"Pearl parties"

[GypsyPearls]

Hello! Ok new here I just joined so I can get some insight. And before you go bashing please let me explain!
I am here in the us we're I had come across one of my "fitness" that start with the pearl party stuff. Let's be honest when you are not familiar at all with pearls/oysters it is so intriguing! She has an awesome website set up where you choose the jewelry, open your choice of oyster and it gets set into your jewelry! What girl doesn't like pretty surprises and jewelry?! Ok so I was sooo excited and intrigued one day she announced on her live feed she was "allowed from headquarters to recruit 3 new consultant!" How awesome is that I don't have to watch her anymore I can do it myself. I contacted her did what she had asked for an "interview" and she said she'll let me know. Well forward on she didn't want me on her "team" so me being a persistent irritated woman basically responded "well screw you, I don't need this company anyways" and created my own version of the fad.
Now fast forward to present day where I have been researching and finding all the real facts about these pearl parties. (I found out real fast why I couldn't print off a generic "pearl color/sizing value sheet" and honestly I became really upset by it all) I then began to think about selling all my equipment and closing down shop. Then it hit me. I am not doing this to rip people off I am in this buisness bc it's fun, I love the idea, and I love seeing all the different pearls that come out. Now through my research I have found out that they are not infact a real akoya made oyster they are dyed then placed in another shell? Dying the pearl makes them basically worth pennies? And that pearl parties are scams?

I am reaching out to this pearl community bc I want to be honest with customers, I want to be a reputable seller! I don't want to fill under educated people up with fluffy lies to make them pay overly high prices on misconceived ideas. I want to be straight up honest. And if they do get harvested and put into another shell, why? What if they are not the exotic colors and are natural pearl colors. Is it possible they come from the same oyster they are sent in. I have been told that these oysters have never been opened but they know that a majority have twins bc they have a scanner (like something from the airport that X-rays the oyster)

Again I am just looking for the real truths and honest answers! I want to know what i am talking about and not bluntly lie to lots of people!

 

[Abi]

I want to share this with you, that may give you the answers you're looking for.

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?11002-Questions-About-Oyster-Opening-Pearl-Parties

I hope this gives you more insight.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi GypsyPearls,

The pearls were not cultured in the oysters they come in, no. Those oysters are just baby akoyas, with fragile, thin shells that can be broken with your hands.

They take cultured freshwater pearls harvested from a freshwater mussel and place them inside the live baby akoya oyster. Then they put the baby akoya with the freshwater pearl inside into a solution that kills it. The oyster slams its little shell shut and then dies. It's packed in preserving liquid to prevent decay, and shipped to you.

The freshwater pearls placed inside are of low value. The white, pastel peach and pastel lavender colors are natural. The black ones and the ones with dramatic colors (like bright blue, cranberry, green, purple) are dyed.

This past weekend I was at a local agricultural fair and chatted with a pearl-in-oyster seller who was manning her booth. She didn't know they weren't akoyas either. She had been told by her supplier that they were akoyas, so that's what she had been telling her customers. We talked for a long time. She was concerned for her own reputation and didn't want to be lying to customers. I gave her more information and invited her to come on P-G also.

I don't wish to disparage anyone's business, but I was completely unimpressed with the pearls I saw at the booth. Small, not much luster, and cheap findings. Yet people were buying. People who are at fairs, or on vacation, often want some trinket to take home, and this fits the bill. I suspect they are largely impulse purchases.

If people did a bit of research online they would quickly discover they could get much better pearls in better findings for not a lot of money.

IMO vendors of such things have to ask themselves if they want to be part of this charade? If you decide to keep selling, then at least tell people the truth-- they are freshwater pearls that have been placed inside the shells.
And for your own protection, wear gloves and goggles when handling them.

 

[GypsyPearls]

I appreciate your insight!! (Also apologize for spelling mistakes, my auto correct is hating me!) I would like to stay around just for the fact of making this aware to other buyers. I will definitely label them as fresh waters. And explain the process. The transfer process makes me sick alone! What people won't do for money. I use all sterling silver findings for my jewelry. Occasionally a cage for shows and such.

