"Baby South Sea Pearls?"

[triscuit]

Hi, everyone! I bought 2 strands of pearls on a whim a few days ago because I was down and needed a bit of retail therapy.
The pearls are mostly round/semi-round in shape and have some imperfections but I was really drawn to them and find them really pretty.

I was told that these are "baby south sea pearls". And without checking what "baby SS" pearls actually are (and just because I really, really like them and couldn't decide between the 2) I bought both strands for $160 total.

Strand # 1 - Different shades of pink and champagne; around 8-9mm in size



Strand # 2 - White; around 7mm in size



Here's a photo of both strands together:



Hoping for some good feedback. Thanks!

 

[BWeaves]

There's no such thing as baby South Sea pearls. You have freshwater pearls from China. On the plus side, they are natural colors and the price was good, so enjoy them!

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

Triscuit, It's a shame your seller deceived you. I would return them. Many of this forum's member have taken the Pearls As One course offered for free by the Cultured Pearl Association of America. This course teaches about all the types of pearls your would normally find in the market place. It will help you not be be tricked again by unscrupulous sellers. https://www.pearlsasone.org Just sign up and redeem (don't forget to CLICK redeem) this coupon code: PEARL10951PARADISE

 

[triscuit]

Thanks, BWeaves! I've read here in forums that Chinese freshwater pearls have little value. May I know though what are the cons of FWPs from China? Would FWPs from other countries have better value/quality?

 

[triscuit]

Thanks, lilliefuzzysocks! I'll find time to take that course.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

China is THE source for cultured freshwater pearls.

The Chinese have greatly improved their culturing process and nowadays one can buy high grade, nearly-round-to-round freshwater pearls with excellent luster and few to no blemishes (but they would cost more than you paid.) If you love what you got, keep it. It probably is not worth the cost to return them to China with tracking, if that is where your order shipped from. But the seller did lie.

 

[pearlescence]

There's no such thing as baby South Sea pearls. You have freshwater pearls from China. On the plus side, they are natural colors and the price was good, so enjoy them!

There are, if you define them as under 8mm. The pearl farm I worked on earlier this year used 6mm nuclei so their pearls started at around 8mm or so

 

[triscuit]

Thanks for the clarification, Pearl Dreams! I'm from Manila and bought the strands in a local mall (in Market!Market!, and not in Greenhills). I do like them a lot and still would like to keep them. Was I given a fair price for them or should I try getting a better deal or a refund?

 

[jshepherd]

Thanks for the clarification, Pearl Dreams! I'm from Manila and bought the strands in a local mall (in Market!Market!, and not in Greenhills). I do like them a lot and still would like to keep them. Was I given a fair price for them or should I try getting a better deal or a refund?

If the pearls suit you and you like them, keep them. But don't trust the person who sold them to you. They lied about the origin.

South Sea pearls are the most valuable cultured pearls in the world. Freshwater pearls, albeit beautiful, are considered to be on the opposite side of that spectrum. I've heard pearl sellers describe them as baby South Sea, deep sea, and Mindanao pearls in the Philippines. None of those descriptions are true. They are cultured Chinese freshwater pearls.

 

[triscuit]

There are, if you define them as under 8mm. The pearl farm I worked on earlier this year used 6mm nuclei so their pearls started at around 8mm or so

Thanks for your reply! I actually bought my first pair of studs last year and was told that they are SS pearls that are just small (they didn't sell them to me as "Baby SS"). I wonder if they are indeed small SS pearls..

Here's a photo, they are 8mm in size set in 18k white gold:

 

[triscuit]

If the pearls suit you and you like them, keep them. But don't trust the person who sold them to you. They lied about the origin.

South Sea pearls are the most valuable cultured pearls in the world. Freshwater pearls, albeit beautiful, are considered to be on the opposite side of that spectrum. I've heard pearl sellers describe them as baby South Sea, deep sea, and Mindanao pearls in the Philippines. None of those descriptions are true. They are cultured Chinese freshwater pearls.

Thank you for the information! I am learning a lot from this forum

I'm curious though, would you be able to say that there are SS pearls and FWPs that are of equal beauty and quality? And if so, would the SS pearl still be more valuable that the FWP? Would it be mainly because of the rarity of SS pearls?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

From what I've seen, the SSP will be costlier than the FWP of the same size, shape and surface cleanliness. There are large bead nucleated FWP now called "Edisons" (brand name, from Grace Pearl Co.) that compete with SSP but they still don't seem to cost as much as SSP. Edisons can be found in colors like purple, which you won't find in SSP. So if you are drawn to such colors, you'd want FWP.

