Where to purchase wholesale Akoya round Pearls at least AA+

[pattye]

Since they are being sent through mail, it might be considered fraud that could be investigated by the US Postal Service.
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/mailfraud/mailfraud.aspx

MM, good idea, definitely worth exploring!

 

[MMtwo]

It would have to be someone who bought from one of these less than honest vendors.

 

[Sea Urchin]

I don't recall seeing the level of fraud allowed with anything else like it is with pearls in general. Ebay is of course loaded with freshwater pearls passed off as more expensive saltwater varieties, not to mention all the misrepresentation that goes on throughout the world in pearl-producing tourist destinations. Maybe it's because pearls just tend to originate in poorer parts of the world where the authorities have more pressing concerns? That's all I can think of but I don't know.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Mikimoto's perpetuation of the grain of sand myth and the industry's overall secrecy and non-disclosure policies didn't help. Ignorance is not bliss.

This is why monopolies fail.

 

[JerseyPearl]

What I haven't heard discussed: where are the akoya oysters coming from to begin with?

 

[cmd2014]

Hi I am new to this thread.
I was trying to research and found this Pearl discussion forum and joined so I could find out
some info
I've read some threads but I didn't actually see where is flat out gave me an answer. So I'll just come right out and ask
Please be kind as I'm new and don't know where to start.
I've watched many of these online Pearl parties shows
I have now spent a good amount of moolah and purchased
a handful. #1 Are these real pearls? Yes I know they aren't real Akoya pearls
I understand they are cultured. Like last night I opened at at home oyster and
Got a beautiful eggplant purple. I love it. Is it a fake Pearl. Did someone dye a round
Ball/bead of some sort and push it up in the oyster and return it back to the water?
I have many peach and classic white and some lavender #2 are those real, or where they shoved into
an oyster and returned to the water???
#3 Am I wasting my money? #4 Am I paying for the "fun of it"
Thank you to anyone that can truthfully answer my question

I think you are only paying for the "fun of it". What you are getting are very inexpensive cultured freshwater pearls (from China) that have been put into a dead Akoya oyster that is then preserved (likely in some kind of formaldehyde solution), boxed, and sold at a hugely inflated cost. The pearls themselves are likely only worth a few dollars at most, and you could buy better quality pearls for less than what you are likely spending on the pearl party oysters. Any exotic colors (e.g. Eggplant, black, green, blue, dark purple) are dyed, not natural color. I'm sorry, but it's better to know now rather than later.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

What I haven't heard discussed: where are the akoya oysters coming from to begin with?

Hatcheries in China.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Dave, I wonder why the hatcheries are even selling these oysters...wouldn't they be making more money selling them to farms? Or are these rejected oysters that maybe have died prior to implanting with a nucleus? I am speculating on this, but that would be not only gross but potentially worse.

 

[Pearl help]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. I hope these pictures attached correctly. My question is are these Akoya pearls or are they freshwater pearls? How can I tell on my own? I understand that the darker/black ones have been dyed. What about these bright red and vibrant blues, even seen some sea foam greens. Why/how are these ones so different in color? These Pearl Parties on Facebook has exploded and it has peeked my interest. So I've done some research and from what I have learned here is that 99% of these pearls aren't what people are claiming them to be, Akoya pearls and the value is pennies. What are the legal reproductions these groups could face?

I am just here to learn and understand. Please educate me nicely.

Thank you!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Pearl help,

The brightly colored colored ones in your photo are dyed. Freshwater pearls do come in natural shades of peach, pink, lavender, and some have fancy overtone colors.

You do not need to be able to tell on your own; if they were cut out of oysters at one of those pearl parties or if the oyster was packed in a can or was bought by you, it can only be freshwater as only freshwater pearls are used for those.
100% of the pearls are not what they are claimed to be.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

What are the legal reproductions these groups could face?

I am just here to learn and understand. Please educate me nicely.

Thank you!

Welcome to P-G

Your concerns are valid.

The pearls are from freshwater sources then dyed and manually placed into ocean oysters after being chemically sacrificed. Although the first oyster produced several pearls, technically two oysters died for one pearl.

From a legal standpoint, the appraisals are fraudulent. Whether the pearl was bought in a rotten tomato or a tin of caviar, does not defray it's real value. Overstating value causes householders to over-insure otherwise low value items. This is a highly unethical consumer policy that not only misrepresents actual worth, but gives rise to insurance fraud.

The chemicals used to treat these oysters have not been fully disclosed and do not properly meet standards for shipping hazardous materials and pose a threat to personal health and safety. None of the party hosts wear proper barrier protection and run the risk of nerve damage and or other carcinogenic threats or conditions.

