Chipped Pearls

[BWeaves]

That's a look!

 

[Camelotshadow]

Wow...pink respirator...

Thanks everyone...I can buy attack on ebay if it will come soon enough. Don't really have a jewekry supply house close by,

I would love to look at pearls at PP but it takes 2 weeks to get an appointment. I left a msg 1 1/2 weeks ago for a call back but have not heard back, Then I had a bad chemo that weakend me so I have been very tired.

I can't have fumes from things for myself & esp since I have a bird so I would have to set te solution outside somewhere.

I tried hot water but it did not work.

I always thought they were pearls until they chipped & I saw some glitter at the break line. Its washed away.. I hate these pearls as they have caused me grief since they were almost lost & were not 10mm as described to begin with. My draw was the settings so the pearls are only significant if they are fake I want money back & if the platinum is not platinum I really think she should take them back chiped or not not refund the difference of fake pearls in plain metal settings.

My acids are about 5 years old & if I had a test tube I could try to displace the volume of the earring backs or setting if I can free it.
Would feel vetter if the specific gravity closely matched platinum which could be 950 or 900...

Well I have one good pearl so maybe I get set it in a pendant.

I just really want to be sure of all of this mess.

I tested again with plat acid against a 950 plat & a 10 % irrid plat. The 950 plat makes a softer line on the stone. The earrings metal is very hard & barely makes a good line & is similar to the hardness or the irid plat.

The acids however seem to dissolve the earring metal while not affecting the irid plat metal...

I am now not sure is the earrings are platinum. Maybe a low grade or some form of metal with stainless..

????????

This is not good...

Whats with the coin store not having a tester with a good battery??? He thinks plat by color & his weak tester said 18K.

I know I am not paying for any of this advice but its all a mess,

 

[pattye]

Great photo and reminder, JP, safety first! Looking really cute!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you don't want to wait to buy Attack, you could try submerging the pearl earrings in boiling hot water in a microwave-safe cup (like Pyrex) and nuking it. See this thread:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?581-Unglueing-pearls

 

[Camelotshadow]

Now its not the pearls that are my main concern. The plat may not be platinum...It does not hold under the acid like my other platinum/..

If its not plat its not worth anything to me.

The small screw backs are .3 gram each so it could be as its pretty heavy for the size of a backing.

Earrings just feel light for platinum & a 9mm pearl.

Earring 1.7 grams total w screw back so post & pearl weigh 1.4 gram...

Wow..earring just feels light to me????

Wonder what a 9mm ssp should weigh? Maybe .75 grams? Post & mounting would then be about .7 grams.

I guess an estimate of the plat weight would be about 1 gram per earring so talking maybe $60 plat value if plat?

 

[KaySD]

$20 does not cover the size difference -- you probably should have returned them at that point. It's very difficult now because you damaged them. If you can get a written evaluation showing the earrings we're grossly misrepresented, you might be able to get a partial refund.

By any chance did you pay using American Express (directly or via PayPal)? AMEX has coverage for items that are lost or damaged within a certain number of days after purchase.

Good luck.

 

[Katbran]

Looks real to me. I chipped a lovely SSP myself. Conchiolin can show as a dark protein layer between layers of prismatic nacre. This is clearly damaged nacre showing more nacre underneath. Sorry. I look at pearls under the microscope frequently.

I think you have a professional opinion here from GemGeek - I too have chipped a pearl when it dropped on a tile floor... looked just like your chip. I think the best you can hope for is a definitive answer on your metal and a refund on the cost difference. Obviously the difference is not based on new metal prices but on what estate findings might cost. At this point I'd probably just move on - reuse the settings and reset the single pearl.

KaySD - Good info on the AMEX - I think I'll switch my Paypal over. thanks

 

[Camelotshadow]

Ebay sale ///it was paypal funded by Bank of America Credit card. I'm pretty much stuck with them but I want to be sure they are at least cultured pearls & platinum as if they are not I have a case for a price adjustment. $20 is not enough to cover the difference bet a 9mm or 10mm pearl. There is a huge difference in size & I proved it.

