Brown Tahitian Pearls? Treated/'enhanced'? Pics included.

[UnculturedPearl]

Hello everybody,

I recently acquired this strand second-hand. It has only just occured to me to look up brown Tahitians, and I see from Pearl Paradise that they are apparently all dyed.

You will see they are not round, but are uniformly not round, so each pearl is 11mm 'vertically' and 10mm from drill hole to drill hole.

The 36 pearls weight 68 grams, so about 1.9 grams per pearl.

I wondered if you guys could help me with a few things:

i) Are they actually Tahitians;
ii) Are they dyed/treated;
iii) What would have been a reasonable price to pay for them used (a difficult question I know, but for example, would $2000 be about right, or $200, or $20! Ballparks are fine...)

I've tried to concentrate on getting pictures of the pearls with blemishes, and on capturing some of the drill-holes. (If you see any white debris that is dust )

Thanks for reading my post,

Best wishes

 

[KAC]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

What you have there are dyed cultured Chinese Freshwater pearls, not Tahitians. The oblong shape and color are classic Freshwater.

 

[BAS]

May I just compliment you on your close-up shots. Usually we have to request (sometimes more than once) close-ups. I hope the responses above aren't discouraging.

 

[pattye]

Welcome UnculturedPearl,
Your pearls have a lovely variation in dyed color, which I think makes them very interesting and desirable. I have sold similar strands. Agree with Wendy, I'd say a fair price would certainly be under $100. If the clasp is solid gold, perhaps a little over.
Yes, as BAS mentioned, we appreciate the good photos.

 

[Amrita]

Such pretty pearls and your photos are amazing ! I have to agree though that they look like dyed freshwaters, and the price range for that quality and size would be between $100-150...

 

[UnculturedPearl]

Hello everyone! Thank you very much indeed for the warm welcome and the kind replies.

Yes I do like my macro photography, many thanks for the compliments there, and I am into gemstones, photographing those when available, and insects too if they stay still long enough! Pearls are a recent interest and seem to be something else altogether however, a very steep learning curve!!

It is admittedly not great news as they were sold to me as Tahitians... I will talk to the jeweller and see if they will go halves on a certification to be sure. I know of a gemologist and I think he also looks at pearls, and he gives prices for a verbal vs a documented opinion, so I think it would be worth it if you guys think there is any remote possibility whatsoever...? I know from lurking here how irrationally reluctant posters like me can be to face up to the truth when it is basically dangling in front of them, but it is different somehow when they are your pearls and it is you!!

 

[Caitlin]

I know that is a tough one to hear and it falls to us to tell the truth to the most reluctant listener. So you have a great attitude as well as photography skills.

Can you see how they are not round pearls, but each one is slightly squashed in its own way? That measurement of 11mm X 10mm could only come from freshwaters. That is the giveaway to freshwater pearls. Tahitians are either round or baroque, never slightly off round, because that bead inside keeps them round, even inside the baroqueness.

I think you may need a refund unless you got charged a freshwater price- which is often what happens with wannabee Tahitians, they call them Tahitians, but charge freshwater prices or slightly over.The surface, the skin, in freshwaters also has a slightly different look than Tahitian surfaces. The skins in that strand are not the best quality dye job by any means- even though the necklace is cool and very wearable.

 

[GemGeek]

They are, without a doubt, dyed freshwater pearls. There is no way they are Tahitian pearls. Period. If you paid more than $200, you may have paid too much, but what really matters is how much you like them. If you will enjoy them, keep them. Don't waste anyone's time with an evaluation.

 

[UnculturedPearl]

Hello and thank you for those very informative replies. Subsequently I told the chap I bought the pearls from about the oblong shape and uniformity, and the likelihood of them being Chinese Freshwater pearls, and he got in contact with the gentleman who originally made the necklace, a reputable named jeweller, who in turn is certain he bought the pearls as Tahitians from a London pearl company who just sell cultured pearls (I realise Chinese FW pearls are also cultured!) and have been in business for 30 years according to their website (I can name them if it is appropriate), so I am not really sure what to do now!!

(Thank you so much for the replies, I looked at some of the beautiful Freshwaters that Pattye and Wendy have for sale and they do indeed have the same shape. I attach an old picture from the Pearl Paradise website of a South Sea necklace which seemed to have some semi-ovals, but I can see that additionally many of the pearls have the drop edge shape that is lacking on this strand. [do SS pearls also use exclusively round beads?] Also could the pearls be simply too light to be Tahitian at 1.9g per 11/10mm pearl, or does it not quite work like that!)

 

[jshepherd]

You shouldn't pay for a part of a certification. There really isn't any chance that those are Tahitian pearls, unfortunately. I agree with everything mentioned above except what you would expect to pay for them in a brick and mortar retail store. A jewelry store would charge a lot more than suggested here, IMO.

 

[pearlescence]

I think I know which of a couple of firms (NOT me!) Someone along the line is either muddled/wrong or applying a false trade description.
(Jeremy, the prices I was quoting were for online, I don't know much about Bricks and M prices.)
You could not tell from weight alone.
It sounds as if you are covered by UK/EU law. If you were sold these as Tahitians they are not and you are entitled to your money back in full. In turn the person you are buying them from would have to go back to the jeweller and get a refund from him. ( and he in turn etc etc)
Practically and in the real world what you do will to some extent depend on whether you like these pearls or not and how much you paid (and whether the person who sold them is a close friend or an acquaintance!)

 

[GemGeek]

The price should be low because they are second-hand. Even worse, is that these fools still think they must be Tahitan pearls!