My freshwater pearl drops from China!

[Sanippy]

Here are some comparison photos!

AAA keshi from Jac (with 2 AAA 8mm near rounds)



AAA and AA+ keshi from Jac with tiny keshi from Aloha (not graded)



First batch AA+ multicolour circleds from Jac (my favourite!):





AA+ peacock circled from Jac (rounder, slightly more blemished but lovely)





AA+ multicolour circleds (cheaper batch). I'm still getting to know these pearls - first reaction is that there are some lovely colours there, but also a couple that are duller than the rest. And I think they are more blemished than the other AA+ but I need to look at them more closely.





I also have to note that almost every drop I've purchased from Jac has been lovely. Super clean and lustrous, some have nicer colours than others but overall they have been lovely.







And here are my holy grail AA+ circled pearls from Jac! These are insanely colourful.

 

[Sanippy]

Hanadama, that's really interesting. It confirms that there is no standard grade for pearls yet. I'd like to see the pearls from Jac in person but it isn't possible. I've been eyeing the multi color strand of Jac but wonder if I shouldn't save up for a Kamoka or one Fijian pearl instead... I'm a color junkie lol.
P.S. my keshi strand from Manapearl is graded AA... FYI

Pareltje - Jac's multicolour strands look gorgeous, I think kalmen owns one. I like that you can see the exact strand you are ordering unlike most of his lots which are luck of the draw.

You really can't go wrong with one, single stunning Kamoka or Fiji pearl. I LOVE my kamokas, not only are the pearls beautiful but I love that they are sustainably grown. Also, Celeste puts a lot of thought into designing pieces, so each piece is truly a work of art.

 

[Pareltje]

kelluvpearls, I'd like to have a strand of Fiji keshi pearls or Kamoka pearls but that can only happen in my dreams lol.
Hanadama, thank you for your pictures and elaborate explanation. If I want some really colorful pearls then I have to go to Jacques unless I can find something here locally so that I don't have to pay the import tax (21% plus administrative costs of 35 Euros - with this amount I can spend on more pearls lol) The import tax is also why I hunt for rare colored pearls or rare sizes.
I also don't like lucky draw with my pearls that's why I go back and forth among several online vendors who photograph the strands individually. I've been quite lucky with Aloha, though. The pearls I got are not perfect but their blemish is limited and good for the price I paid. Your keshis from Jac are delicious!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Pareltje,
Do you have to pay the import tax for loose pearls also, or only finished jewelry?

If only for finished jewelry, you could order your strand and clasp unfinished from any of the vendors, and knot it yourself (really easy to do) or if you don't wish to do it yourself, have it strung locally.

 

[Pareltje]

Pareltje,
Do you have to pay the import tax for loose pearls also, or only finished jewelry?

If only for finished jewelry, you could order your strand and clasp unfinished from any of the vendors, and knot it yourself (really easy to do) or if you don't wish to do it yourself, have it strung locally.

Pearl Dreams, I have to pay tax for both loose pearls and finished jewelry.
I love knotting and stringing pearls - that's my hobby anyway.
The worse is when I buy loose unset gemstones. I know how to clear the Customs but the paperwork makes me feel miserable. So, I won't get my order without paying the tax first. Return is a big hassle therefore I make sure that all orders from abroad are the best products or anything that's not readily available here. Or, if the product plus tax still costs less than when I buy it locally in the shop.

 

[MSC]

Jacs pearls are gorgeous! I really like those tiny keshi from Aloha too, I may have to put those on my wishlist.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Pearl Dreams, I have to pay tax for both loose pearls and finished jewelry.
I love knotting and stringing pearls - that's my hobby anyway.
The worse is when I buy loose unset gemstones. I know how to clear the Customs but the paperwork makes me feel miserable. So, I won't get my order without paying the tax first. Return is a big hassle therefore I make sure that all orders from abroad are the best products or anything that's not readily available here. Or, if the product plus tax still costs less than when I buy it locally in the shop.

That does sound like a huge nuisance!

 

[BlackPearlDudeDC]

I'm glad others have had a better experience with Aloha. I have inquired a few times about different items and not ever heard back. I was particularly inquiring about smaller Tahitian Keshi (for a project) and the drilling lengthwise. (I found the answer here...thanks you all!)

Jac on the other hand is always responsive even if he is unable to accommodate a request at least he replies. All the things I've ever bought from Pearlhouse have been received with enthusiasm.