I guess I could pay $85 to the guy who said they were fale pearls & not platinum & have them priced accordingly but I don;t want to cheat anyone but I certainly can't afford to be cheated myself. I somewhat trust the seller but she has sold jewelry before & sold on ebay over a long time/ She just seems inept at not at least measuring them. I can't believe she is that naive but I feel she really thinks she had what she said she had & it not trying to fool anyone. Still she could have not gotten what she thought she got from the mansion estate sale.

Its a bad day as alot of jewelers were closed but I found one who buys jewelry & called them. They had an appointment I could make & they are next to Trader Joes so I went to see them & brought a few pieces to get an idea.

He liked my K9 Mikimoto dress clip & took a picture to see if he could find a buyer. Also liked my old pearl ring with fluer de lis prong setting & my old diamond ring.

He did a quick acid test on the earring mountings & he's not sure but he says he thinks its is a precious metal. Seems to hold plat & 18K.

So 4 out of 5 think its probably platinum & pearl & one who jeweler who does appraisals & really should know said it was fake all the way...not a real pearl & not platinum.

The last plat acid test I did did not hold for me. The earring metal dissolved & my other plat/irid earrings metal stayed.
The first time I acid tested it I swear the white particles just floated so I figured it was platinum.

Test on left us first acid test.

Not sure why 2nd failed. If I keep testing there wil be no earring left!

 

[GemGeek]

Real cultured pearl - not fake. Also, the post may be 18k while the earring is platinum. Platinum is very ductile. I doubt someone was trying to cheat you. I am so sorry you are not well while this is happening. Hugs.

 

[Camelotshadow]

Thanks...I bought them because they were said to be platinum. I can get gold settings anywhere. I want the entire earring to be platinum.

I'm not sure what to do next. I weighed a smaller 18K meccan clasp & it was the same weight as the larger platinum screw clasp.

I seriously don't want to pay for gold earrings. Its a off color yellow chipped pearl & no one thinks worth much so if I have to buy the chipped pearl she can take back the rest as the pearl is hardly worth $50.

It pains me to be sick & dragging them down the streets in 90 plus weather. I missed the shop today as it was upstairs & walked almost 2 blocks out of my way only to have to trace back. Then drag myself & my cart up a flight & half of stairs to the 5th person to check them only to walk out with nothing concrete.

I may see the wife of the jeweler who said not real pearl & not platinum as she is supposed to be a GIA graduate. They don;t seem to be able to tell gold from platinum from fake & its sad....I'm sure she will defend her husband & probably won't want to see my anymore but how could I ever get anything appraised from someone who have made these 2 mistakes & have paid $85 for it in writing,

I'll test them again against my plat/irid but they might not be a high grade platinum & iridium/plat seems harder. Still who has platinum earrings unmarked? Well I supposedly do have an unmarked diamond platinum pair so its possible or else I got cheated on both pairs of earrings.

Platinum has always been a precious expensive metal & thought its not easy to work with. Seems when its mixed with iridium its harder but more brittle.
Hah..I'm on carboplatin chemo...seems there platinum in me right now!!!

You can see in the very first acid photo that the acid dissolved the pearl earrings metal scratch but not the 10% irid plat.
The last phot was the first acid test & it seemed to lift & float the metal so I thought it platinum. Not sure why it seems to have failed the 2nd acid test.

I wanted to try for specific gravity but it seems you have to suspend the metal in water & weigh it. There must be a way to figure is out by water displacement.

The metal is very hard & barely will scratch the acid stone so I don;t know what that means but if it is platinum it might be alloyed with iridium as that seems to make the platinum more scratch resistant.

I need to figure this out as if I'm stuck with the earrings I want them o be platinum. At least I can have the platinum settings set with a better pearl.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I think the earring is too small for precise water displacement measurement.

 

[pearlescence]

Good case for a proper hallmarking system over there?
is there no consumer organisation which could test for you? How about a pawn shop. They would surely know their metals since their livelihood depends on getting it right
Plus, given your health and the cost of the earrings, is it worth all this hassle and bustle?

