Luster on photo under the daylight

[Lili4ka]

Hello everyone,

Looking to buy a pair of white SSP for my jewelry project online. Half drilled 12mm. A seller named crystal-pearl from China offered me these:

I asked for photos under a daylight. How do you find the luster of these?
Quoted $135 for these.

Thank you!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

This eBay seller has so many red flags! Apart from their very concerning negative feedback, they falsely list obviously freshwater pearls as Tahitian, South Sea, Golden South Sea and Akoya. I'd steer clear of this seller entirely.

 

[jshepherd]

If you're referring to this seller, Pearl Dreams is correct. The auctions are filled with Chinese freshwater pearls being offered as South Sea, and the price point offered is not feasible for the real deal.

 

[pearlescence]

I strongly suspect every pearl in that shop is freshwater. Loved the square akoya! The gold are undoubtedly dyed Edisons or unbranded bead nuked (but let's be honest, Edison/Grace is churning out thousands of strands of dyed faked up south sea, tahitians and akoya)

 

[Lili4ka]

The pearls in the attached photos, are they freshwater as well?

 

[jshepherd]

They don't immediately strike me as freshwater from the photo, but the quote doesn't make sense for what appears to be round and clean.

The September Atlas South Sea auction had a 12 mm clean round lot that sold for $1269 per pearl. The least expensive clean 12 mm lot sold for $934 per pearl. One lot of their 12 mm B2 rounds (not what one would use for earrings) sold for $234 per pearl. This was before the Paspaley auction where prices jumped again.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

In my early buying days I purchased what were advertised as "Tahitian" and "South Sea"...like warned above the price was too good to be true, and what I received was clearly dyed freshwaters. They know there's no way you'll send them back to China. Be sure to use reputable sellers on EBay...there are some, and what they sell is consistent with @jsheperd pricing chart. I like aus-pearl out of Hong Kong. Prices are good, shipping is excellent, and everything I've received from them is authentic.

 

[Lili4ka]

Thanks MotherOfPearlTrumpet! I wrote them, and one more seller as well.

 

[Marianne]

They don't immediately strike me as freshwater from the photo, but the quote doesn't make sense for what appears to be round and clean.

The September Atlas South Sea auction had a 12 mm clean round lot that sold for $1269 per pearl. The least expensive clean 12 mm lot sold for $934 per pearl. One lot of their 12 mm B2 rounds (not what one would use for earrings) sold for $234 per pearl. This was before the Paspaley auction where prices jumped again.

View attachment 467768

View attachment 467769

Remember the research project you and Blaire did on buying pearls off eBay? What you see (in photos and descriptions) is not always what you get...

 

[Pearl Dreams]

True. The item sent is not necessarily the one in the photo.

 

[KarinK]

You might want to check with a seller like Cees, om Instagram, who is known here, has a good reputation and ships out of both the EU and US.

 

[Lili4ka]

Be sure to use reputable sellers on EBay...there are some, and what they sell is consistent with @jsheperd pricing chart. I like aus-pearl out of Hong Kong. Prices are good, shipping is excellent, and everything I've received from them is authentic.

They quoted me for a pair of 11.4mm round shape, slight imperfections, high lustre, price is AUD $2300.
If this is a good price, then I don't want such pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I second the suggestion for Cees Van Oije (on Instagram). I bought my golden SSP from him.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

They quoted me for a pair of 11.4mm round shape, slight imperfections, high lustre, price is AUD $2300.
If this is a good price, then I don't want such pearls.

South Sea pearls with the quality consistent for earrings are VERY expensive-even from aus-pearl. That's because you are getting REAL South Sea (SS) pearls!
Another way to secure some might be to watch for "Estate" pearls in the South Sea category. I have found some vintage South Sea's at reasonable prices here and there over the years, but usually it's because the seller isn't aware of their value. This type of seller will be someone from the family/estate, not a jewelry or pawn seller-they typically know what they have (but not always). Buying used is tricky but if you know what you're looking for you can find some incredible deals! With the "Pearls As One" course knowledge, the expertise from this forum, as well as knowing that the item you are receiving is the one pictured (ALWAYS confirm this by EBay message), plus being willing to take a risk (also buying from "US Only" on the filter) if you're patient, you can find some nice deals. There are also some sellers on Etsy selling lesser quality SS pearls for earrings, you'd just need to buy the gold findings and glue them yourself (which isn't difficult) or take them to a jeweler. These are some options if you really want a nice set of SS stud earrings at a less-than-market price.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I second the suggestion for Cees Van Oije (on Instagram). I bought my golden SSP from him.

What do these pearls run? I've never purchased from Cees... Does he sell white South Sea?

 

[Lili4ka]

The 'Pearls As One' course has lots of interesting information. Yes I took it, many thanks to the creators.
At the same time, I personally find this forum to be way more useful than any course

There are also some sellers on Etsy selling lesser quality SS pearls for earrings, you'd just need to buy the gold findings and glue them yourself (which isn't difficult) or take them to a jeweler.

Not sure I understand this....to glue yourself what?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

What do these pearls run? I've never purchased from Cees... Does he sell white South Sea?

I bought from him before he was selling through Instagram, and I don't have an Instagram account. If you see something you like on his Insta page, DM him (the prices are not listed on the page).

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The 'Pearls As One' course has lots of interesting information. Yes I took it, many thanks to the creators.
At the same time, I personally find this forum to be way more useful than any course



Not sure I understand this....to glue yourself what?

She meant that you would buy the pearls half-drilled (or have them drilled) and then glue the findings into the pearls yourself. In other words, you would have to set them.

 

[jshepherd]

Remember the research project you and Blaire did on buying pearls off eBay? What you see (in photos and descriptions) is not always what you get...

This one? She included a quote from me at the end, but the research was all Blaire

Is eBay Fraud and Misrepresentation Eroding the Reputation and Value of Saltwater Pearls

Is eBay Fraud and Misrepresentation Eroding the Reputation and Value of Saltwater Pearls China has a lot of freshwater cultured pearls that need to be sold and eBay is a great venue for sellers to display their wares. Unfortunately, over time, many sellers have gravitated to using unscrupulous...

www.pearl-guide.com

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I was looking for that piece by Blaire not long ago, Jeremy! But I was searching for it in Pearl Education and couldn't find it; I thought maybe it was lost when we migrated to the new platform