I am not trying to disparage anyone just share truthful experiences, but this thread was about Chinese Freshwater pearls. I ordered some lavender rice shapes from Wen a while back waiting to see if they are "Metallic". Truth be told I don't quite understand the "Golden Lavender" pictures, the descriptions don't help at all. I get the secondary overtone etc, but most pics I see are just bi-color.

 

[amti]

Pareltje, those look like really nice pearls from Aloha. Love that bold blue color on your earrings.

My biggest issue with buying pearls online is that I cannot choose which pearls I want. I think that holds true for all of us. Granted, there are a few pearls from Jac that I didn't think were the same quality as the rest of the batch, but what can I say? They are drilled and thus, cannot be returned. This is an issue with any online vendor where we cannot see what we are buying- sort of a leap of faith that the seller will pick the pearls that suit our needs best and give us what we are paying for. Jac's pearls are far nicer than Aloha's pearls, but his prices are also higher. He does have a better selection and I think a better eye in purchasing better pearls. He also had a buy one get one free sale and I bought in and loved the pearls he sent. They were the circled Ts I used in my garnet tin cup.... absolutely beautiful and changed my opinion of circled pearls. Very different quality than Aloha's b1g1free sale pearls. I've also had a few off centered pearls, but they did not bother me as much as the few that I got that were not of consistent quality as the others in the batch (my opinion). I'm no pearl specialist, so maybe I don't look at pearls the same way or perhaps what I consider a flaw is not that big an issue in the pearl world... no telling. I still order from Jac and he is a good person, and works hard. He's got a great product and a loyal following.

I've ordered from several online places and have feelings about each one of them, and of them, Aloha is towards the bottom. Their keshis do attract me though, so I may or may not try them again. I really do prefer small keshi to be of irregular sizes and bulky more than shaped like a grain. When I bought my keshi, those little bulky ones were all that Jac carried. If Aloha had gssp keshi shaped like that, I'd most likely give them a try. I do think they are upgrading their quality.

B1G1 free sale circles from Jac

Pastels from Jac

Dark Mix, drops, and ovals from Jac

 

[amti]

I ordered some lavender rice shapes from Wen a while back waiting to see if they are "Metallic". Truth be told I don't quite understand the "Golden Lavender" pictures, the descriptions don't help at all. I get the secondary overtone etc, but most pics I see are just bi-color.

NPDDC, if you have any questions, always email Wen about them. Wen has been wonderful about getting back to me and answering questions. He/she will tell you which pearls are better quality and tell you if they carry a pearl you're looking for. The hardest part for me with Wen is trying to figure out quality since there are so many similar products. I thought I ordered some pearls that were good quality but when I got them and emailed Wen, he/she said to ask next time bc the pearls I selected were not the top line. I always make it a point to read the description too because he/she puts links to other similar products and will often say which is the best product. And if anyone knows if Wen is a male or female, can you let me know? I'd rather state he or she instead of he/she.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Wen is female.

 

[Katbran]

It is a bit hit and miss no matter who you buy from. I've got some loose expensive ones from Kamoka that are nice but not amazing - basically shiny grey but not super shiny.

I've had great pearls from Jac but the last batch..not so much. I also tried the 2 for 1 batch and they were fairly ordinary so I won't do that again - I'm pleased to hear that you were happy with yours. Maybe I came in at the end of the batch and the ones that were left were a bit blah. And my 11mm earring pair are ok but nothing special which was a bit disappointing given they were not cheap- I should have asked for individual photos. His nicer AA+ and AAA loose pearls have been very pretty and I'd probably be happy to try that again.

Had a couple of lovely Tahitian drops from C Erhet - photos were a bit more colourful that RL but we've all heard that tune before lol Photos v Real Life ..

My Wen white button earring pairs were both very nice..nice shaped buttons and lovely luster but the Grey ones...bit blah.

So you never know. Like many others here it's hard to order on line from photos when returning something is expensive and the whole process time consuming. Much easier to do if one is in America or at least the same country as the seller.

 

[amti]

Wen is female.

I always thought that too, but realized that the photo was probably a photo of a model, and not Wen. But in my mind, I also think Wen is female.

 

[Pareltje]

Pareltje, those look like really nice pearls from Aloha. Love that bold blue color on your earrings.

