Large Thai rounds

[Hanaleimom]

Flameballs look weird to me at first. I don't have any but they are growing on me depending on the strand and shapes. The last local gem show had some really ugly, dyed ones that turned me off. The colors and luster from that picture are making me drool.

 

[barbie biggs]

I confess the only flameballs I care for are the ones on Jeremy's site. They don't have big divits, or lots of black spots and such. They are pretty but I'd hate to pay so much for pearls with obvious blemishes.

Don't say it, I know, I'm horrible. And spoiled.

barbie

 

[pearlescence]

I agree, the colours and the lustre are great but flameballs are just about the only pearls I don't like at all

 

[boo]

Flameballs give me a squidgy feeling because of the dubious nature of the nuclei. On the other hand, I did enter into the latest PealParadise contest to win one, so I apparently don't have terribly strong feelings on the matter, just a vague unwillingness to spend money on them.

 

[Chameleon]

The Jeremy Shephard's pairs are just gorgeous! The colour of the pearls I started the thread about was maybe a little darker than the 1th pair from the left. Unfortunately, these are gone from the store. So I took pictures from few others of that type and large size. The pics are not good - out of focus and a lot of reflections from the glass (showcases all around). Still, I hope it gives an idea of how those pearls look.

By the way, they did fail the tooth test as I suspected (too smooth). I am far from being expert of pearls or imitations but these do look real good. And they are quite heavy. Can anybody say, if those scream imitation on pic, what gives them up (excluding size and origin)?

Maria

 

[pattye]

Hi Chameleon,

Well, they are a nice style and obviously very large--The beige pair is almost too shiny and too identical--even well matched pairs in person might have some slight difference in coloration, or the way they reflect light, or in their overtones. South Sea pearls in that that size and quality would be thousands. Perfectly matched round fw in that size and gem quality probably would exceed the asking price also! The full strands would no doubt show even more clearly the identical look of the imitation pearls.

There is nothing "wrong" except the misrepresentation of what they actually are, and maybe the price they are trying to charge.

Some women with very high end pearls own similar looking sets of faux or imitation pearls to use when they travel so as not to worry about loss or theft.

Just my thoughts-----

 

[Hanaleimom]

I confess the only flameballs I care for are the ones on Jeremy's site. They don't have big divits, or lots of black spots and such. They are pretty but I'd hate to pay so much for pearls with obvious blemishes.

Don't say it, I know, I'm horrible. And spoiled.

barbie

Barbie, you said it better than I did. What bothers me is the high price for pearls that resemble the moon's surface.

 

[Nerida]

Hi Maria,

Yes, they are imitation. Nice, and nicely set, but fake nonetheless.

Not only are the pairs just too identical within themselves, but to have several pairs of perfectly matched large pearls that are ALL THE SAME SIZE is definitely a screamer.

I vouch for Pattye's comments - I have a gorgeous friend who wears large Paspaley SS's at home who took some fakes from me to wear at Royal Ascot last year whilst travelling. Her trip was taking her to South Africa as well as London, and she wasn't going to risk going with her beautiful pearls and diamonds.

 

[akoya]

Flameballs give me a squidgy feeling because of the dubious nature of the nuclei. On the other hand, I did enter into the latest PealParadise contest to win one, so I apparently don't have terribly strong feelings on the matter, just a vague unwillingness to spend money on them.

Hi Boo,

Since I have a strand of flameballs could you expain what do you mean by" the dubious natute of the nuclei". I love them. So If you can add some more info I would appreciated it.

Akoya

 

[Chameleon]

I did check some web pages of the member vendors since I first posted to have better idea what such large cultured pearls should cost. The reasons I started doubting if they were real in the first place were their size, the cleanness and how well they were matched versus the price.
Now I thought if there was something about the luster, the light reflection that was saying they're fake. Got to keep reading on

Thank you Nerida, Pattye and others who helped me to figure out.

Off for vacation now

Maria

 

[jshepherd]

Large, lustrous and colorful is certainly possible, even with the tissue nukes.

Please, no calls or emails on this, especially this weekend! It is something we are working on, but have a long way to go yet.

 

[Mitsucats]

wow...what was made with these pearls Jeremy? They are just gorgeous!!! I would have loved a pair or earrings made with any of these!

 

[GemGeek]

That's a good thing, because those are cards for earring pairs. A necklace would be out of this world, though!!!