 

[JerseyPearl]

If you are wanting platinum earrings, then why not just order the settings? Then spend your time searching for the perfect pair of pearls to add to them. That way you can get exactly what you want! The pearl cup and screw posts are not particularly unique. I would salvage the un-chipped pearl and use it as part of a mismatched pair. I would scrap the other setting, and put the $ toward your new platinum pair. Sometimes the bargains we hope to achieve are mitigated by the time, energy and effort spent on the hunt! Since you're in LA, go to Bella Findings and see what they have in stock.

 

[amti]

Did you acid test for 18K yourself and do a magnet test? Could they be plated? The jeweler who said they probably weren't plat or pearls may be trying to get you to spend money for an appraisal. I would not spend $85 for an appraisal. It's pretty clear by GG's opinion that they are real pearls. What type of pearl remains to be unknown.

 

[GemGeek]

As many have said, jewelers may not have solid experience with pearls. I am a GIA Graduate Gemologist with a Pearls Diploma, but it's years of seeing all kinds of pearls, looking into drill holes, examining damage and various signs of nacre alteration that qualify me to weigh in on pearls. If these people told you the pearl was fake, then they are not competent to judge pearls. At the same time, they could be very competent with other gemstones.

Your closeup photos are awesome. It's not often I can judge anything with certainty from a photo. Acid testing is helpful, but not always definitive, as you have found. I am impressed at the lengths to which you are willing to go to solve your dilemma. Please take care of yourself. Hugs ♡

 

[Pearl Dreams]

...
It pains me to be sick & dragging them down the streets in 90 plus weather. I missed the shop today as it was upstairs & walked almost 2 blocks out of my way only to have to trace back. Then drag myself & my cart up a flight & half of stairs to the 5th person to check them only to walk out with nothing concrete.
....

I can't imagine subjecting my body to that sort of punishment while undergoing chemo.

Look, we have all bought things that we regretted later. You may have paid too much for the earrings given what they are, but with all this running around you are now paying too high a price with your health. Might it not be better to "let it be" and just take care of yourself, shopping for new earrings (if you still wish to) when health, time and funds permit?

 

[Camelotshadow]

Thanks everyone. Trying to put this in perspective. Did not do much today. Had thoughts of going to the mall to look or Tiffany just to see but it got late.

Two/5 of them (one GIA) buy jewelry for a living. I would tend to think they must know what they are doing at least with precious metals.

The jeweler who obviously does not know pearls is not uncommon but what I can't understand is how his acid test said not platinum if they are platinum.

I thought they were pearls but I am no expert. They feel like pearls & have a few flaws like pearls. I can't see how an imitation could duplicate it unless they can make synthetic pearls & artificially lay down nacre. The shiny glitteriness at the chip also bothered me...

I've looked at enough jewelry & from there appearance the settings look old & have characterictics of being handmade. I guess they could be machine made & the screw hole drilled off center...Maybe in China or India it might be worth the labor to recreate a good fake platinum setting but it just does not really add up..so I was pretty sure they were platinum on first acid test. Many metals & some non magnetic can also pass the platinum acid test. Just common stainless steel I have tried & its documented so just passing a plat acid test is not enough.

I was looking into a 5 or 10ml graduated cylinder to see how much water they displace & try to figure out the SG but right now all I have free are 2 screws weighing .6 gram. It might be too small of a sample even if I soaked the pearls out to tell anything but I am looking into it.

I don;t have a torch & I really don;t want to try heating it as that can be a test & they say plat will not be harmed with heat but it seems a bit far for me. I can afford a test tube but if I start buying more equipment to test it I might as well pay for an appraisal as that would be more proof. Still I could be paying someone who does not give me a accurate appraisal & I don't want to do that. The jeweler did mot want to do the appraisal & said it was not worth it so he was not looking to make $.

