What Are These?!

[fashionzombie]

Hi all,

I hope you can help me...yes, another eBay question...

I have recently won these 3 auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5006421295&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5006423744&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5006742788&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

What do you think these are?! Freshwater? Saltwater of poor quality? Fakes?
Or are the Akoya pearls just really really cheap in China?!..

I was planning on buying them for my bridesmaids, so I want to get something that is nice but also reasonable...But I don't want to buy them fakes or really bad quality either...

Appreciate any help you guys can give me before I pay for these items (or not..)!!

Many thanks!

 

[jshepherd]

There is a thread that discusses V-Pearls on this forum. You can view it here:

Tahitian necklace or not?

Hello! Firstly, I wish you all a beautiful day, with good health, hapinness , love and sunny momemnts! For i trust that only you can help me in this pandemic Covid-19 crisis, i dare to ask for a sincere opinion about this necklace- if it true Tahitian or not? The specification of the necklace...

www.pearl-guide.com

I have taken a look at the pearls you have won at auction and they do appear to be Akoya pearls. But not much from there is very honest. They are NOT from Japan, and they are NOT Mikimoto quality. A strand of 7-7.5mm Akoya pearls selling on eBay for $25 US on eBay are going to be garbage - I am sorry to say. 7-7.5mm Akoya strands can be purchased for as low as $5 wholesale in China, but they are more or less beads with no nacre, or very creamy yellow and covered with inclusions.

If you do want high quality pearls I strongly, strongly urge you to stay away from eBay. With pearls on eBay you always get what you pay for. Otherwise jewelers all over the US would be buying those strands in bulk and selling 'Mikimoto Quality Akoya Pearls' for $30-$50 per strand (with a 100% markup) instead of $3000 or $4000 per strand.

These are the types of feedbacks you need to watch for:

very poor quality. greatly overpaid, not as warranted/sold
Buyer ejcatty ( 328) 21-Jun-05 20:30 4996129907

Some of the pearls have serios defects - holes...
Buyer novus225 (private) 02-Jun-05 14:21 4993398142

item not as described- money back with intervention from paypal
Buyer ama1707 ( 25) 31-May-05 20:12 4981001642

not all round,alot of deformed looking pearls/excessive s&h charge,not happy
Buyer elizabethb2455 ( 10) 22-May-05 19:21 4994244424

Item not what was represented in photo - not pearls but carved shell
Buyer medhbtennis ( 52) 21-May-05 15:13 4990980072

arrived defective, never answered email
Buyer maggiereds3 ( 23) 15-May-05 23:07 4991016143
Reply by v-pearls: pearls AAA grade! we offer return policy and e-mail to buyer but no respond! 16-May-05 01:07


Surface quality OK, Luster not great.
Buyer ddlz2004 ( 18) 15-May-05 21:43 4990249212
Reply by v-pearls: Many people buy this bracelet nobody say luster not great only you!!! 16-May-05 01:10


Not happy with the quality, too many large defects.
Buyer ddlz2004 ( 18) 15-May-05 21:42 4988520724
Reply by v-pearls: Have e-mail about we offer return if you don't like but no any respond! 16-May-05 01:11

pretty color, but lots of defects on nacre
Buyer ddlz2004 ( 18) 15-May-05 21:39 4988435506

lovely earrings, fine quality
Buyer ddlz2004 ( 18) 15-May-05 21:38 4988223331

Not happy with the quality, too many large defects
Buyer ddlz2004 ( 18) 15-May-05 21:37 4986901567

 

[fashionzombie]

Thank you so much! It's actually quite funny that you responded since in the meantime I saw your name mentioned here, and decided to look at your merchandise instead, and now I think I might go with the AA+ 6.5mm pearl set you have for sale...

So, since I have the man himself here , can I ask you a question?

The 6.5mm pearls with the AA+ rating, will they have good luster? I heard that smaller pearls don't have as much luster...(as you can tell I have never owned pearls before..)?

What about the freshwater set you have - you have a freshwater set of AA+ quality and in the 7.5mm size. How does the luster compare to the Akoyas?
I'm thinking maybe the 6.5mm is too small?!

Also, do you provide GIA certs individually or does it only come with the whole set?..I'm giving away the necklace and bracelet, but keeping the earrings .

Thanks so much!

 

[jshepherd]

Yes, the 6.5mm may be a bit small. I would suggest 7mm or larger. They will have equivalent luster (a mirror-like finish), but 6.5mm pearls are more suited for teen girls while 7.0mm begin to look more refined and professional. But the freshwater are definitely the best way to go on a budget. They have luster basically equivalent to that of an Akoya set, and you get the size for less $$. I posted a close up picture of the freshwater pearls on this thread:

Tsuji FW Pearls New from Japan

Originally Posted by Kenji By the way, I have heard from the Zhuji province area that a newest crop of freshwater pearls are really amazing. Round and with luster like the Akoya. Has anyone else heard? I have not seen them yet but preliminary pricing is only about 15% over average. Originally...

www.pearl-guide.com

I would be happy to speak with you about your bridal sets.

 

[purepearls]

It is best to stay away from Ebay. The sellers tend to have lower quality pearls and present inaccurate descriptions of them. What type of dresses do your bridesmaids have (halter, strapless, etc.)? If you want nice but affordable, 6.5mm Akoyas would be perfect, especially in choker style at 16". It is a very popular look for bridesmaids because they are elegant and simple. These will make beautiful accessories that they will have to wear for a lifetime. You may even consider pearl earrings as an alternative if the dresses do not work well with necklaces. I can give you suggestions if you give me more details of what look you are going for. You may post a private message to me if you'd like.

 

[fashionzombie]

Well, I am happy to report that I wrote the seller an e-mail and said I would not be buying the pearls.
And because of their policy of giving negative feedback to non-payers, I also mentioned that it would be their choice, but that I would then have to contact eBay and let them know that their items are grossly misrepresented.
Not unexpectedly, they said it was up to me to pay or not...

So, I have been in touch with Jeremy Shepard from PearlParadise.com who has been more helpful and generous than I could ever ask for!!!
I ended up buying my pearls from there instead, and can't wait to see the lovely pearls when they arrive!

I can absolutely recommend www.pearlparadise.com to anyone!!! Oh, and by the way, I went into a store here in Toronto and tried on a fw set (which is what I bought) and they told me the $1700 +tax pricetag was a great buy!

I just smiled since I knew the price for the same quality (if not better!) at PearlParadise is only $89!!!

I'll be writing a review soon....