I handle preserved tissues often and understand the dangers acutely, hence wear proper gloves and ship samples with proper disclosure to avoid running into seized shipments or threatening the health and safety of others.

Then of course is the obvious pyramid scheme of consultants hiring consultants. I cringe to listen to the nonsense from these party hosts when they speak. Clearly unaware of their own ignorance. They're charlatans and little else. They add nothing educational instead focus on rewarding social media shares in the off chance they'll win a shoddy trinket.

Please be welcomed to read and participate in thread discussions here. The willingness to listen and learn is rewarded with honesty and beauty.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Dave, I wonder why the hatcheries are even selling these oysters...wouldn't they be making more money selling them to farms? Or are these rejected oysters that maybe have died prior to implanting with a nucleus? I am speculating on this, but that would be not only gross but potentially worse.

Supply exceeds the demand for graft ready akoyas. You can tell by how the party hosts break the shell before before shucking it, this means the shells are super thin, likely from thermal acceleration to speed growth and possibly hormonal induction. Hence rejected for pearl graft candidacy because they'd break under the pressure of the speculum and produce inferior pearls. On farms or in the field, when normal shells are handled incorrectly, mishandling when opening can cause severe, infectious lacerations, even amputations. I've had two skin grafts on my left thumb and stitches once on my right forefinger (not to mentions numerous nicks and cuts) from broken shells.

They're intentionally grown as oysters for dummies.

 

[MMtwo]

View attachment 47712View attachment 47713

Hello everyone I am new to this forum and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. I hope these pictures attached correctly. My question is are these Akoya pearls or are they freshwater pearls? How can I tell on my own? I understand that the darker/black ones have been dyed. What about these bright red and vibrant blues, even seen some sea foam greens. Why/how are these ones so different in color? These Pearl Parties on Facebook has exploded and it has peeked my interest. So I've done some research and from what I have learned here is that 99% of these pearls aren't what people are claiming them to be, Akoya pearls and the value is pennies. What are the legal reproductions these groups could face?

I am just here to learn and understand. Please educate me nicely.

Thank you!

Sooner or later someone looking for a little pocket money is going to sue, or turn companies in to the US Postal Service for fraud.

If I were running a party site,
-I would take the name "Akoya" out of my literature, period.
-I would sell cultured freshwater pearls and say they are freshwater pearls and sometimes dyed. By dyed, not some fairytale story about dye inserted into a young oyster and maternally gestated...Nope, it's basically rit dye and pearls.
-I would not inflate the value and make sure everyone knew the party was for entertainment value.
-I would not hide the fact the pearl came out of a huge freshwater oyster (containing 35-50 freshwater pearls) and shoved into a dead oyster of another species.
-Finally, I would wear gloves and maybe a respirator...those embalming fluids are unknown.
But hey, that's just me.

As a consumer, I prefer to buy my pearls from a reputable pearl dealer so I know exactly what I am buying and how rare they might be. It's fun to collect different types of pearls. All of our wonderful pearl vendors LOVE to educate the pearl buying public. Sad is the fact that many of the people holding the shows may not know the truth from fiction. I would hate to see a good, innocent person get caught up in a scam unknowingly.

One other word of warning: buying pearls from Ebay can be just as full of deception as the Pearl parties. please be very careful online. there are a few pearl vendors on Ebay I trust, and I stick to them like glue. Half of the South sea/tahitian/sea pearls of cheap old potato shaped freshwater pearls.

 

[Pearl help]

Sooner or later someone looking for a little pocket money is going to sue, or turn companies in to the US Postal Service for fraud.

If I were running a party site,
-I would take the name "Akoya" out of my literature, period.
-I would sell cultured freshwater pearls and say they are freshwater pearls and sometimes dyed. By dyed, not some fairytale story about dye inserted into a young oyster and maternally gestated...Nope, it's basically rit dye and pearls...stop the lies.
-I would not inflate the value and make sure everyone knew the party was for entertainment value.
-I would not hide the fact the pearl came out of a huge freshwater oyster (containing 35-50 freshwater pearls) and shoved into a dead oyster of another species.
-Finally, I would wear gloves and maybe a respirator...those embalming fluids are unknown.
But hey, that's just me.

As a consumer, I prefer to buy my pearls from a reputable pearl dealer so I know exactly what I am buying and how rare they might be. It's fun to collect different types of pearls. All of our wonderful pearl vendors LOVE to educate the pearl buying public. Sad is the fact that many of the people holding the shows may not know the truth from fiction. I would hate to see a good, innocent person get caught up in a scam unknowingly.

