Haven't bought, yet...

[OmegaGrey]

I've been looking at these two strands of pearls but I'm not sure if they're worth it. Eventually, I'd like to turn around and resell these if they're not what my girlfriend wants. Can anyone help me with possible pricing on either of these (both are supposedly South Sea)? Thank you.

 

[pattye]

Welcome, OmegaGrey,

Lots to discuss here! Can you give us a better photo of the dark pearls? What are the sizes of the necklaces? The white pearls show nice luster, but cannot tell much else from the photos, regarding blemishes, or anything about the dark pearls.

Most (yes, I said most) women I know would love to receive either or both of these necklaces as a gift. I'm guessing that the price for these are in the 4 figure range. Are they graded? Where are you purchasing these from, a wholesaler, a store? Are you buying online or in person? Have you any knowledge or experience with pearls before? Are the dark pearls Tahitians?

No matter what you are being told by a salesperson, it will be difficult for you to recover 100% of your investment, much less make a profit on these, no matter how beautiful, more likely less than 50%.

I hope you will share much more background information with us.

 

[pearlescence]

Looking at your photos, the blacks look like over dyed freshwaters - they are too dark and too uniformly dark - nearly black - in colour - and therefore the whites are also suspect and could be some of the freshwaters which look like white SS which I've had in stock since last sept..these A necklace of these comes in at under ?500. While the photos aren't clear enough to give a definitive answer they are enough to say you need to be wary.
And pearls seldom hold a good re-sale value. Better to plump for a seller who will allow a return if your gf doesn't like'em

 

[GemGeek]

Welcome, OmegaGrey,

Lots to discuss here! Can you give us a better photo of the dark pearls? What are the sizes of the necklaces? The white pearls show nice luster, but cannot tell much else from the photos, regarding blemishes, or anything about the dark pearls.

Most (yes, I said most) women I know would love to receive either or both of these necklaces as a gift. I'm guessing that the price for these are in the 4 figure range. Are they graded? Where are you purchasing these from, a wholesaler, a store? Are you buying online or in person? Have you any knowledge or experience with pearls before? Are the dark pearls Tahitians?

No matter what you are being told by a salesperson, it will be difficult for you to recover 100% of your investment, much less make a profit on these, no matter how beautiful, more likely less than 50%.

I hope you will share much more background information with us.

Pattye is right about reselling the pearls - it's not likely that you would get your money back and more likely that you would be stuck with them. You shouldn't buy either of these if the seller won't let you return them for a cash refund. Better photos would be a great starting point. Try using the macro setting on your camera. Please give us some details, and provide the asking price.

 

[Caitlin]

Maybe it is the photo or my eyes, but they both look off-round enough to be freshwaters. How large are they? If large enough (over 12mm), Pattye's price would be correct for retail, but not the best price you could do.

 

[OmegaGrey]

Not sure what happened to my response but I'll try it again...

Thank you all for looking, here's some close-up photos:



"I'm guessing that the price for these are in the 4 figure range." - Black approx. $1100, white approx. $2100
"Are they graded?" - I forgot to ask
"Where are you purchasing these from, a wholesaler, a store? Are you buying online or in person?" - Vendor that my colleagues and I have purchased from before.
"Have you any knowledge or experience with pearls before?" - Just buying lower quality pearls...nothing in this price range.
"Are the dark pearls Tahitians?" - Should not be.

 

[Caitlin]

They still look like freshwaters. For the white, I'd buy Wendy's. Look at that luster! As for the black, it is dead. Even dyed freshwater black can be very beautiful, complex and exciting, but those are not.

 

[pearlescence]

Haha , thanks caitlin. Those whites are fabulous indeed and I suspect that they are what those whites are (maybe the ones left in the bag after I had picked my strands!)
|One way to tell, OmegaGrey, is to look at any flaws..both south sea white and tahitian flaws tend to look like the mark left when a stone is dropped into gloopy mud, if you can visualise that, a sort of acne scar effect, a pit with a ring around it. Now I have never seen this flaw on freshwater pearls so taht would be diagnostic. The faint marks I think I see on the black pearls are freshwater flaws. You need maybe to go into a bricks and mortar shop and look at some SS, then you will get the difference
those blacks are just over dyed and I simply wouldn't buy them. even though they do have some lustre. They look pretty dead. If they are being sold as freshwaters ('not tahtians) then they are very too expensive.
I'd be very careful. You may have two freshwater strands in which case those prices are much too high, and you have a seller who may have been misled himself but who may be misleading you in turn.
I may of course be completely wrong since this is from photos

 

[Ramona]

I agree with Caitlin and Karin, they look like freshwater.

 

[OmegaGrey]

Thank you all for the quick responses. I will heed the advice of all the experts on here and keep on walking Thank you once again!

 

[pattye]

For $3,000 you can purchase a pretty fabulous necklace (and probably earrings too, with choices from South Sea, Tahitian and natural color cultured freshwater pearls, perhaps get some input from GF, and full disclosure from a knowledgeable, reputable seller with good return policy..we wish you the best.......