My biggest issue with buying pearls online is that I cannot choose which pearls I want. I think that holds true for all of us. Granted, there are a few pearls from Jac that I didn't think were the same quality as the rest of the batch, but what can I say? They are drilled and thus, cannot be returned. This is an issue with any online vendor where we cannot see what we are buying- sort of a leap of faith that the seller will pick the pearls that suit our needs best and give us what we are paying for. Jac's pearls are far nicer than Aloha's pearls, but his prices are also higher. He does have a better selection and I think a better eye in purchasing better pearls. He also had a buy one get one free sale and I bought in and loved the pearls he sent. They were the circled Ts I used in my garnet tin cup.... absolutely beautiful and changed my opinion of circled pearls. Very different quality than Aloha's b1g1free sale pearls. I've also had a few off centered pearls, but they did not bother me as much as the few that I got that were not of consistent quality as the others in the batch (my opinion). I'm no pearl specialist, so maybe I don't look at pearls the same way or perhaps what I consider a flaw is not that big an issue in the pearl world... no telling. I still order from Jac and he is a good person, and works hard. He's got a great product and a loyal following.

I've ordered from several online places and have feelings about each one of them, and of them, Aloha is towards the bottom. Their keshis do attract me though, so I may or may not try them again. I really do prefer small keshi to be of irregular sizes and bulky more than shaped like a grain. When I bought my keshi, those little bulky ones were all that Jac carried. If Aloha had gssp keshi shaped like that, I'd most likely give them a try. I do think they are upgrading their quality.

B1G1 free sale circles from Jac
View attachment 45087
Pastels from Jac
View attachment 45088
Dark Mix, drops, and ovals from Jac
View attachment 45089

Amti, I love your tin cup, the colors really pop there. I agree that buying pearls online, especially if the pearls are not photographed individually, is a lucky draw. You don't know what you'll get till the pearls arrive. I'm also aware of picture enhancement practice. Generally when I buy pearls on Etsy, I make sure I choose most recently listed items this has helped me get better quality.
Wen is female. I'm pretty sure Wen uses her own photo because it's a common practice in China to have a picture taken in a studio with make up etc

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I always thought that too, but realized that the photo was probably a photo of a model, and not Wen. But in my mind, I also think Wen is female.

Yeah, the photo is probably of a model but she states she is female in her profile.

 

[newberry]

I hesitate to post this and I know others have had a good experience with Jac but me not so much. I was interested in a matched pair for earrings. The color was exactly what I wanted. I asked for pictures knowing his return policy. He didn't really want to be bothered. When I finally got the pictures I understand why. There was to many pock marks for earrings because there was not even a clean side. In the pictures on the website none of the marks showed. I would have been disappointed if I had seen those pearls on a necklace. If I would have bought them and had them drilled I would have been very very upset.

 

[Purranha]

I hesitate to post this and I know others have had a good experience with Jac but me not so much. I was interested in a matched pair for earrings. The color was exactly what I wanted. I asked for pictures knowing his return policy. He didn't really want to be bothered. When I finally got the pictures I understand why. There was to many pock marks for earrings because there was not even a clean side. In the pictures on the website none of the marks showed. I would have been disappointed if I had seen those pearls on a necklace. If I would have bought them and had them drilled I would have been very very upset.

Thank you for sharing your experience Newberry! While the pearls I received from Jac were clean and colorful, the off-center drillings really killed me. And it is all thanks to your inspiration that they have been remade into my Winter Bloom flower tin-cup and no longer sitting neglected and resented in a drawer!

 

[newberry]

Thanks for your support Purr. I was saddened to hear of your off center drilling. That's on him and yet you had no recourse and was stuck. I'm glad you found a way to use those pearls and your necklace really turned out to be something wonderful. In the end you made lemonade out of your lemons and yet not what you intended when you bought them.

 

[Katbran]

Newberry - you were much wiser than I was when it came to the earring pearls. I should have asked for a photo.

Almost everything that has come from the AAA AA+ loose pearls has been great and luckily I didn't have any drill hole issues like Purr. And Purr , that was a great way to use those pearls ..they were destined to become a fabulous Purr creation and not just an ordinary necklace !

Amti and Hanadama , your grouped loose pearl photos look great , I'd be happy with any of those lots. And the Keshi ..omg this tiny ones are so cute ! And Josh' Keshi look gorgeous !

Those colourful drops - beautiful !

 

[perlas]

Hanadama, my favorite among your keshis are the small white ones. I find white Tahitians appealing.