South Sea Pearls??

If this guy resolves people who catch him and refunds the money, then you can't pursue him for fraudulence. Now he is free to keep on selling and for the few that complain, they return the money before the customer can protest and thus he has free license to keep selling with a high rating! Now this is the perfect scam, because you can't even leave badfeedback after the money is returned, because the the deal is cancelled. Like it never happened!

You were bamboozled twice by this guy!

Not the first time this has happened and not the last, either.

You might still write to him and refer him to this thread.

When scammers read this kind of thread over here, they generally freak out. But this guy may be the most thoroughly fraudulent one that the pearl police have heard about, yet. He has a leg to the scam that few other have figured out- let them keep it and return the money, because after all the strand only cost a few $$$. (I would definitely test the gold just to see. To fit his pattern, the gold is as fraudulent as the pearls.)
 
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This guys sales pitches are terrible. Usually, when someone gets caught, the necklace is only slightly over what the freshwater price would have been. This guy is charging 10 times what the strands are worth as freshwaters.

He calls akoyas freshwaters also.

Everything is freshwater, probably bought from that 'The Hills" mall where many of the Chinese dealers who travel the gem shows keep their home base. I have been to the same kind of place in SF where dozens of pearl dealers, mostly Chinese, rent rooms which they pile with wares and wait for customers. The prices are quite inflated.
 
KarinK said:
Hi and welcome!

Your pearls look just like my large fresh water pearls, including the slight pink overtone. I paid $200 for the pearls themselves in wholesale, unstrung and without clasp.

It is true that there are reputable sellers but they are few and far between. Sven,who has been commenting, is one of them, but if you compare his prices and those of other on-line sellers plus http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/, with what you paid for the strand, you'll get an idea if it was too good to be true. These on-line sellers also have really good pictures you can use to compare with your own.

If you paid with PayPal you have 45 days from the time of purchase to file a case. First step, of course, would be to contact the seller. I'm happy with my FW klonks, by the way, having now restrung them to a short choker using an arts and craft copper clasp :)

- Kari
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the www.tahitianpearls.biz is part of the too good to be true bunch? Don't look much like SS either:

http://www.tahitianpearls.biz/south-sea-pearl-necklace/roundish-south-sea-pearl-necklace-wnma.htm
 
dkan 168 said:
They don't like like CFWPs to me because of their shapes and surface appearance. However, they do look rather too shiny for SSPs.

Hoping the experts will cast their opinions soon, as the price is good if they are indeed SSPs.

DK :)
Click to expand...

Hmm, not sure if they are SS.
They could be SS, but if they are the quality is not above AA.
 
Jose's (tahitianpearls.biz) pearls are very popular here because he goes beyond the round ones and has so many and at decent prices. I still want one of his strands where the pearls have more than one color- even though they are quite ringed pearls, I love the contrast within them, and within the whole strand.
 
I bought a tahitian bracelet from Jose (tahitianpearls.biz) a while back as well as some earrings and a solitare necklace, and I'm very happy with everything. Great customer service from them. I love several of the baroque SS strands he has on sale right now!!! (Wish they were within my budget :()
 
Still very new. Grasping an appreciation and far from an experienced eye. Hopefully my suggestion was not offensive to Jose or any of his customers.
 
It is good to ask about venders. Well, his prices are good- but not too good to be real. He puts together a lot of odds and ends in unique and pleasing ways- as well as his standard fare, round pearls. I think he is about as good as online can get- esp. for a pearl specialty place because he sells mostly maxima (south sea) and margaritifera (Tahitian) pearls. That is considerably more narrow a market than most pearl venders who sell akoyas and freshwaters too, but it allows him to have a much larger selection of pearls within each type he does sell.

All of us who have dealt with him find him fair and honest. I always have a good word for him- and he has never been a member here.
 
I have personally met with Jose and we worked on a couple of projects together. I live in a city close to where he is located. He is a very nice man, very helpful to me and went above and beyond to find what I wanted which was not an easy task. He was fair and honest. I asked him to join here and he did but has not participated here much.

Dkan 168 I have very shiny white ss that I got from Jeremy that are TDF.
 
Newberry,

I followed the write up of this year's Ruckus on PG as well as your posts in another jewellery related forums, and ogled at your lovely SSPs.

DK ;)
 
Dkan, I got to borrow Newberry's White South Sea necklace from TahitianPearlBiz from January to July this year. I was thinking about purchasing a White South Sea strand but didn't know if I would wear it if I purchased one. I thought it would be too fancy even though I wear black tahitians every day. I loved this strand and the quality of the pearls that Jose sold her. I also have seen Newberry's "Light Bulbs" that she got from Pearl Paradise. That strand is a jaw dropper. The luster is out of this world the the silver overtones makes this strand glow, that's why it got it name "LB'S"
 
OK got it. I am glad he is a member, even if not much of a presence. I consider Newberry's recommendations highly. She is a world class pearl shopper!
 
I had good luck purchasing from Jose as well over this x-mas. He did a very nice multi-color tahitian necklace for me in fancy colors and went above and beyond to make sure I liked the stringing order. He also found me a new pearl for the center which is a very lovely blue. If my budget ever allows another round strand, I'd seek him out again just for the colors he carries.

He also mentioned that his firm might hirer a media person and if that happens he'll be able to have a greater presence on the forum. Seems like it is a pretty small shop right now and he is wearing many hats.
 
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Good idea! (Maybe he watched Jeremy's incredible recent interview where he gives all his secrets away.... I think I found it on FB. I can't quite remember, but it is good enough to dig around for.) I still lust after one of his multicolored Tahitians with lots of circlew. I think they are among the most interesting of pearls!
 
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