Pacific Pearls International-Australia

[blustilang]

Anyone know anything about this company? All I can find appears on the up and up. I've searched this forum for it but could not find anything. Anyone have any experience with them?
Thanks and kind regards,
Tom

 

[Caitlin]

I couldn't find any info on them except one cover sheet on eBay that showed your typical Chinese-made import pearl stuff. Even the copy sounded like Chinese translated into English. Nothing I clicked on got through.

What makes you think they are on the up and up? What makes them different than any other outlet for Chinese manufactured pearl jewelry?

 

[blustilang]

Thanks, Caitlin. Your questions have made me realize that I was "barking up the wrong tree", so to speak!

So, what I need is a recommendation on where to purchase a pair of earrings-White South Sea, 11-12mm, round stud, 14k-18k gold. I would like AAA grade, of course with a deep lustre and very clean set surface, etc, etc.
Do you folks think Pearl Paradise in CA would be a good source? Sharing any experience you may have had with them would be most helpful, as well as a name at the company that I could speak with.
Additionally, other recommendations would be welcomed.
Thanks to all,
Tom

 

[Caitlin]

Well, this website is co-owned by the owner of Pearl Paradise, Jeremy Shepherd, whom I find to be a rising star in the pearl world. He has good stuff at good prices and I love to window shop his pearls before going to other sites, to get a baseline for price. He does have some lovely SS pearls, so if you like the setting and the price, go no further.

If you don't see the style you want, or you want something from a boutique pearl store, we have a lot of those sellers here too, all of whom are entirely independent from the ownership of this site. I also like to Google pearl rings in the images section and look for the style I like best then go to that seller and make sure they have good return policies, etc before you buy. a BBB sticker is a good thing on a site as well as allowing sales through PayPal which makes it a snap to get your money back from a seller who is otherwise reluctant.

If you find something you want on a website not mentioned here, you can ask us to review the site for you, for such things as the BBB membership and good return policies -as well as the quality of the pearls for the price.

I know most of the staff at PP. Whoever answers the phone has a pearls certificate from the GIA, so just call.

 

[pearlescence]

Hi
Where are you?

 

[pearlescence]

Hi Caitlin
Can I just remind you that there is no such thing as te BBB here in the UK? (and probably elsewhere in the world too)

 

[Amanda]

What is BBB anyway?

 

[GemGeek]

Better Business Bureau.

 

[Caitlin]

Maybe England doesn't need one. They seem to be very strict, so that provides some buyer protection.

Sorry for being ethnocentric, but it does hold true for the US, which has a lot of pearl dealers without a shopper having to import.
Unless someone specifies where they are, I relate as though they are in the US -as most members are- even with the hefty number of members in other countries.

 

[blustilang]

I am in the US--NC to be specific.

In my search for the earings I mentioned, I began my trying to educate myself since I am a total neophyte when it comes to pearls. This site has been invaluable in that education. I then visited with 4 high end, brick and morter, retail jewelry stores in my area and came down with a bad case of "sticker shock"! For instance, I looked at a pair of 9mm white SS, 18k gold, round studs, graded AAA, supplied to this retailer by Pascal and priced at $2,250. Gorgeous pearls for sure, but the size did not work for me as I need 11mm, and while my jeweler told me he could certainly get me the 11mm size (from Pascal), I was certain if the 9mm's price shocked me, the 11mm price would kill me!
So, long story short, I am very grateful for this site and the assistance it has provided me. I will be on the phone today with the folks from PP.

If anyone would care to take the time here, I would be curious to know from an insider's view, just how the pearl jewelry industry works-specifically as it pertains to SS pearls, and including the steps from the pearl farm to the brick and morter retailer. Is there really any difference in a SS pearl from Mikimoto vs Pascal vs Paspaley etc or are all these suppliers basically buying from the same farms? I guess my questions really center around "How much is the brand worth"? How consistent can I expect the grading to be from reputable suppliers such as these and others?

Again, I am most appreciative of all the help here.
Regards,
Tom

 

[perlinda]

$2,250 for 9mm SSP stud earrings?? Good thing you found this forum!

 

[pattye]

B&M stores often use "triple net" mark up, probably buying already finished pieces, which means the retail price is 3x the price the supplier was paid. And of course the pearls are marked up with each pass from farm to retailer. That's why there is such a savings by buying online from a place like PP; Jeremy buys loose pearls in volume at the source, controls production of the final products; has a deep understanding of every step of the pearl business.

