A few years ago, when I was still marveling at the versatility of the freshwater pearls, I noticed how they can be made to look like Tahitians especially, but also akoya and SS. For tahitians, you need a bit of size on the pearls and a dye job. For some reason, fw pearls retain luster and overtones when dyed.
Because most people do not know what a Tahitian pearl is except larger and black, unscrupulous fw dealers having been passing fw off as Tahitians since they started getting bigger FW, or rather, they call them, "Tahitian Black pearls". When challenged, they will tell you "Tahitian black" is a also color, not just a type, of pearl. It is possible you got these when the previous owner trashed them after realizing they weren't actually Tahitians after having bought them as such.
Personally, I love to wear big dyed FW and have a 12m strand with blue and rose overtones. I don't care if others know what they are or not, but when asked, if they are Tahitian, I tell them they are freshwater, and if possible, say much the same as I just said to you.
And BTW telling people something is a "Tahitian Black" pearl, as so many people do on eBay is grounds not to shop with them! It is unethical to say the least- and fraudulent, if the pearls are priced at Tahitian price levels. Most of the Tahitian black sellers, still sell at an inflated FW price, so they aren't worth prosecuting for fraud, because the customer only overpays somewhat, not many times what they are worth.
