Another question about pearls

[Caitlin]

So it is hyperbole and thus is not meant to be taken literally. So many Chinese business people do this kind of flowery fantasy description, that I think it must be a a deeply ingrained cultural trait. Westerners just have to recognize that in their dealing with China.

After all these are are the same people who call their green jade "heavenly blue"!

(When I was in middle school in the Navajo Nation, I often heard Navajos did not make much if any distinction between green and blue so I don't believe calling green jade blue is dishonest, it is the way they see the world.)

 

[dkan 168]

So it is hyperbole and thus is not meant to be taken literally. So many Chinese business people do this kind of flowery fantasy description, that I think it must be a a deeply ingrained cultural trait. Westerners just have to recognize that in their dealing with China.

After all these are are the same people who call their green jade "heavenly blue"!

They probably learnt how to write in a flowery fantasy manner by westerners

They are not the only ones that write in that way. I find those whose first language is not English have the tendency to write that way, probably thinking in the line of using more flowery wording would make them look more proficient in English.

I can't do it, as I am just not a flowery person by nature

I have never come across green jade being described as "heavenly blue" though

I can't wear jade, they do not agree with me and the colour becomes lesss vivid over time

DK

 

[Caitlin]

I have just been searching for the thread of RG Wise and ZGE. Richard mentioned that heavenly blue jade was green and Z took him on, insisting it was actually blue. I must have deleted it before I decided to just move threads like that.

Calling green jade "heavenly blue" is typical of Chinese hyperbole. They have specialized in flowery talk for thousands of years. They do not want to seem blunt, that is/was considered rude, so they use hyperbole. It is a literary style that misleads Westerners who take them literally.

I am not saying that some Chinese dealers don't exaggerate qualities of pearls, like the the size. They will tell us that 8.5mm pearls are 9.5 to 10mm or that 6mm pearls are 7mm. We have discussed this more than once as several folks who ordered Chinese pearls are shocked that maybe only one pearl is close to the size claimed and the rest are way smaller.

 

[dkan 168]

Calling green jade "heavenly blue" is typical of Chinese hyperbole. They have specialized in flowery talk for thousands of years. They do not want to seem blunt, that is/was considered rude, so they use hyperbole. It is a literary style that misleads Westerners who take them literally.

I came back to add something about the Chinese language being blunt, hence they have the tendency to over-compensate by being flowery.

I am just naturally blunt, and being Chinese has nothing to do with it

I dread going back to Hong Kong for a holiday with my mum, as I have not been back since 1987, and am not used to being surrounded by so many Chinese people and noise. However, the shopping opportunity will make it worth my while


DK

 

[Caitlin]

This is interesting about the language being blunt. So the hyperbole is meant to soften the bluntness of the language.

Are the young folks more direct and blunt? I mean, are you part of a trend?

 

[la_corsetiere]

The size is definitely wrong. But I would also caution on the pearls themselves. If they are genuine cultured pearls, it is an increadibly good deal. But I believe there is a high chance that the pearls are faux. Definitely not vintage either way. Vintage is not a compliment when describing akoya pearls.

I followed up with the seller, and they got the converion wrong - the actual pearl size is just under 5mm. They do say that the pearls are real. Still a good deal?

Sheri

 

[jshepherd]

If the pearls are real, it is a good deal. I still am not convinced they are. There is a big difference between 5 mm and 7 mm (the difference is double the size because pearls are spherical). No one that has any experience with pearls could make that mistake. The close up photo looks like a picture of faux pearls. But if they are real then yes, it is a good deal.

But the size! 5 mm is tiny, tiny, tiny! This is a good size for a multiple-strand necklace or something, but a single strand...?

 

[SuddenlyAddictedToPearls]

The seller did add a revision to the bottom of his listing, but it still says 7mm at the top...

JS: is it common for faux pearls to have a 14K clasp? I was wondering why they would go through the trouble of using real gold on fake pearls.

thanks.

 

[dkan 168]

This is interesting about the language being blunt. So the hyperbole is meant to soften the bluntness of the language.

Are the young folks more direct and blunt? I mean, are you part of a trend?

I believe they do try to soften their bluntness by using flowery wordings.

I don't know is being 43 qualifies being young , however, I have always been abrupt and lack diplomacy, even from a young age, just ask my mum!

No, joking aside, I believe youngsters nowadays are more direct and blunt as they can get away with it. Manners and considerations have been taken over by the Me Me Me mentality IMHO

I seldom see young people give up their seats to the vulnerable people nowadays, especially if they are in a group

DK

 

[dkan 168]

The seller did add a revision to the bottom of his listing, but it still says 7mm at the top...

JS: is it common for faux pearls to have a 14K clasp? I was wondering why they would go through the trouble of using real gold on fake pearls.

thanks.

I can't see the revised description for some reason

The clasp is NOT 14K, it is 14K "GP" as in gold plated! It is more likely to be gold plate over silver rather than base metal, however, I could be wrong.

As the others have said, this is not bad for the price, if the pearls are real

DK

 

[pearlescence]

There are two ebay necklaces being discussed in this strand. One is described as having a 14ct clasp ; the other is declared as plated.

 

[Sueki]

The seller did add a revision to the bottom of his listing, but it still says 7mm at the top...

The seller can't change the title or the description because the item has a bid.
He can only add a revision to the listing, which is why the change only shows at the bottom of the page....
And I read that the actual size is 4.75mm.....

 

[dkan 168]

There are two ebay necklaces being discussed in this strand. One is described as having a 14ct clasp ; the other is declared as plated.

Thanks Wendy for reminding us.

I was referring to the second strand, which appears to be more real than the first one.

It's the first one that looks fake with the solid gold clasp.

And yes, fake pearls can have solid gold clasp, as the clasp can be changed at will.

DK

 

[Caitlin]

Excellent points, DJ.
(BTW) I am 2 decades ahead of you. 40 is the new thirty and my elder daughter is 40 and doesn't look a day over 30.)

This is a summary of an American trying to understand how to peel the hyperbole off Chinese sales pitches and even understand why they use it in their business dealings.

The way Chinese Restaurants name themselves with hyperbole-Golden Dragon, Flowers of the Moon, Golden Phoenix, refer to Chinese mythical conventions. They are part of Chinese culture where most people understand the mythical references underlying the words. Often the restaurants have flowery descriptions as an intro to their menus.

The fact that pearls, gems,any commodity, may have flowery descriptions on paper, in speech, or on the net, leads me to believe that hyperbole is a Chinese cultural/business convention. If the numerous novels and Chinese documentaries on TV are any indication, it has always has been a literary style culturally Chinese businessmen or diplomats know how to use.

Admittedly, I am no expert on Chinese culture, these are opinions I have developed by buying pearls and eating in American Chinese restaurants, reading novels and watching tv. You can make fun of me for my acquisition of these ideas, (but some of the tv was PBS! ) I imagine other American buyers having had similar exposure to mine, have taken similar positions on this style of prose too. However, most Americans would not try to understand the hyperbole, they either fall for it or refuse to buy it and both of them end up feeling bad about it and believe the Chinese are crooks.

My conclusion is that until Chinese merchants understand America's cultural style and adapt to it, like giving accurate sizes in pearl shopping, overinflated descriptions, will be rampant. Americans need to translate Chinese-style hyperbole already in English, to unexaggerated English. For instance take a size off any pearls you wish to buy, to more accurately reflect their size on a caliper. It is perfectly legal to do this in China as they have decided by law what 7mm means. (7mm includes pearls down to 6.1mm or something close to that. And only 1,3,or5, will be 7mm pearls) We have other translations of flowery prose in threads on the forum.