First PearlParadise order

[salem]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to crow about my new neckalce. I ordered the 7-8mm CFWP dyed black from PP. First off, I have to say I love the necklace. It arrived this morning and I put it on with my pj's. I have to say, even the pj's looked spiffed up with them on. lol I compared them with my Akoyas, and they compared pretty favorably, esp considering the price. The one thing I hadn't thought much of was size appearance. While it seems obvious now, I didn't realize the importance of color in terms of size. My Akoyas, and other CFWPs(but to a lesser extent) seem much larger. When I compared them side by side, they seemed much closer in size(although the Akoyas are a bit larger). I guess the whites just seem to radiate a larger appearance. Of course, I knew black in clothing is slimming, but hadn't considered it in pearls.

The colors are just gorgeous. I feel a little sad the dyed CFWP don't really show orient, but the luster is fantastic. Even at arms length I could see my reflection. I wore them today and was hoping for some response from my students, but, living in Japan, people don't comment too much about your personal appearance. But I felt wonderful having them on.

Now there was a big disappointment. I didn't get the dvd everyone has been raving about. Is PP out of them? Stopped sending them out? Don't send to Asia because of dvd player differences? I do have a region-free player and my computer plays region 1 dvds. So Jeremy, if you have any kicking around I would love to see it.

And here is my main reason for posting a new thread. Jeremy, there was some confusion with Fedex. They opened the box at customs and were confused about the difference in price between the declared value and the appraisal. I had to explain what appraisal meant(was kinda shocked they didn't already know) and send them a copy of my emailed receipt to confirm payment amount. Everything worked out fine, but if I wasn't home they would have held up my package. It might be something to post in the International shipping area, just as an FYI.

The odd thing about it was while they opened the box to check the appraisal, they DIDN'T unwrap the actual box of pearls. Maybe they x-rayed them to check inside? So while the Fedex box mangled and taped back together, the PP box was in pristine condition.

Oh, and as a cute aside, I had called PP to place my order(even though I eventually placed it online). I waited until they opened which was 2am here. I was pretty tired at the time, but managed to eek out that I had learned a lot about PP from this site. So on top of my order sheet was hand written "Pearl-Guide member". It made me smile to think they remembered my call and looked up my internet order. I felt more looked after. I will be ordering again soon. Hmm, wonder what March's special will be.

 

[pattye]

Hello Salem,

I didn't get DVD with any of my PP orders, I think it was something done by special request, and don't know if they still have. Glad to hear you are pleased with your purchase, I am also!

Pattye

 

[jshepherd]

I am glad you liked your pearls, and I am sorry that the DVD was not included. We are actually down to our last case of them, so we have only been sending them with orders when people request. If you would like a copy, however, please drop me a line. I will send one right out to you (and anyone else for that matter). We have not run another production because we are working on a concept for a second documentary now, and will likely start filming this Spring. The next run of DVD's will then likely be a 2-pack.

The size difference that you notice is a trick of the black pearl (sounds like another movie, eh?). Black pearls will always look smaller than white pearls. This is an issue we deal with almost every day when we create Pelosi strands. Light to dark is a big graduation, and dark to light is a reverse graduation. If you can coordinate that riddle in your mind when using whites, blacks, and golds, you can see the difficulty!

 

[Bodecia]

Hi Jeremy,

What is your DVD about???

Bodecia

 

[salem]

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the reply. I would love a copy of the dvd. Should I send my address to you as a private message, or just give you my order number? I love learning about pearls and you dvd seemed to get a lot of favorable feedback.
I hadn't thought of the multi-colored Pelosi strands. Yeah, I imagine that must be tough. So even though the pearls are graduated, they appear to be the same size. Fascinating, thanks for that tidbit! Last night I kept my husband awake comparing different strands with him. I think I lost his interest well before five minutes passed, but he humored me. Maybe I shouldn't have waited until he was going to sleep.

With the new dvd, will you be showing pearl stringing? I had read several requests from beaders who wanted to see it. I think it would be a interesting idea too.

Anyway, looking forward to the dvd. Let me know the most convienant way to get my address to you. I sent a few emails through your website, but never got a response. So I am not sure if I have a filter problem or what.

Jennifer

 

[jshepherd]

Here is a link to the first documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmC_kxvS334

Here is a short stringing video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O12P1OaMCe8

Just drop me a note with either your address or order number.

 

[salem]

HI Jeremy,

I sent you a note with my order number. Thanks again. Also wanted to let you know I got my first compliment on them today(from someone other than my husband). It was the mother of one of my students. She really loved it. She said I seemed "dressed up" today, although the only real difference today was the pearls. I usually wear some kind of necklace when I go to that lesson, but never a comment before. In fact, it went beyond just the one comment.