 

[Caitlin]

I believe Mikimoto buys their SS. The difference in the Mikimoto price is due to the costs of branding. Paspaley is like Miki,but for South Sea pearls, a huge overinflated brand name, fit for the leisured class. Both above brands have snob appeal and that is what you pay for, beyond the price non-branded pearls can sell for.

Just about everyone except Paspaley and Jewelmer buys Pinctada maxima (south sea) pearls on the open market. Jewelmer in the Philippines is a similar vertical organization, and, like Paspaley, sell their unbranded pearls on the open market.

It is these unbranded pearls, as well as those from all other sources, that the online sellers buy directly, then sell online with fewer markups than a B&M store.

A B&M typically buys from a wholesaler who typically buys from the major importers at American trade shows. That is several more mark ups than the people like Jeremy who go to the major sales in Hong Kong, or wherever they are held, and buy large amounts at the best prices possible.

I think Jeremy goes to the big auctions and sales and buys large amounts for a retailer (of course, there are some huge corporations that sell on tv, who buy the largest amounts, so keep it in perspective) so he can do far better than most retailers could dream of.

 

[Honey_and_Lemon]

The way it works is that people are either sold at auctions or on contract to wholesalers or processors, who will then make up strands or other jewelery for retailers to sell to the public. Most B&M jewelers buy their goods from folks like Imperial Deltah, Mastoloni, Stuller, Pacific Pearls etc, so there are roughly 2+ layers of markup. It makes sense because B&M jewelers want to deal with customers, not chinese/japanese wholesalers etc, and they don't want to keep huge amounts of inventory on hand.

Mikimoto is its own thing. They sell alot of pearls, and they tend to charge a good price for the special clasp. The quality of Mikimoto pearls is not in question, but in general you could find more/better pearls for that amount of money.

 

[pearlescence]

You missed pearl factory/processor from that list (between farm and wholesaler)

 

[perlinda]

Yes! Thank you for mentioning that, Wendy

 

[blustilang]

Thanks to all who have contributed so much to this thread and my pearl education!

I had a very pleasant and informative conversation with PP yesterday and the SS studs are on the way to me now! The PP representative who answered the phone was extremely knowledgeable and helpful (a young fellow named Jeremy, iirc ).

Anyway, I'm very excited about receiving these earrings-- the 40th wedding anniversary present for my dear wife. I would love to post some photos of them next week (I'm pretty good with the Nikon D80 and have read the threads about how to photo pearls and post them). I supposed the "Show Us your Pearls" forum would be the most appropiate place for that? or, should I simply add to this thread with the pics? Oh, I almost forgot, there is more to the story here which has to do with my original inquiry re Pacific Pearls International! More on that also next week.
Sincere thanks to all for the great help here,
Tom

 

[pattye]

Tom, We love a good pearly story with a happy ending! Looking forward to the pics, and Congratulations on your 40th Anniversary! This thread should be fine for the photos, that way the whole story will be here in its entirety.

 

[blustilang]

Part 2 w/ pics (I hope!) FWP's? or true SS's?

Part 2 w/ pics (I hope!) FWP's? or true SS's?

I went ahead and ordered from PPI (not to be confused with PP in CA.) with a refund guarantee as well as eBay's buyer protection. The pearls arrived in a timely enough fashion and, in fact, were post marked Sydney, Australia.

The listing description was as follows:
Australian South Sea pearl earrings- 10.8mm-11mm (actual size was 10.7 and that's stretching it a tad!)
AAA quality
Luster- Very High
Surface-Very Clean
Nacre-Very Thick
Color-Natural White

I don't think the item matches the desription. You opinions please!!

My apologies for the pics. My macro function has a problem, but they are in natural, indirect light, no flash.

CFW's or real SS's??

Thanks very much, folks.

 

[Caitlin]

PPI is off my list!

They do not look like the size you ordered, but hard to tell without a coin or something. The Chinese allow smaller pearl sizes, ie a 11mm could be a 10.2 -almost a size smaller. That is typical as it is legal there.

They have a lot of tiny marks for a AAA, but I am not sure what the SS AAA standard is. My guess is they barely qualify for AAA and maybe not at all.

Also, even if you can't get a closeup, you can crop the original to include just the pearls and they will show up here as much larger than those photos.

If they don't look like SS to you, even if they are, send them back! You are the one who will see them most, while being worn! You do not want to have a regret every time you look at them!