WSS or Freshwater

[pearlbop]

Hi everyone,

I came across these two sets of earrings on local consumer sites, both with sellers claiming them to be WSS. Neither seem to be but would be great if experts can chime in. I've not bought from either of them nor seen the pearls irl so just taking photos that they've already uploaded.


#1 13mm Drop Pearls





I think these actually have a chance of being WSS because the seller uploaded on a platform where the items would be inspected and guaranteed by a well-known local company that specializes in luxury resell. S/he seems to just be a personal collector and not selling pearls on a regular basis. But what do you guys think?




#2 13.4mm Pearls




I came across these because the seller asked me if I would trade another valuable object that I was selling for these. I declined because they looked like freshwater but am curious because s/he has alot of "Tahitian" pearls for sale that seem to my untrained eye to be dyed freshwater.

S/he is selling them to the general public at prices that match SS and Tahitians though, so I hope no one has bought anything from her.



In general is it still quite rare for CFW to reach the sizes of SS and Tahitians? Would these CFW also tend to be bead-nucleated and so a simple candling test might be inconclusive?

Also can some SS have such dull luster that they resemble CFW?


Looking forward to being educated, thanks!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Yes, freshwaters with a bead can be the size of SSP and Tahitians. It's not rare, no.
Yes, some SS can have lower luster. I've also seen FWP with higher luster.

It can be hard to tell bead nucleated CFWP from SSP. This is where you need to be confident in your seller, especially if prices are high.
I can't be sure about the white pearls in these photos but they do look to me like SSP.

What is the metal and what are the stones in the findings?

 

[pearlbop]

Hi Pearl Dreams,

In both cases the sellers say its solid gold, not plated. in #2 the seller claims they are diamonds too - asked her for a cert when she asked to trade but she didn't provide any.

Which are ones you think look like SSP? Trying to get better at recognizing

to clarify, both sets are from different sellers

 

[Pearl Dreams]

A high price, claims they are diamonds but has no certificate?

If you buy them, will you feel the need to get them certified yourself, to be sure? What will that cost?
If it turns out they are CZ, will she refund you for the earrings and the cost of the certification?

The diamond ones are also not matched for color.

Any of them could be SSP, but I could also be wrong.

 

[pearlbop]

A high price, claims they are diamonds but has no certificate?

Exactly, so I declined her offer. She actually claimed to have one but didn't send a picture. I told her that I was open to viewing them first (with the mind to request she go to a local gem lab if the cert looked suspicious to me), but she seemed very keen to close the trade without letting me have a good look and think so naturally that was a no go.

She also didn't seem to have a registered company (not to my knowledge at least), so I passed.

Any of them could be SSP, but I could also be wrong

Ah okay, I was hoping there were some more obvious characteristics that one could look out for when trying to distinguish between WSSP and freshwater

Thanks Pearl Dreams!

 

[Katbran]

Given what you have said , it's best to pass on the diamond ones. The others do look like South Sea - but again with very high quality Bead Nucleated Freshwater it can be hard to tell in photos . But these do look like SS to me. ( very high quality Freshwaters wouldn't be cheap either ) What is the gold 18kt ?