another step in my "education"

[learningpearls]

OK, having been saved by you folks from a likely scam, I am continuing to read and learn here (and elsewhere)... AND continuing to peruse eBay listings. Here's one I wanted to ask about, an auction that ended recently:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-Sa...S_Fine_Necklaces_Pendants&hash=item1c2da0327f

I had looked at these with some interest myself. Are they really akoyas? At first I thought they might be vintage (and I know that's not necessarily a good thing, with akoyas), what with the sterling clasp. But now I'm thinking maybe they are just cheap, poor-quality modern ones?

The appraisal didn't sound exactly glowing...but, to be honest, I (with my inexperienced eyes) thought the pearls themselves looked OK in some of the shots. I did note that they are small pearls.

What about the "round to off-round" phrase in the appraisal? How often are akoyas in a strand off-round?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They could be akoyas that are slightly baroque, and the silver clasp makes me think they are modern pearls (lower-quality) since sellers would not want to sell lower quality pearls with a gold clasp now that the price of gold is so high.

I have freshwater rice pearls from the early 1980s that came with a gold clasp-- but gold was more affordable then.

 

[pearlescence]

Hi
If you want decent pearls I recommend that you forget about eBay - too many deceitful listings for a novice. If the prices are too good to be true for what the pearls purport to be, they probably are. While I obviously have an interest here, you would do much better to decide what you want then get it securely from a reliable on-line pearl house

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I have found some nice and fun pearls on eBay, but also a few stinkers.

As long as you are not paying too much, enjoy shopping on eBay, but if you are looking to get something of high quality, you are safer going with reliable online sellers.

 

[lisa c]

Where are you located? (Wendy, why am I asking this?)

We have a forum about buying/questions on eBay that gives a lot of GOOD information if you want to play with ebay for a while...it's a learning curve that most of us seemed to live through as we got started. Sort of fun, some winning and losing, most of us concluding we wish we'd gone straight to the vendors on PG, but a lot of us had to work the Gambler out of our systems first. (I confess, I confess)


I'll say I'm sorry ahead of time, if you've already posted that you've read the eBay forum here, and I missed it.

 

[KarinK]

A scam. Akoyas cannot be off-round. They have a perfect round bead inside of them and only a thing layer of nacre covering the bead. Baroque akoyas look like the naturally blue akoya in my album, same one here at PP: http://www.pearlparadise.com/7580-mm-SilverBlue-Akoya-Baroque-Pearl-Necklace2905.aspx.

Akayas will have lumps and bumps like the rest of us, but so far I have only seen the potato-kind of off round in freshwater pearls.

Now this knowledge I have gained from studying the posts on this forum and guess along with everyone else, rather than getting burned at eBay In this case too the price is too good to be true, so believe that it is just that

- Karin

 

[learningpearls]

They could be akoyas that are slightly baroque, and the silver clasp makes me think they are modern pearls (lower-quality) since sellers would not want to sell lower quality pearls with a gold clasp now that the price of gold is so high.

I have freshwater rice pearls from the early 1980s that came with a gold clasp-- but gold was more affordable then.

Yes, clasps can tell a lot ... but it sure can be a convoluted story! (Speaking not from pearls, where I am a novice, but from experience with other antique and vintage jewelry.) Once I processed that the pearls weren't graduated, I came to the same thoughts you do about that one likely being a modern, poorer-quality strand. I was interested to know, though, whether folks here thought they were indeed akoyas. (Trying to learn more about spotting the different pearl types, even in lesser-quality examples.)

 

[learningpearls]

Where are you located? (Wendy, why am I asking this?)

We have a forum about buying/questions on eBay that gives a lot of GOOD information if you want to play with ebay for a while...it's a learning curve that most of us seemed to live through as we got started. Sort of fun, some winning and losing, most of us concluding we wish we'd gone straight to the vendors on PG, but a lot of us had to work the Gambler out of our systems first. (I confess, I confess)


I'll say I'm sorry ahead of time, if you've already posted that you've read the eBay forum here, and I missed it.

Just updated my profile to show that I am in the USA, in Georgia.

Ummm -- is this not the eBay forum I have posted in...? Anyhow, I'm reading through all of the forums here as I have opportunity, and learning a lot.

