You take a number and wait but you can shop while you wait! The process itself could be done in 5-10 minutes. I’m not sure what the cheapest option there is but the cheapest option is to buy a cage for a necklace on eBay and take it with you! They have some of the same styles as they do in the store. I’m not sure about the quality difference. If you have a ring or earrings done there, it could take a few hours to pick up. Again, this depends on how many are in front of you. Have fun!

 

[Alicatt]

Thank you. I want her to have some say in it but it's a surprise so i can't do it ahead of time. Plus she'll be turning 9 so she'll want to do it right away. I am bringing a chain because i think she'll want a necklace.

I'm having a tough time fitting this into my touring plan with out any idea how long it will take....

 

[NotANewbie]

There is also one in Disney Springs if that fits in to your schedule as well.

 

[Leigha]

A cage with chain is super simple to hide. They’re so inexpensive you could get two different ones. As for her picking it out, you choose the oyster from two large aquariums so that could be her choice. I think EPCOT is the only one that has the whole “experience” of the Japanese counting, drums, and excitement. It should be on your must do list for sure!! It shouldn’t take more than 30
Minutes in the area then if you wanted something, you could always go back for it later. You can go anytime before the store closes at 9 I think.

 

[Alicatt]

Good point. How do you know how big the pearl will be?

 

[mountdew1]

Good point. How do you know how big the pearl will be?

As they are natural, they will vary in size. Pretty sure usually between 5 and 10mm? They will measure it as part of the ceremony.

 

[Alicatt]

Maybe I will just get something afterwards. I'm afraid that the 6 to 8mm I'm seeing online might not fit right. Thank you all for your help!

 

[Lisa F]

Maybe I will just get something afterwards. I'm afraid that the 6 to 8mm I'm seeing online might not fit right. Thank you all for your help!

I was going to suggest you just get the pearl and set it afterwards. Prices online are way better. My BF got me one in hawaii and they drilled it before he declined any of the crazy expensive settings, and I glued it onto a 14kt rose gold pendant setting that i got from pearl paradise (not a cage) - I had to buy the special cement but i got the setting for around $25 with coupon. I've worn it daily for a few years and it's holding up fine.

They can drill it for you if you don't want a cage setting and you can use g-s Hypo cement to glue it on. I got it at amazon.

 

[katherine52478]

We have never waited more than 10 minutes to be called and the process is only 2-3 min. We have over 10 pearls (it’s a must do for my son) and we have rings, necklaces, bracelets and small bottles with sand. The cheapest cage is $19, I think and I got a ring that was $89 which I think is one of the highest.

Size wise... we have between 6.5-7.5 mm. Colors range from bright white to greenish white to blue-gray. Each one is “beautiful and rare” according to the cast member who opened it.

 

[Alicatt]

Thank you for taking the time to give me advice. It's making me so excited to see her face!

 

[katherine52478]

Also the pearl itself is $18 plus tax!

 

[KJTex]

Can anyone tell me if you got a pearl last time, can you bring it and get a new pearl and have them both set into earrings? Or do they only set pearls that you purchased same day?

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

We've done this at both Epcot and Disney Springs. Epcot was very busy and we had to wait for our turn to even select oysters. After that, it took a few hours to mount our pearls onto simple necklace settings. They gave us a time to come back to pick them up. At Disney Springs, we were the only people being helped at the time and we were able to do the selection and have them mounted within minutes which was perfect since we only had a little time at Disney Springs before heading to the airport. They just taped the setting so it wouldn't move and instructed us to not remove the tape for a set amount of time. We followed the instructions and the pieces have held up perfectly.

 

[scullylam]

I did the experience twice at Epcot. Both times I did as a pendant setting. The wait I remember was long both times but it was during the evening. It is a fun thing to do and both of my pearls are still in great shape. If you have the time in Epcot, go for it.

 

[DisneyChris2016]

My girls did this a few years ago. One got a large pearl, the other got "twins" (two smaller pearls from the same oyster). I'm not sure if this is as rare as they made it seem, but DD thought it was pretty cool. My youngest paid a few dollars extra to get a little jar with sand to bring it home in. Otherwise, if you are not having it made into jewellery, they just give you a little plastic bag. Personally, I would wait and see what your daughter wants. If cost is an issue, perhaps encourage her to wait and choose something online back home when she has more time to decide? There are lots of options, either way.

 

[TSR6]

I haven't seen the jar with sand - that's pretty neat.

When we did it, we had full intentions on taking them to a jewelry store back home and having earring/settings done. Called and got pricing, but haven't done it yet. I believe having it done at home is going to cost us more than the parks (however, im sure the posts/settings are better quality)

We did however get a carriage necklace off etsy before our first trip to Pick a Pearl that my wife still wears. That was probably one of the best calls we made, as the price of the carriage necklace was a fraction of the price of the ones they have at EPCOT, and we were able to put the pearl into that ourselves. Either way, it's definitely a fun little stop (and break to hang out in A/C for a few minutes) to make some great memories.

 

[Funfire240]

twice when we've done this we've gotten the surprise of twin pearls One time we had mounted into earrings and the other time, my DD had placed in a dolphin cage from there that held twins.
As for timing, I remember one necklace we had made and placed on a butterfly we had to go back later for (I think the same with the earrings, I can't recall) Other times with the cages we were able to have them put together right away

 

[fhtpdw20]

If you pick more than one oyster and get a pearl that is a different color, you can exchange one for a matching color at the jewelry counter. This may not be current info. The last time I did a pick a pearl was three years ago.

 

[lookame]

I bought a cage pendant to hold the pearl I got in Epcot. It cost I think about $35. It’s silver and looks like a castle with a little hidden Mickey head on the sides. Altogether it was terribly expensive, I’ve also bought white gold settings that were more- I think the most I spent on a setting was about $200 and they had to set it so I was given a time to come back and pick it up.