What exactly is the "Maui Divers" scam? Is any of their jewelry good?

[jessanne]

I know that my mom and I got scammed by someone from Maui Divers. And yes, it started with one of the "pick a pearl" scams and both of us got a "rare" black pearl followed by twin black pearls! So 6 rare black pearls in total between the two of us. I knew what was happening as it was happening but I'm curious about what kind of pearls these are exactly and how this company can get away with this kind of consumer deception. Do they have a higher standard for business when it comes to their jewelry that isn't the "pick a pearl" line? Or is all of the jewelry from Maui Divers a little sketchy?

Thanks so much!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi jessanne and welcome to Pearl-Guide.

Your 6 black pearls would be dyed Chinese freshwater pearls, of little value. The value is in the finding.

If you read their section on pick-a-pearl, you will notice they make no mention of the type of pearl you are getting (unlike their other kinds of pearls, where they always state what kind of pearls they are selling.) In the pick a pearl section they say they open an oyster, however, so that is a bit deceptive since freshwater pearls are not cultured in oysters but rather in mussels. However they make no claim that the pearl was actually cultured in the oyster they open.

It's sleazy in my opinion, but probably quite legal.

I'm curious about something, though-- if you knew what was happening, why did you buy 6 pearls from them? Did you also have them set? Their findings are not cheap.

 

[jessanne]

Well, I took my mom to Hawaii, first class for her dream trip and I told her that I'd buy her a nice jewelry set before we even went. I thought we would find someplace that had opals or something as those are her favorites but we were just on this random tour bus after going to see Pearl Harbor and she got swooped into this lady's sales pitch in the matter of a minute. I think I was taking a picture of a random cat at the plantation and all of a sudden I see my mom getting excited about this free pearl coupon. Honestly it all happened so fast and I froze. I wish I had more of a spine but there was a part of me that didn't want to be rude and I didn't want to ruin my mom's whole day by embarrassing her. It was just a weird situation for me. There was a crowd of people around and I honestly just froze. Then my mom wanted me to do one too, and at least by that point, sure I was okay getting the pearls because I wanted to see what the lady was doing but I knew I wouldn't get mine set. I didn't even like any of the jewelry. Still somehow, one out of my 3 pearls got a setting, which I didn't agree to but was on my receipt. The only thing I said was that I liked rose-gold and somehow that committed me to a rose gold setting of some kind. Anyways, my mom got all three of her "rare black pearls" set and $900 later I'm still a little confused. I'm stunned at what a liar this lady was though about how these were rare black pearls.

 

[jessanne]

I can share a photo if you'd like to see what I got. I'm so mad about it because even it wasn't written, the lady told us that these were natural black pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

By all means post your photo.

My H and I honeymooned in Hawaii 24 years ago and there were "wish pearl" kiosks even then. They target tourists, of course.

Cultured freshwater pearls are anything but rare.
They are never naturally black. If they are black, they are dyed. (Same goes for cultured akoya pearls-- if they are black, then they are dyed.)

Cultured Tahitian pearls do come by their color naturally, but the black-lipped mollusks (Pinctada Margaritifera) they are cultured in are large, dark, and don't look like the smaller akoya oyster shells typically used in these wish pearl or pick-a-pearl operations.
You can learn more about Tahitian pearls here: https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/content.php?42-Tahitian-Pearls

"Natural" is a term that is sometimes used incorrectly to mean "real" or "not fake". But when referring to pearls, "natural" actually means "wild"-- that is, a pearl that occurs in a wild oyster or mollusk, completely apart from any culturing process.

The market for pearls is now a cultured pearl market. There are very few natural pearls found any more.

The free pearl coupon is a clever marketing ploy; who wouldn't like a free pearl? But they are not about to give away valuable cultured Tahitian pearls. They make their profit by setting an inexpensive pearl in precious metal jewelry.

I'm sorry you got taken.

If you and she like the settings you bought, you could always have them re-set with real cultured Tahitian pearls. Of course that involves more expenditure but in the end at least you will actually have some very nice jewelry.

 

[MSC]

If you and she like the settings you bought, you could always have them re-set with real cultured Tahitian pearls. Of course that involves more expenditure but in the end at least you will actually have some very nice jewelry.

So sorry you got scammed, but I agree with PearlDreams, if you like the gold settings why not buy a really nice pearl and have it reset? There are many very reputable vendors who would be able to find you a really nice pearl for a reasonable price, and depending on the setting, it really shouldn't be difficult (or expensive) to reset with a new pearl.

 

[kelluvpearls]

I did the pick a pearl thing in Hawaii and I bought a 14kt gold setting from the store, I didn't set that pearl in it but set one of my own pearl later on. I love my pendant and has great memories of the trip. Maybe you can offer to reset the pieces with better pearls down the track? I'm sure your mum has a lot of fond memories from the trip. I wouldn't worry about being too ripped off, there's still value in the gold settings.

 

[Sanippy]

I agree with the posters above, it should be relatively simple to reset your pieces with better quality pearls. A number of us actually set our own pearls in gold and silver findings.

Can we see some photos of your findings?

 

[Katbran]

Absolutely - reset the pearls. Buying a nice pearl won't be as expensive as that setting ! It's so disappointing to get scammed like this and you feel angry at yourself for getting swept up in it. You just need to think that you bought the 'experience' and the memory for your mom. She will always remember finding the pearls and don't let anger taint the trip memories for you.