SSP or not? What do you think?

[Ltaylor]

I had my parents pick up some pearls for me while they were in Manila. The one strand starts at 8mm and peaks at ~9.5mm the other two are 8-8.5mm. I haven't had a chance to get a professional eye on them quite yet. What do you think? SSP or FWP? Estimated value? I'm new to the pearl world so any advice is appreciated! Thank you.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I don't know, but 8-9.5mm is not an uncommon size for freshwaters, and a bit small for SSP. A few pearls look eggy but that could be photo distortion.

 

[Ltaylor]

Yeah, that is why I am skeptical. It is hard for me to get good photos of them. Thank you for your input!

 

[Ltaylor]

My parents just picked out random clasps that the vendor had when they bought them. The vendor knotted the strands and added the clasps at the point of sale (hence the poor quality). The vendor tried really hard to show them FWP, but my parents had to keep steering away from them.

 

[GemGeek]

Take an indirect daylight photo as close as possible. Stand with your back to a window so the light has to come around your body and doesn't directly shine on the pearls. And use a white paper towel or piece of paper for a background. Thanks!

 

[Ltaylor]

Here are some more pictures. I can try a different room if the lighting in these rooms isn't good enough.

 

[Ltaylor]

Here is another photo. I'm having difficulty uploading these pictures...

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hmmm, I'm thinking maybe bead-nucleated freshwaters? The ripply surface, and the slightly warm tone of the pearls....
GemGeek, what do you think?

Ltaylor, also consider whatever they cost. Is it a realistic price for SSP or for freshwaters?

 

[Ltaylor]

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Good photos! I'm leaning toward FWP with a bead nucleus.

 

[Ltaylor]

 

[Ltaylor]

ok, I hope these help.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thye have nice luster. I'm sticking with FWP with a bead.

 

[Ltaylor]

It was 185 USD/strand for the two that are nearly identical, and 850 USD for the one that is slightly graduated. They were bought at the Greenhills shopping center near Manila.

 

[Ltaylor]

I guess at this point I'm curious if my parents got taken advantage of, or if they just got a decent deal on some freshwaters.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

SSP are much costlier than FWP. If they paid a fair price for FWP, then likely that is what they got. Vendors cannot make money by underpricing valuable pearls.

 

[GemGeek]

Great photos. The price would be much higher if they were SSPs.

 

[Ltaylor]

Pearl Dreams and GemGeek, thank you so much for your help. I appreciate your willingness to share your valuable knowledge of pearls with me. You guys are great!

 

[amti]

Why was there such a big difference in price between the pearls? I really couldn't tell much of a difference in quality from your photos, can you see a difference in quality between the graduated strand and the other two strands?

 

[wyndslash]

I always feel bad whenever I read threads like this. I wince inwardly as I live in the Philippines and in no way trust most pearl vendors in Greenhills. Sad to say, a lot are willing to take advantage of foreigners who especially are not very familiar with pearls.