Do these appear to be genuine Tahitian?

[Freshpeachez]

I purchased via eBay and during their authentication process they noted a difference in the description of the color of the clasp, but nothing about the origin/type of pearl. Before I confirm I wanted to get some advice from all you pearl lovers! Authentication is through GIA.

 

[BWeaves]

They look like dyed Chinese freshwater pearls, not Tahitians. Sorry.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

View attachment 473020View attachment 473021View attachment 473022


I purchased via eBay and during their authentication process they noted a difference in the description of the color of the clasp, but nothing about the origin/type of pearl. Before I confirm I wanted to get some advice from all you pearl lovers! Authentication is through GIA.

Agree with @BWeaves they are Chinese FW pearls, most likely dyed. The "potato shape" is a dead give away.
Unfortunately the GIA evaluations they use at EBay is not the same as sending items to GIA for actual evaluation. Pearls sent to GIA are VERY expensive to evaluate...and they will actually X-Ray the pearl to determine the nacre thickness, as well as lots of other information. How much did you pay for these? And, did the seller offer a "refund?"

Tahitians should look more like this: Round to near-round with the classic "fishbite" markings. Some Tahitians are perfect with no markings, but those pearls are much, much more expensive. I did swap out the clasp, but the quality of the clasp on any strand can often be a good indication of the strand's value.

Here is a mixed color "Tahitian" strand...again, also near round with similar markings. These pearls are more imperfect, with larger imperfections but I loved the color mix and there are a couple of white South Sea pearls on this strand as well, not just Tahitians.

 

[Freshpeachez]

Agree with @BWeaves they are Chinese FW pearls, most likely dyed. The "potato shape" is a dead give away.
Unfortunately the GIA evaluations they use at EBay is not the same as sending items to GIA for actual evaluation. Pearls sent to GIA are VERY expensive to evaluate...and they will actually X-Ray the pearl to determine the nacre thickness, as well as lots of other information. How much did you pay for these? And, did the seller offer a "refund?"

Tahitians should look more like this: Round to near-round with the classic "fishbite" markings. Some Tahitians are perfect with no markings, but those pearls are much, much more expensive. I did swap out the clasp, but the quality of the clasp on any strand can often be a good indication of the strand's value.
View attachment 473025
Here is a mixed color "Tahitian" strand...again, also near round with similar markings.
View attachment 473026

The report from eBay/GIA says they are not dyed. To me, they seem similar in shape to your mixed color strand. And the clasp for the strand I purchased is 14k yellow gold.

It was listed as "white gold" however so I do have the option to refund my purchase before they leave GIA to ship to me. I paid $600

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

View attachment 473020View attachment 473021View attachment 473022


I purchased via eBay and during their authentication process they noted a difference in the description of the color of the clasp, but nothing about the origin/type of pearl. Before I confirm I wanted to get some advice from all you pearl lovers! Authentication is through GIA.

And, of course, you can also look at lots of other different shaped Tahitians on this forum.

 

[Freshpeachez]

They look like dyed Chinese freshwater pearls, not Tahitians. Sorry.

The report from eBay states they are not dyed. Not sure how rigorous the testing is at GIA for eBay authentication purposes. I even tried contacting GIA to find out, but they referred me back to eBay customer service.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Here is a photo of Chinese pearls that are advertised to be "Tahitian" but are actually freshwater. True Tahitian Pearls cannot be offered for anything close to this price. And these have that classic potato shape, even if they are not dyed, as many FW pearls do grow in these bluish/purple color tones.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I also found this on EBay's Authentication of Pearls:

So, what this means is that the EBay authentication is just saying that your strand is "some kind of" actual pearl. Their authenticators cannot determine "what kind" of pearl it is. So...if someone says it is Tahitian or South Sea or Akoya or Freshwater, the EBay/GIA Authenticator cannot determine that...only that it is an actual pearl and not a fake or shell or coated pearl. Also, see where it says "Any claim of treatments" which means they can be dyed freshwater cultured pearls and still pass authentication.

Pearl​

Pearl verification is focused on the determination that the material being verified is in fact pearl, rather than an imitation (e.g. fashioned shell, coated plastic, glass bead, etc.). A reasonable effort will be made to verify the accuracy of any claim regarding the shape, color and size of a pearl.

