Does anyone know Valentina Herman?

Cousingigi

Cousingigi

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Does anyone know Valentina Herman? She's an eBay estate jewelry seller and she had quite a few Mikimoto estate pieces. Her eBay handle is zagadka56.

Thanks!
 
I tried a seller search and had no luck. Could you please give a link to one of her pieces?
 
Pearl Dreams said:
Here are her pearl listings:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_od....TRC2.A0.H0.Xpearls.TRS1&_nkw=pearls&_sacat=0

She has a lot of private feedback, presumably for her pricey items. https://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayIS...dka56&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&searchInterval=30
Click to expand...

On the app you can actually see what those feedbacks are for. She has sold 3 medium size Miki akoya strands and one 9mm miki 52” strand in the last 3 months. I emailed the person at Mikimoto who signed the valuation certs to see if they have any input.
 
I can't imagine giving that much money to any eBay seller, sorry. It's too risky for my wallet.
 
Did Mikimoto have a photo of the strand on their certificates? None of these seem to, but maybe they don't usually? So many of her strands are REALLY large size pearls? Also the photos show extremely bright luster yet the certificates say "Good"? Is this as expected and usual for Mikimoto? Something feels "off" but maybe I'm just cautious, especially with these sums of money ... yikes. I agree with Pearl Dreams, I couldn't do it via eBay. One might think if she was expert enough to collect these level strands, she'd be selling them via Diamond Bistro, Ruby Lane, Lang Antiques etc. ???
 
CathyKeshi said:
Did Mikimoto have a photo of the strand on their certificates? None of these seem to, but maybe they don't usually? So many of her strands are REALLY large size pearls? Also the photos show extremely bright luster yet the certificates say "Good"? Is this as expected and usual for Mikimoto? Something feels "off" but maybe I'm just cautious, especially with these sums of money ... yikes. I agree with Pearl Dreams, I couldn't do it via eBay. One might think if she was expert enough to collect these level strands, she'd be selling them via Diamond Bistro, Ruby Lane, Lang Antiques etc. ???
Click to expand...

That was frankly my logic. Why would she choose to sell items like this on eBay. Of the 32 items she has listed, 14 are rare Mikimoto strands. I know of practically no jeweler that has that much used Mikimoto. Most estate jewelers are lucky to have a strand or two and even then they will be common. This just doesn’t make sense to me.
 
Update, I did get an email back from the person at Mikimoto who signed the form and she said it was legit. I have so much suspicion for this seller though. I messaged her asking to tell me the provenance of her strands, I.e. is it a personal collection, consignment, etc. and she dodged the question saying she was too weak from her medications to remember it all. Then I asked about a particular strand and she said that she was too sick to remember how she ended up with it and offered it to me for 1,000 off. Very weird. All of it.
 
I also found it interesting that she has a "garden business" selling rare-ish plants, and makes no mention of illness on those posts. I understand someone needing to urgently raise money, but someone sophisticated and knowledgeable to have acquired this collection would have better ways to dispose of it if needed ?
 
CathyKeshi said:
I also found it interesting that she has a "garden business" selling rare-ish plants, and makes no mention of illness on those posts. I understand someone needing to urgently raise money, but someone sophisticated and knowledgeable to have acquired this collection would have better ways to dispose of it if needed ?
Click to expand...

I didn’t even notice that! Good sleuthing!
 
Pearl Dreams said:
Trust your gut here.
Click to expand...

I found this too, on another listing that is supposed to be for a 37” miki strand. These do not seem to be well matched enough at all, and there is a visible pimple on one of the pearls. Impossible that such quality would pass even for A1. 64743A23-ACDA-4177-86A0-63D725935CB0.jpg
 
I really don't know; and am far from a Miki expert. There are others here who know far more than I. It is possible this poor lady is really ill, not thinking clearly, and desperate; I just don't know. For me, that's the point, I just don't know and too much risk for me. Certainly others may judge their risk differently :)
 
CathyKeshi said:
I really don't know; and am far from a Miki expert. There are others here who know far more than I. It is possible this poor lady is really ill, not thinking clearly, and desperate; I just don't know. For me, that's the point, I just don't know and too much risk for me. Certainly others may judge their risk differently :)
Click to expand...

Agree with you, Cathy.
 
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