One other word of warning: buying pearls from Ebay can be just as full of deception as the Pearl parties. please be very careful online. there are a few pearl vendors on Ebay I trust, and I stick to them like glue. Half of the South sea/tahitian/sea pearls of cheap old potato shaped freshwater pearls.

Thank you all for your kind words of wisdom. I have watched so many pearl parties on Facebook and I started to do my research. I thought it would be another source of income. I mean if you stop and think about it.... Buy 100 oysters for let's say $300 and sell them for $20 each during these live parties on FB that's some major bucks. However, I am one to research every single aspect. Knowing what I know now I will not be participating in this. It makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.

So how does one keep others from getting taken? I reached out to one of the ladies that does a FB "show" who says these pearls listed are 100% Akoya pearls. I, referenced her here and I was just given the well that's not where I get my pearls from, a friend of a friend of a realities who live overseas. How can we educate people on what this really is? It's just hard for me to sweep this under the rug.

 

[cmd2014]

Oh my gosh, I hope you didn't buy all those pearls! Even if you were buying them as a party planner (not an end stage consumer), you could buy a real Akoya strand for what you would spend on the number of inexpensive pearls that you have there. Aloha pearls sets the wholesale price at $4.99 -$24.99/oyster. That's still way more than what each pearl inside the oyster is worth - as it factors in the cost of manufacturing, packaging, shipping, distribution, and advertising. With 50+ pearls there, depending on the quality of pearls you were buying, you could buy a genuine Akoya strand possibly many times over. This makes me sad and angry if I'm being honest. I do hope someone sues and/or files fraud charges.

ETA: against anyone hosting the parties and selling these items too, as sadly, they too are perpetrating fraud.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Supply exceeds the demand for graft ready akoyas. You can tell by how the party hosts break the shell before before shucking it, this means the shells are super thin, likely from thermal acceleration to speed growth and possibly hormonal induction. Hence rejected for pearl graft candidacy because they'd break under the pressure of the speculum and produce inferior pearls. On farms or in the field, when normal shells are handled incorrectly, mishandling when opening can cause severe, infectious lacerations, even amputations. I've had two skin grafts on my left thumb and stitches once on my right forefinger (not to mentions numerous nicks and cuts) from broken shells.

They're intentionally grown as oysters for dummies.

Thank you Dave! I just somehow knew you'd have the answer. So it seems that these open a pearl scams also use inferior oysters, ones which would never be worthy of a graft.

I am so sorry about your fingers...I do hope all is now well. Your comments do make me wonder what other hazards (besides chemical) might exist with these oysters.

 

[Pearl help]

Oh my gosh, I hope you didn't buy all those pearls! Even if you were buying them as a party planner (not an end stage consumer), you could buy a real Akoya strand for what you would spend on the number of inexpensive pearls that you have there. Aloha pearls sets the wholesale price at $4.99 -$24.99/oyster. That's still way more than what each pearl inside the oyster is worth - as it factors in the cost of manufacturing, packaging, shipping, distribution, and advertising. With 50+ pearls there, depending on the quality of pearls you were buying, you could buy a genuine Akoya strand possibly many times over. This makes me sad and angry if I'm being honest. I do hope someone sues and/or files fraud charges.

ETA: against anyone hosting the parties and selling these items too, as sadly, they too are perpetrating fraud.

Thank you for you concerns but I did not purchase those nor do I sell them. However someone else did. from one of these FB pearl parties where these are listed as Akoya Pearls. I'm not sure how to stop this from happening again and again. I've reached out to the lady that sold these in particular but it wasn't the response I had hoped for.... Any ideas on how to stop this from happening?

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Any ideas on how to stop this from happening?

Lead by example. The best way is not doing it.

These parties are little more than carnival sideshows, or casinos except most people know the fix is in on those.

In the image you've attached, I see about fifteen pearls worth something. Perhaps fifty cents each. The rest are worthless junk. I would decline to pay ten dollars for the entire lot. It would have cost someone more than $1500. Markup in excess of 1000% is highway robbery, not a wise consumer choice. No less for mismatched inferior goods.

The same amount could have purchased a personally suited, well matched, highly graded genuine strand.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I am so sorry about your fingers...I do hope all is now well.

Thank you for your concern. The grafts happened years ago. I've healed well, but have some battle scars. The back of my hand was when a sack of oysters rolled in the boat after hitting a wave as I steered. The other on the tip of my thumb was from a broken shell when I reached for a tool. I got the stitches in my right finger when my shucking knife slipped and my finger glanced across a chip in the shell. Almost every collection, I gather a few minor scratches, but they'll always become infected before healing.

In my operation, I do not allow anyone to handle or open shell stock without adequate training and proper protection.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Very wise Dave, very wise!