Jewe;ry has always been my passion &I've studied it & gemology. Started taking the pearl course but frankly I did not see anything that got inside the pearl to id it that way. Knowledge of the oysters & the people who culture them is good but the lab tests & equipment I dont have.

I really wanted old platinum settings. I checked into Bellas website. Prices are good but no pearl plat cups & post pre made did I see.
I do like Bella & maybe I will get some settings from them in the future.

I was contemplating reuniting this woman with her missed earrings but that is not possible now. I held on to them as I was very muc attached to the platinum settings. I would have never bought yellow pearls otherwise.

One could make a pendant or as one jeweler said you really can't see the chip ffrom the ears though I feel its massive at in some places a 1/3 of the size of the dia of the pearl.

Since getting cancer & they are bad grade 3 cancer I have just wanted to get some things I like. I'm already owing my credit card for a nice pairs pf plat diamond earrings I bought but they are 7 plus grams of plat/irid from the 30's oec cut & glorious. I've always wanted a nice pair so heck with it...I used a bal transfer & need to pay that in about a year. I said thats all I needed then I came upon 2 pairs of white pearls with diamonds from the 30's 40;s & that is really rare too so bought those. Then I came here to learn more about pearls when I found the plat pair with yellow supposed south seas.

I sold some things to pay for these earrings & frankly I don't have that much to sell. I did get a small settlement from a hit & run that broke my foot & in actuality that is now gone to pay for the last 2 pairs. So you see this is sort of a big deal to me as I am on a very small fixed income. Still who knows if I will not have this cancer show up somewhere else. I had 2 bad grade 3 aggressive cancers which are poorly staged as it was in 2 places & they first thought is was not a spread but a simultaneous independent cancer but that is rare...They now say they just really don't know so chemo should take care of it its lurking.

So heck I figure if I owe on my credit card in the future then so be it...least I am alive enjoying a few nice baubles....

Still its alot of money & I really need to know at least I got platinum settings. The pearls are insignificant even if they are real it does not matter much.

I just can't see it but it seems to test 18K on acid from the one guy & the electronic tester. So the 2 who buy jewelery/ gold for a living say its a precious metal & one said it looked like platinum not gold by the color.

If it was not for the Diamond Gallery jeweler I guess I would have never had these doubts. I did not speak to him directly as the salesperson brought it back to him. I guess he could not even spare the time to come out & see a potential client. Just awful! She said he just said its not platinum but never actually said what it was. Personally I;d like to get to the bottom of that. They do deal mostly in diamonds & they had one
or two pairs of tahitians & a few akoya I would not even want for free. OK luster but just common looking cream/rose. Nothing special. Don't think I even saw any white south seas. I dont think I will be buying anything from them but his wife did offer to reappriase my diamond earrings for $40 as I had a egl certficate. I guess she was basically saying she was going to copy it!!!! Gosh?????? I just wanted another opinion as egl is not the best but she said EGL is pretty good. Well they missed a big chip on the girdle & so did the person who sold them to me. So actually I've had really bad luck!!!! A chipped diamond too but the earrings are really nice & things in life are never perfect...

Thanks for the compliments on the photos. Had to take over 100 to get into that spot.

Sometimes things happen & we just have to pick up the pieces & move on but I'm trying to get this figured out...

 

[amti]

One thing that came to mind when reading your post was that I saw a youtube video of how to sell gold to people who buy jewelry. They said to bring your own acids with you because scrupulous gold buyers will often put in a 10k solution into a 14k acid testing container and so on. So if someone brings in a 14k item, it is tested with 18k acid in a 14k container and fails. Then it is tested with 10k acid in a 14k container and works. So the seller only offers money for a 10k gold piece instead of a 14k gold piece. Hope that makes sense. Trust your own acids.

 

[pearlescence]

The London Assay Office ( a world class centre of excellence since 1320) uses touchstones, not acid. No faking the streaks

 

[Katbran]

Amti - Wow that is very tricksy! Did you mean to say that they test with 14kt acid in a 10k container ? Then it would look like it (14kt) was positive for 10kt. ? lol I might be getting confused.