Considering the price of everything here in Japan, how big of a customer base do you have here? I saw on your site you have Japanese assistance available, but you may want to consider a Japanese webpage. I know far more Japanese women with pearls opposed to Americans. Not to imply Americans don't love pearls, I just see them more often here.

 

[jshepherd]

I am glad to hear about all your compliments!

Believe it or not we did once have a page in Japanese. But it caused a lot of errors on US based browsers. We finally decided to just pull the page quite a few years back.

Truth be told, there is not much of an online market in Japan for pearls. The vast majority of our customers from Japan are Westerners. Most Japanese pearl consumers have a strong nationalistic tie to the Japanese Akoya pearl, and very few buy outside of the country. I know that there is a very large local market, but even the freshwater are still marketed by Japanese pearl companies in Japan (and often still sold as Biwa at a premium).

We have had some success, however, in the natural pearl business in Japan - albeit recently. This is an area we may explore a little more deeply for the time being. When the Japanese Akoya industry finally does crash, and no more production is taking place, we will probably consider giving it another try with the cultured.

 

[sweetfrock]

Hi Salem, I'm so happy to know that you are enjoying your order. And your student's mother's compliment was so sweet! Pearls really make a difference to one's appearance. Just to let you know, I received my order today. The white freshadamas are really beautiful, I've never seen pearls with such "depth" like these? I think in pearl terms I would be referring to water... please pardon my ignorance. They are really unlike any pearls I've seen in the jewellery shops... I'd been scouring the jewellery stores around my workplace; my office is located smack in the heart of the shopping district here. Nothing as luminous... and clear. I think I can almost see right through the nacre? Wow, wow and wow! I was so excited when the FedEx delivery called me on my mobile; there was an error in the address printed on the receipt so they called me up to check. I was beside myself when I opened the box to take a look...

Unfortunately my colleagues who saw the pearls didn't have much to say about them.

I did notice scratches (not blemishes) on a couple of the pearls. Did you see any on yours?

And just as youngster said, the size is just perfect. But when it comes to the black CFWP, having read your experience, I'll remember to go one size up. Your description is making me itch more... fortunately it's out of stock at the moment...

Do you think it's a good idea to get a bigger pair of earrings for days when I would like accessorize with pearl earrings only? Would appreciate anyone's opinion on this.

Thanks PearlParadise for the swift despatch of my parcel... I was expecting to receive it next week. And thanks for making such beautiful pearls affordable. Thank you.

 

[salem]

Hi Sweetfrock,

I am so glad you liked your freshadamas. I will have to pick up a strand soon. As far as the black CFWP goes, I actually like the size. Once I had them on they looked wonderful. I wanted something more casual and these do it for me. I got yet another compliment today, this woman even remarked on the various colors. She loved the green in them. If I get a larger set of black pearls, I will go with baroque Tahitians I think.

As far as the scratching goes, I haven't seen anything like that. If it is scratching and not a blemish, you should drop a line to Jeremy Shepard, just in case he doesn't check back on this thread. I am sure he would want to know if there was something wrong with your strand. Natural blemishes are fine, but if it looks scratched by some metal or some other problem it doesn't sound like a Freshadama to me. I didn't notice any scratches on mine, and I looked them over pretty throughly. Did you have to pay much in customs? If not, and it bothers you, you can always exchange them for another strand.

 

[sweetfrock]

Hi Salem, it was niggling me so I took a few pictures of the pearls for some opinions. I've posted it in my earlier thread.

I didn't have to pay customs, did you have to pay a lot for it in Japan? Customs here didn't open the box and the FedEx box arrived in good condition.

 

[salem]

Hi Sweetfrock,

I don't really know about the customs fee yet. From what the woman from Fedex said, I should get a bill this week or next. She said it would be about $20, so not too much. But I think because of that I need to be careful what I order. While PP does have a great return policy, I would still have to pay customs each time. (I am sure I wouldn't return them for money back, but as an exchange ) After reading Jeremy's post, I am sure they were opened because they were pearls. I bought a nice watch from Europe for my husband, and that got though customs intact. As long as the pearl box was fine, I don't mind at all.

Jeremy, I am really saddened about your experince with the Japanese. Although, it is hardly surprising. Japanese people seem to hate shopping online(compared to Americans at least) and they really buy into the whole brand name imaging. My city is fairly small, about 200,000 or so and rather rural,but I see Louis Vuitton bags everywhere(even girls in elementary school!!) The funny thing is though, since the mystique is so important here, people who can't afford it buy fakes in Korea. That just cracks me up.

 

[jshepherd]

Yes, brand is so important in Japan. But so is 'Made in Japan'. I have a lot of history with the country - I lived there for some time. I thought selling pearls there would be a natural fit. But selling pearls, online, from another country... it did not go over well. But I still do a very large amount of business with Japan, but it is nearly 100% on the buying side in Kobe.