Pearl earrings from Katarina Jewelry

[Cat]

Hi

Was wondering if anyone has had any experience with Katarina jewellers? I've been searching everywhere for pearl and diamond drop earrings like these that I found on their website:

http://katarina.com/14K-White-Gold-0.12-ct.-Diamond/M/B0027SK8D2.htm

However, I have a bit of trepidation purchasing from them as I have never dealt with them before and can't find any reviews on them online. Further, they have not provided any information on their website regarding the grade and lustre of the pearls in the earrings.

Ideally, I'd be much more at ease buying from one of the reputable online pearl retailers such as Pearl Paradise or American Pearl but I haven't been able to find a similar style on these websites. Does anyone happen to know of similar styles to the ones at Katarina at such reputable retailers?

Thanks everyone in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[pearlescence]

Hi
I had a quick look at the link and the website - a couple of comments:
they say the white SS pearls are Paspaley - now that is a specific brand, like Mikimoto. Are they really Paspaley or are they white south sea pearls?
The website is part of the Amazon complex, which does give, as I understand it, some protection to you. But I am wondering why they have no website of their own with such high-end merchandise...(of course it may be that they are not allowed to mention their own website in an Amazon listing)
Claims about 'retail price' and then 'our price' were banned in the UK many years ago as they are meaningless but also a bit deceptive
Some of the other pearl items look quite pricey - there is a coin pearl bracelet which I could do for about ?20 ...under $30 and the stretch bracelet with the balls of tiny pearls, I think those balls are about a dollar each in China

 

[jshepherd]

They might be calling their South Sea pearls Paspaleys because they are Stuller resellers. A lot of companies that sell pearls from Stuller still call them Paspaley pearls (although Paspaley is no longer allowing the use of their brand name in relation to pearls that are not sold at a Paspaley store - including Stuller).

I can't comment on Katarina. I've never come across the site before and it hasn't been discussed here.

 

[pattye]

Hi Cat,

Check the Clasp and Findings section at Pearl Paradise. You could get a earring pair similar by using 14k white gold findings from Pearl Paradise and customize with your choice of pearls. I'm quite sure it would be less, and you would have more info about the pearls.

In fact, those type of earring findings are available from the wholesale jewelry supply houses, and I would guess most any of our trustworthy online vendors here could customize the earrings for you for considerably less than the Katarina price.

Policy here on the forum prevents us from obvious promotion of the items we have for sale, so although Jeremy didn't mention he has similar earrings, I am happy to point them out!

Good luck, welcome, and let us know how your search goes!

 

[pattye]

Honestly,
It's difficult to imagine anyone would purchase anything from them with such tiny photos and so little information.

 

[knotty panda]

The website is part of the Amazon complex, which does give, as I understand it, some protection to you. But I am wondering why they have no website of their own with such high-end merchandise...(of course it may be that they are not allowed to mention their own website in an Amazon listing)

Many top designers create lines for those of us with beer bottle pocket books and champagne tastes and market those designs to Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, E-Bay, and Amazon. Don't discount the discount!

 

[GemGeek]

For 12mm south sea pearls on diamond findings, that price is not really a bad one. Jeremy is right, they are almost certainly purchased wholesale from Stuller. Last time I checked, they only bought SSPs from Paspaley.

A better idea would be to get some nice high quality freshwater pearl earrings. You could cut that price way way down!

 

[Cat]

Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone for your help!

Taking all your advice into consideration, I don't think I'll go ahead with buying from Katarina. There is just too much uncertainty about their products to send that much money to them. I should note that I did email Katarina to request that they provide more detail about the grade and lustre of their pearls but, to date, they have not replied - not a good sign!

Thanks Pattye for directing me to the 'clasp and findings' section of Pearl Paradise. It never occurred to me to look there before for some reason! I'm happy with the styles there and will likely purchase from there. I think having piece of mind about the quality of the pearl is much more important than being hung up on any one particular style.

 

[dkan 168]

I bought my diamond earring jackets from Katarina, and you can see a pic of them in my album, and they were very helpful and patience with my enquiries.

So yes, I would definitely recommend them.

 

[Hanaleimom]

Hi dkan 168, welcome back! We missed you. So many diamond earring jackets in your album, which one?

 

[dkan 168]

Hi dkan 168, welcome back! We missed you. So many diamond earring jackets in your album, which one?

Awwww, thanks Cathy! I have not gone totally away, honest!

Here are the earring jackets I meant, with different centre stones:

DK