The SSP I've seen seem to have a more luxurious, more opaque luster than bead-nucleated FWP. The whites can be a whiter white; the FWPs seem to be a warmer white. This is a generalization of course. There are cream colored SSP also.

And yes, SSP are more rare.

Triscuit, I don't know if your studs are FWP or SSP. They are on the small side for SSP.

Editing to add that it's not necessarily easy to judge from photos. I have a pair of imitation pearl studs that look much the same in a photo as your pearl studs do. The pearl on the left in this photo is imitation, the pearl on the right is metallic white FWP:



Note that I am not saying your studs are fake-- just that they look like my fake stud in the photo. There is a limit to what we can tell about pearls from photos.

 

[jshepherd]

Thank you for the information! I am learning a lot from this forum

I'm curious though, would you be able to say that there are SS pearls and FWPs that are of equal beauty and quality? And if so, would the SS pearl still be more valuable that the FWP? Would it be mainly because of the rarity of SS pearls?

Yes, even if the pearls were identical in almost every respect, the South Sea pearls would typically be worth many times the value of the freshwater. Freshwater mussels produce up to 32 pearls at a time and there are thousands of farms. There are very few South Sea pearl farms and the shells only produce one pearl at a time.

That said, there have been very few freshwater pearls I've seen in my lifetime that could be confused for South Sea. They look different and they are a very different gemstone.

 

[Katbran]

Well by now you know they are freshwater. You have not substantially overpaid so if you like them fine, keep them. They have a nice lustre and while the white ones are a bit circled they weren't expensive . So , it's up to you. But certainly don't shop there again.

 

[Parrot Lady]

Cultured freshwater pearls have come a long way. Cartier is using them in necklaces costing tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[triscuit]

From what I've seen, the SSP will be costlier than the FWP of the same size, shape and surface cleanliness. There are large bead nucleated FWP now called "Edisons" (brand name, from Grace Pearl Co.) that compete with SSP but they still don't seem to cost as much as SSP. Edisons can be found in colors like purple, which you won't find in SSP. So if you are drawn to such colors, you'd want FWP.

The SSP I've seen seem to have a more luxurious, more opaque luster than bead-nucleated FWP. The whites can be a whiter white; the FWPs seem to be a warmer white. This is a generalization of course. There are cream colored SSP also.

And yes, SSP are more rare.

Triscuit, I don't know if your studs are FWP or SSP. They are on the small side for SSP.

Editing to add that it's not necessarily easy to judge from photos. I have a pair of imitation pearl studs that look much the same in a photo as your pearl studs do. The pearl on the left in this photo is imitation, the pearl on the right is metallic white FWP:

View attachment 60609

Note that I am not saying your studs are fake-- just that they look like my fake stud in the photo. There is a limit to what we can tell about pearls from photos.

I do see the difference between the two studs in the picture you posted. And how similar the imitation stud looks like mine! Though I can say that mine are real, I have rubbed them together and felt the grittiness. I did get a certificate from the jewelry shop that they are SS pearls (and this is a reputable jewelry shop inside a Marriott Hotel here in the Philippines). But I guess they aren't very knowledgeable about pearls.

Thanks, Pearl Dreams! I really appreciate your reply. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to compare a really good FWP and a SS pearl one of these days and see/appreciate the difference myself.

 

[triscuit]

Yes, even if the pearls were identical in almost every respect, the South Sea pearls would typically be worth many times the value of the freshwater. Freshwater mussels produce up to 32 pearls at a time and there are thousands of farms. There are very few South Sea pearl farms and the shells only produce one pearl at a time.

That said, there have been very few freshwater pearls I've seen in my lifetime that could be confused for South Sea. They look different and they are a very different gemstone.

Thank you for your reply! I still have a lot to learn and I hope I'll get to see and compare gem quality freshwater pearls and South Sea pearls side by side in the future.

 

[triscuit]

Well by now you know they are freshwater. You have not substantially overpaid so if you like them fine, keep them. They have a nice lustre and while the white ones are a bit circled they weren't expensive . So , it's up to you. But certainly don't shop there again.

Thanks! I will pay the shop a visit again soon after I've decided on these pearls (whether to return them or just to confront the lady for deceiving me).

 

[Pärla]

Many of this forum's member have taken the Pearls As One course offered for free by the Cultured Pearl Association of America. This course teaches about all the types of pearls your would normally find in the market place. It will help you not be be tricked again by unscrupulous sellers. https://www.pearlsasone.org Just sign up and redeem (don't forget to CLICK redeem) this coupon code: PEARL10951PARADISE

lilliefuzzysocks - thank you so much for this! I had no idea such a resource existed and am taking the course (with the coupon) right now.