Pearl Parties - Is This Even Real Life?

[Whirrledpeas]

Hello all!

Let me start by saying this is going to be a rather long post, so I apologize in advance for that. Having said that, I would like to say that I was on this site last night for about four hours reading through a lot of the posts here.

I stumbled across this page while researching this new FB pearl party fad. When I first saw them popping up, I thought the idea was cute but when I realized each 'oyster' cost $20 dollars to open, I was both turned off and asking myself who in their right mind would pay $20 for a pearl that is no where near that value.

Disclaimer: I do not know much about pearls but I do live in a water town, and know what oysters should look like. Anyway, I stumbled across another feed and couldn't stop watching; not because it was fun, but because people were selling these like hotcakes for enormous amounts of money. I noticed the oysters being opened were way too brittle to have housed a real pearl so then I started digging a bit. I was telling myself that there was no way these people were shelling out money for these things unless they were led to believe they were actually worth something.

A couple of nights ago was what did me in, though. I was watching 'Doodles of Pearls' on FB. It was like a bad movie, I just couldn't look away. Anyway, someone bought five oysters and there were two she got that were yellow, bright canary bird yellow. I think they are called 'Tweetie birds.' Anyway, she offered to donate her second one to highest bidder for charity. The highest bid that won the pearl was $250. Not even kidding. Even myself, knowing very little about pearls, knew that little yellow round ball was not worth the equivalent of a car payment.

So, I ended up here. After reading countless posts and threads, I am convinced that these people are being misled, both by supplier and host. I think some hosts do, in fact, know and they don't disclose. The reason I say this is because I mentioned to a party host that the oyster she was opening did not belong to a freshwater pearl. She wasn't shocked or dismayed. She just blocked me.

I get that it can be fun and that the parties can be a haven for people with no friends, but the deception is nothing short of fraud. I would love to buy a couple thousand at a buck a piece and sell them for a buck a piece to put these people out of business, but that would take too much time and would still perpetuate and support the process.

Anyway, I liked and am following the FB page that was made my someone here - I think it's MM. A suggestion that I would have is that if anyone does any 'truth' videos, to use Periscope as a platform as well. A lot of the younger folks use that and you could possibly expose this deception to a wider audience.

After reading this board for hours last night, I have discovered a newfound respect for pearls. I may buy a few loose ones as I like to collect things that are pretty, but I have already discovered that my taste in pearls is quite expensive.

Lastly, I studied forensic chemistry in college and have SOME tools that I could use to test the solution they are packaged in. However, I am not buying one at $20 a pop to do that. Or maybe I will. I don't know.

Glad I found this place. Hope all is well and keep fighting the good fight. I do have other questions, but I will save them for later. Thanks!

 

[jshepherd]

It is a very unfortunate thing that is happening right now. It wouldn't be so unfortunate if there was such a level of deceit involved. The part about not really harvesting a pearl isn't what I take issue with. It's the fact that so many of the people selling pearls in their "Pearl Parties" are calling freshwater pearls akoya. That's fraud, whether intentional or not.

The deceit starts in China, unfortunately. Pearl Party people are sold "akoya oysters" and the sellers claim the pearls inside are akoya too, even though even though anyone who has any knowledge of pearls can immediately tell they are not.

I am still receiving messages on a very regular basis about these parties. Last week it was about pearl parties in the UK. The main importer supplying hundreds of pearl party pages reached out to me directly last week and asked if it were really true. Were they selling freshwater pearls. She had actually received some fake certification from the company in China (this one was LPearl.com) stating the pearls were saltwater.

She did the right thing though. She contacted all the people she was selling to and told them the truth. Most all of the Pearl Partiers changed their pages to reflect the truth.

Just this morning someone sent me a link to a video from a Facebook page called Kerry's Oyster Oasis. It was the same thing. A video of a young lady opening an akoya oyster, pulling out a dyed Chinese freshwater and calling it an akoya.

Kerry's Oyster Oasis appears to be operating out of Aidrie, Alberta in Canada. So like usual, I dropped her a message to let her know she was selling freshwater and not akoya. Even after providing proof and giving her my credentials, she refuses to admit the truth and said she will not change anything and what I wrote was just an opinion.

Some of the pearl party folks are honest. Others are not, even when presented with the truth.

 

[MMtwo]

Hi Peas and welcome.

The pearl party gig is a hot mess. Honest folks and fraudsters all mixed together. I loved your post and very glad you started a profile to say hello.

Great pearls are worth the love. How can anyone throw that much money at a dyed pearl?

Welcome!