I honestly want to know if people will believe me. Or go back to another just bc their wording sounds better. This issued just annoys me! But I love drilling and making the jewelry.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'll tell you what I told the vendor at the booth this weekend: your freshwater selling point can be that they are solid nacre all the way through-- no bead inside, unlike akoyas. This makes them very durable.

Another plus for freshwater pearls is that the pastel peach, lavender and white/cream colors are naturally occurring colors in freshwater pearls. (Akoyas do not come in those colors at all, [edit-- they do come in cream and white of course-- not peach or lavender] and black akoyas have been color treated.)

Maybe people will buy from you, and maybe they will move on to someone who claims to be selling akoyas. You have no control over that.
You can only tell the truth yourself.

Look, I can't encourage anyone to take up this kind of business. That said, I understand the lure of making money at home, especially when one has small kids. If you have children, btw, keep them away from the oysters. The shells are sharp and they could cut themselves, and the chemicals are not good to be in contact with.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Please also keep in mind that surfaces used for preparing foods SHOULD NEVER be used for opening these preserved oysters. I would also suggest that you might want to wear protective clothing, and wash it separately from the rest of your laundry. Lord only knows what chemicals have been used to preserve these animals...it's not like opening a can of chopped clams or crab meat. Children and pets need to be kept away from them at all times. And if you are pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant, I would stay very far away. Finally, I would also expect full disclosure about whether the pearls have been exposed to chemicals. Some states, like CA, have incredibly strict laws regarding the disclosure of potential chemical exposures from consumer products.

 

[GypsyPearls]

alrightpearl ladies! I have one more question. I am still new to this new enlightened side of things and I am just checking for my own knowledge of knowing. If a company claims they have AAA rated akoya oysters/pearls is this something that is out there? I am not finding any educational material on this particular one.

Thanks again!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Are you talking about a pearl-opening party company putting AAA akoyas into their freshwater shells (which I don't believe for a second) or akoya pearls in general?

The most common way of grading pearls is A-AAA (with AAA being the highest). There can be in-between grades like AA+. Mikimoto has grades like A1 (A1 being lower than A).

That said, pearls are not like diamonds.; there is no universally agreed-upon definition for each grade of pearl; vendors can decide for themselves how to define each grade.

Buyers have to be careful. One company's AAA may be another company's A grade. Some companies use A-AAAA but this is atypical.

 

[BWeaves]

And you will see bead stores, like Fire Mountain Gems, label their freshwater pearls as B or C grade (or even D), because they are selling the lower quality of pearl. Go into any brick and mortar bead store and compare the pearls you are harvesting with the strands hanging on the wall and realize you are comparing to some of the lowest qualities of pearls being sold. Then go into a store selling Mikimoto pearls and compare.

 

[amti]

I'd also like to add, where are your pearls coming from? If you go through pearls on ebay, you'll see thousands of Chinese pearl auctions selling South Sea Pearls, tahitians, Akoyas for super low prices. The photos may show accurate pearls in the auction. However, they will not give you the real deal. Instead, they are sending freshwater pearls and some are dyed to look like the pearls they are advertising. It is all a scam, sadly and they get away with it because many people don't know the difference. With a little research, people will learn the truth over time and get discouraged and angry over their purchases. I don't recommend anyone purchase anything but freshwater pearls from Chinese sellers unless the sellers are one of the reputable Chinese sellers (there are just a handful of them). If you're looking for real Akoyas, SSPs or Tahitians, get them from a reputable place.

 

[Mountaingirl]

Who are the reputable places to buy wholesale fresh water and Akoya oysters from.

 

[Jwymark]

Who are the reputable places to buy wholesale fresh water and Akoya oysters from.

Mountaingirl there is a post in pearling industry news about pearl party oysters. I would seriously suggest that you read it before you try to source these pearl in the shell oysters.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Mountaingirl, we can't recommend the kind of business that involves selling saltwater oysters that have had freshwater pearls placed in them, and don't have any sources to recommend to you.