• Items with 10 or less pearls = we verify all pearls
• Items with 10 or more pearls = We will select at random a range of 5- 10 pearls to verify

Mounting limitations​

If a mounting prevents us from separating pearls from Mabe/assembled pearls without advanced testing: we will use the term mollusk nacre materials for these items.

Claims that will not be verified:

• Any claim that a pearl is “cultured” or “natural”.
• Any claim that a pearl originated in a specific environment—saltwater vs. freshwater—
• Any claim of treatments, trade terms and mollusk species.
• Any claim of classification or grades

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Right from the first photo they looked like dyed FWP to me. The color range is so typical. Too many of those red/purplish colors. And some are eggy shaped like FWP tend to be.

Here are 3 strands I own. The neckaces on the right and left are Tahitans; the center one is dyed FWP. Look at the color range.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I just saw the listing. I'd return them.

 

[Freshpeachez]

Did you pay FWP price or Tahitian price?
Can you return them, if you overpaid or just don't want them now?

I paid $600 for them via bidding on eBay. I contacted the seller after I received report from the GIA authenticator and he claimed he took them to a local jeweler who verified they are Tahitian, prior to listing them for sale. He also said he will stand by his claim that they are authentic and will accept a return if I'm not satisfied once they are in my possession.

If they do end up being dyed, is there anyway to remove the dye to see the natural color of the pearl?

 

[BWeaves]

If they're dyed, the original color was not good to start with. You cannot remove the dye.

To me, they looked like dyed freshwater pearls from China because of the egg and potato shapes of the pearls, and the colors were not colors that are natural to Tahitian pearls.

The local jeweler may not have been very familiar with pearls and assumed all dark pearls were Tahitians, using the term generically.

On the plus side, these kinds of freshwater pearls are 100% pearl nacre.

But that's also too much to pay for dyed, freshwater pearls. Can you get a refund?

 

[Freshpeachez]

Right from the first photo they looked like dyed FWP to me. The color range is so typical. Too many of those red/purplish colors. And some are eggy shaped like FWP tend to be.

Here are 3 strands I own. The neckaces on the right and left are Tahitans; the center one is dyed FWP. Look at the color range.

View attachment 473028

Those are beautiful strands! I will definitely be comparing mine to these pictures.

For the dyed strand, is there any way to remove the dye to return to pearl to its natural color?

 

[Freshpeachez]

Sharing one more picture from the eBay listing.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

No, the color treatment is permanent.
I saw the eBay listing and still think they are FWP. And that is just too much to pay for FWP.
If you get a refund you can put the money toward real Tahitians.

 

[BWeaves]

Last photo. Definitely dyed freshwaters, sorry.

 

[Freshpeachez]

Damn…I knew it was too good to be true! I will update once the pearls arrive and I can take them to my trusted local jeweler.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Damn…I knew it was too good to be true! I will update once the pearls arrive and I can take them to my trusted local jeweler.

Unfortunately most jewelers are not well versed in pearls...that's why there is this forum! Your jeweler might not be well versed either, but many are. I had to learn so very, very much and paid way too much for some of my early strands too, and mine were directly from China so there was no returning them. Each purchase is another lesson learned. I've gotten more than enough FANTASTIC finds to cancel out the bad ones. You got lucky that the authenticator gave you an out...that they advertised the wrong gold on the clasp. Most of the time you can't get out of a sale so easily! However most reputable EBay sellers will take back an item. I had a pair of earrings that was advertised as Tahitian and ended up being fake (before authentication was offered)...and the seller, upon learning they were fake, still took back the earrings and refunded my money. There are many EBay sellers who are unfamiliar with pearls. Many pearls cannot be truly verified until you see and hold them yourself...because real pearls are different in person. When you see pearls on auctions or listings, post the pictures on this forum and get advance advice and opinions of the value before bidding. We are here to help, and many of us have already made the mistakes...you don't have to.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Right from the first photo they looked like dyed FWP to me. The color range is so typical. Too many of those red/purplish colors. And some are eggy shaped like FWP tend to be.

Here are 3 strands I own. The neckaces on the right and left are Tahitans; the center one is dyed FWP. Look at the color range.

View attachment 473028

This is so helpful for comparison.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

This is a nice Tahitian strand...look at the color tones, roundness, and the quality of the clasp. Comes with an appraisal and is double what you paid (for the starting bid). No comparison in shape, color. These are the real deal. Save for a better deal.