While I am more or less in the market for a pearl necklace eventually (for a gift), my eBay-looking is largely just part of my "total immersion" approach when I get interested in learning about something, LOL. And right now, it's pearls. I'll continue to look -- might even risk a few "learner" items -- but don't worry folks, I am taking all of your input to heart and will put it all together in any move to make that gift purchase I mentioned.

The way I experience it, eBay is, even if nothing else, a good place to see pictures of the good and the bad, learn the common mistakes, misrepresentations and yes, downright scams, that are around in regard to the kind of item one is trying to learn about. As long as I don't do something expensively stupid, what's the harm, I figure! And yes, I admit there is a bit of the treasure-hunter in me -- I've had a few great finds on eBay over the years, so that little flicker of hope IS always there.

Don't worry, all, I won't post here about every eBay listing I stop and wonder a bit about -- just a few here and there. I appreciate your comments!

 

[learningpearls]

A scam. Akoyas cannot be off-round. They have a perfect round bead inside of them and only a thing layer of nacre covering the bead. Baroque akoyas look like the naturally blue akoya in my album, same one here at PP: http://www.pearlparadise.com/7580-mm-SilverBlue-Akoya-Baroque-Pearl-Necklace2905.aspx.

Akayas will have lumps and bumps like the rest of us, but so far I have only seen the potato-kind of off round in freshwater pearls.

Now this knowledge I have gained from studying the posts on this forum and guess along with everyone else, rather than getting burned at eBay In this case too the price is too good to be true, so believe that it is just that

- Karin

Yes, I have seen baroque akoyas, kind of understand that type of shape. But I was thinking that there is, in a low grade not used in quality jewelry, a grade of the "round type" that is a bit off-round...? Not so?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Akoya pearls can be off-round.

I'm looking at page 36 in the current edition of Renee Newman's Pearl Buying Guide. Figure 4.1 shows 4 strands of akoya pearls of different shapes, and in the text she describes the four categories as round, off-round ("Slightly flattened or ovoid"), semi-baroque ("Obviously not round. Pear, drop, egg and button shapes are examples.") and baroque.

 

[KarinK]

I get it now. I'm happy to hear you're not looking for The eBay find From what we've seen, you're more likely to discover that in the local thrift store.

I've sometimes studied pictures the same way you do on the local on-line auction house. In fact both of the two we have here. It led me to discover that one of the auctions houses can't be trusted in their description of the pearls and the other one can. I've come close a couple of times to SSP necklaces at very good prices, but only close. I need the funds to up the bid just a little more. One day...

You might add this tool to your eBay learning experience: toolhaus.net. You can check what the feedback the seller really have and that might indicate if they tend to oversell their goods, and you can compare that information to what you yourself notice.

- Karin

 

[lisa c]

Just updated my profile to show that I am in the USA, in Georgia.

Ummm -- is this not the eBay forum I have posted in...? !

LOL, too funny! I can't see from the title at the top where you're posting from anymore, :-D. Good laugh on me!

I'm delighted to welcome another enthusiast to the fold! We know you're agawner when we hear the old posts have hooked you! I hope you have fun here.

 

[Amrita]

Welcome learningpearls! As long as you are being careful on Ebay and have all the right warning bells ringing in your mind when you are there, it might actually be a good way to learn. We just do not want you to take risks and learn the "hard" way, as we have known far too many scams and frauds that happen over there. Good Luck!

 

[lisa c]

I might take a chance on some old-fashioned graduated Akoya if you don't have any, if the seller guarantees a refund, and that it's the exact item, and you see lots of close ups, and you've read a good bit of the feedback on the seller. I don't think there are many people faking those with freshwaters, too time consuming.

You would have to beware of graduated majoricas, and glass and plastic fakes, though. I think some graduated strands have gone pretty reasonably lately, probably because they're old-fashioned.

I bought a 9-strand Rice Krispie necklace on eBay last year. It was a reasonable buy, a fair price. Some people are asking too much for them right now. The sellers are too far ahead of the market.

After exorcising the Gambler from my brain, I found its much nicer to rely upon the vendors around here. It's great to not waste money.