My Tahitians

[Cees]

I thought we had long forgotten about this fraudulent guy. I had a turquoise pearl from him where the nacra broke off.

 

[Katbran]

Well there you go... fake Turquoise. I didn't realise there had been another test done recently .. that changes everything.. used to be fake..still is fake. Why wouldn't you just own up to what it is ...

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

There could be several reasons. His patent may say they are using gemstones and after finding out gems can't be used ........ Or he figured he'd never get caught and went with what it looked like. You saw him in the video state they were Turquoise, that was not a mistatement on his part.

 

[jshepherd]

There was an article published a few years ago by Laurent Cartier of SSEF that detailed how it could work. If I recall correctly, a plastic or some other material nucleus is inserted first and a pearl is harvested after just six months or so. Then a gemstone can be inserted into the existing pearl sac and nacre will form around it.

I would think this is a lot more expensive and labor intensive, which may be why they've opted to use imitations. But since the imitation issue became known in industry circles, I've seen them promoting a batch of turquoise and amber nucleated pearls and specifically pointing out that they are real.

The FTC makes it pretty clear that this is backwards. Sellers are required to point out when gems are imitations. These imitation turquoise nucleated pearls have been on the market for more than a decade and I have never seen them described as imitations until just recently. I think there are thousands of them in consumers' hands who have no idea they are imitations.

 

[jshepherd]

This is the article I was referencing. It's from 2013. So if it's correct, they've known how to use real stones for a long time, and the conclusion of the article states that samples were tested. If that is also correct, it means they were successful a long time ago.

That would lead me to believe using imitations and not disclosing it was an intentional choice.

https://www.ssef.ch/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2013-Cartier-et-al-Galatea-pearl-gemstone-IGC-.pdf

Here is an article describing them when they debuted in 2007.

https://www.jckonline.com/magazine-article/black-pearls-have-gemstone-bead-nuclei/

 

[ennui]

Turquoise fraud is rampant -- even museums have been fooled, as well as high end retailers and manufacturers.
And then a lot of jewelers will use fake/reconstituted/block turquoise for consistency of color across their product line. I won't mention names.

I consider "turquoise" subject to the same abuse as Tahitian. "Tahitian black" is used a lot on eBay to describe a color, not an actual pearl. So, when someone says it's turquoise, they could just mean the color.

 

[Katbran]

I've always thought that when the name is capitalised Ruby Emerald Turquoise Onyx etc .. that it referred to the stone/gem.. that if it's written ruby emerald turquoise onyx then it refers to the colour.

 

[jshepherd]

There is typically a Galatea booth at the Hong Kong show but not this time. Instead, there was a company out of Japan with a couple of cases of Galatea "turquoise" pearls and advertisements on the walls around the booth about them.

I was near the booth so I stopped by and asked about them. They described inserting turquoise, growing the pearl, etc. I pointedly asked if the turquoise was natural or imitation and they assured me it was real, natural turquoise. I asked them if it were imitation and even told them I had heard it was imitation. The response was a sort of offended, "of course not," and "they never were."

That's in line with every other discussion I've ever had with anyone wholesaling these pearls at a show before, and I even carried and sold some of them years ago with no knowledge the turquoise was imitation.

I guess it isn't a big deal to everyone. Pearls.com is Imperial. They've known for two years and still sell them as RC Turquoise and gem e-nucleated pearls. They don't seem to care.

 

[BlackPearlDudeDC]

Oh Paula so sorry for the turn of the thread, still it is a lovely collection and I am glad you are happy with your piece, whatever the nucleus it is a pretty pendant. That octopus is causing me envy! I also agree Neck shots are owed to us all.

I am totally for consumer advocacy so the updates on the TCB/ "Turquoise Colored Bead" is important and thanks for those sharing the insight.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I've always thought that when the name is capitalised Ruby Emerald Turquoise Onyx etc .. that it referred to the stone/gem.. that if it's written ruby emerald turquoise onyx then it refers to the colour.

Using a stone name to describe the colour of some other stone is not good trade practice and misleading. It is usually done deliberately as well. Personally, I would not trust just a difference in capitalization to differenciate between real stuff and simulated.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Here you go, BWeaves. I’ve had this Galatea for several years, I think this type was one of the first he did, seems like most of them now have tiny diamonds “ imbedded” in the pearl and various other things going on with them. I prefer the simplicity of this one. Sometimes I wear it on a turquoise leather or silk cord , I actually prefer it like that than on the fine gold chain. The flaw you can see quite clearly in the photo is not noticeable IRL ( and evidently neither is the fact that it’s quite dirty .... LOL, I wear it a LOT!)

View attachment 62139

It is a lovely pendant and I can see why you wear it often. The blue compliments the colour of the pearl, which goes to show what a gamble this is. It wouldn't be as lovely if the pearl was greenish, for example.