Natural or Cultured, I am so confused :(

[Luli]

I'm sure the answers are already here but I've spent a bit of time browsing and the information is overwhelming. I hope my questions aren't too dumb.

I decided to purchase my first set of pearls last month and thought I wanted something more organic. It's what I'm drawn to in life and wanted the same.

So I bought some earrings that I was told were natural. They are white fresh water. They have many visible marks and dents on them and they don't match very well, but I kind of expected them to not be perfect because they're natural but the certificate is confusing me. It says the pearls are 100% natural but also says they are cultured in another place and from a farm in another and that they have not been treated in any way.

Did I not buy natural pearls? Did I get duped?

 

[jshepherd]

You did not buy natural pearls. You bought cultured pearls and that isn't a bad thing - all pearls on the general consumer market are cultured pearls. It's been that way for nearly 100 years.

I wouldn't say you got duped necessarily, it's much more likely the jeweler that made your certificate is not a pearl expert/specialist. Using terms like "100% natural" and describing white freshwater as being untreated is very wrong and actually illegal in the US. The pearls are not natural and they have been treated.

If you aren't happy with the quality, print out a few pages from this site that show the seller they are wrong about the pearls being natural and untreated and see if you can get a refund. You do want cultured, not natural, but you don't have to settle for marks and dents.

More reading/printing:

Pearl Treatments

Pearl Treatments Defined Pearl treatments are defined as any action other than polishing which alters a pearl's appearance which may include: irradiation bleaching heating filling waxing drilling cutting faceting and working Pearl Treatments just after Harvesting After harvest, most pearls...

www.pearl-guide.com

Freshwater Pearls vs Cultured Pearls

Am I Getting Freshwater or Cultured Pearls? A common question faced by many pearl buyers today is whether a particular strand of pearls is composed of freshwater or cultured pearls. This question cannot have a definitive answer because freshwater pearls are in fact cultured pearls. Freshwater...

www.pearl-guide.com

Natural Pearls

Natural Pearls Defined Natural pearls are calcium carbonate secretions which form within mollusks without human intervention. Natural Pearls Accidents of Nature Natural pearls are formed randomly and really are simple accidents of nature. When a certain type of irritant, such as a parasite...

www.pearl-guide.com

 

[Sea Urchin]

It might just be that there is a lot of confusion over the term "natural." "Natural" pearls, strictly speaking, are rare and often expensive. It means they were formed in the wild, with no intervention from humans, then found rather than farmed.

However, the term is commonly misused when what is really meant is "genuine" pearls, as opposed to artificial pearls.

Genuine pearls always need nature to assist of course, since they are grown inside oysters, mussels, or other creatures. But they are usually "cultured," meaning a human inserts a shell bead or bit of tissue into the oyster in the first place.

If you got duped or not, I think that depends on if the seller understood your intent and intended to deceive you or if it was just that common confusion.

We might be able to help you figure it out if you give more info, such as pictures of the pearls and certificate, price, or more details about the transaction.

P.S. Oops, I cross-posted with Jeremy. Luli, listen to him, he's the expert.

 

[Luli]

Thank you for such rapid responses.

So I begrudgingly accept natural pearls are not something I am going to be able to find easily, but how can you know that the pearls are treated? The company that sold me this pair does specialize in pearls. I will try to take a photo of the certificate but it states, "These pearls have never been dyed or treated in any way, shape or form."

 

[pearlescence]

If they are white freshwater they probably have been bleached. White is not a usual freshwater pearl colour. Can you post some photos of your earrings?
There are, unfortunately pearl specialist companies and then there are pearl specialist companies...one with a certificate worded as you quote sounds like one of the latter. But whether you have been duped or what depends to some extent on the pearls and metal you got and what you paid.
BTW it helps if you translate natural as wild pearls and cultured as farmed. They are confusing terms for the layperson and could do with being changed.

 

[jshepherd]

Treating freshwater pearls is the rule, not the exception. Only special, individual pearls will typically be pulled prior to any sort of processing. White freshwater pearls have been bleached and they have also been processed chemically and with heat to enhance their luster. This is universal. Methods vary from processor to processor but the processing doesn't. I've personally visited dozens of them in China and unless the harvest is something special (fireball harvest, Edison harvest, etc), the pearls go straight into processing after harvest. The farmers are not the processors either.

Every year we provide four kilos of unprocessed white (actually more cream than white) round and near-round pearls to a Buddhist Monastery. Getting those kilos is always a challenge because I am asking a processing factory to separate out round to near-round whites from a "raw material lot" as they call it in China. They only do it because we do a lot of regular business together. It's a favor.

So yes, your white pearls have been treated and if the company specializes in pearls I have a very hard time believing they are being anything but dishonest with you. The treatment of freshwater pearls is not specialized knowledge. It's common knowledge in this industry.

 

[Luli]

Now I feel duped and lied to. I will try to upload a pic of the certificate that I took with my Android. It is signed by whom I understand is the owner of the company.

 

[Luli]

I am trying again. Sorry if it doesn't work.

 

[Sea Urchin]

Leon. What a surprise. Not!

Sorry, Luli.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The Pearl Source.

Wow.

They have a 60 day money back guarantee stated on their website.

 

[jshepherd]

I am going to bow out of the conversation at this point. They know better.

 

[Sea Urchin]

Yes, the Pearl Source, or Laguna Pearls or Radiance Pearls, all of which he may or may not claim that he owns.

 

[pattye]

Wow! Thank you Luli, for showing the actual certificate. Very disappointing. Shame on Leon Rbibo. I hope you are able to easily return for a refund. Especially with earrings, you want better quality than you received.

Sea Urchin, I recall you had a terrible experience with Leon also?

 

[pkinnew]

Sorry to hear all this. I would return them for a refund immediately.

I had a less than stellar buying experience with Pearl Source so it's not a vendor I personally can recommend.

 

[Tucs]

I am sorry for you, Luli. I too have heard several negative things about this seller. This must be so disappointing. If you are within the 60 day period, you should get refund. The certificate seems deliberately misleading.

 

[Luli]

Thanks everyone for your help. The earrings are going back.

I emailed my boyfriend on break and told him to read this. He sent an email to the seller asking if their pearls were treated. The same individual who signed my certificate responded and said their pearls are 100% natural and have not been treated in any way. My bf pressed about bleaching and he got another response that was kind of a so what, everybody bleaches their pearls like Mikimoto and others.

As jshepard put it, he knows better. That is a low stoop just to make a buck. It's left me with a gross feeling.

 

[lisa c]

I'm very sorry for your disappointment.

I hope better things come along for you. There are beautiful cultured pearls around if you ever decide to branch away from wanting only Natural pearls.

 

[BAS]

Luli -- I am snorting and laughing out loud as I read this thread (do a search on Leon and The Pearl Source on this forum).

The good news is -- you've found a wonderful group of pearl enthusiasts and we welcome you with open arms! Ask us anything and we will reply with honesty and enthusiasm!

 

[KarinK]

Disapointing that a professional pearl dealer cannot seem to use the word 'natural' in the correct sense. In the certificate it is obviously meant to imply these are real pearls and not fake pearls as the word 'cultured' is used. I find it hard to see how this can be an excuse for selling poor quality pearls.

Don't feel too bad about it. Most of us ended up here because we were had. A pair of earrings that ought to be returnable is getting off lightly

- Karin

 

[Sea Urchin]

Luli -- I am snorting and laughing out loud as I read this thread (do a search on Leon and The Pearl Source on this forum)...

LOL! The Dick Dastardly of Pearl World!