Yurman Pearls

[amti]

Do these look like FWPs? The pearls range from 9.6-10.85mm. I know he usually sells FWPs but these are larger than most, so I wasn't sure. Thank you!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'd say they're FWP. And I'm wondering if they have bead nuclei.

Edit:

Yes, they are indeed FWP-- see here:

http://www.polyvore.com/david_yurman_pearl_buckle_necklace/thing?id=68302234

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David Yurman Pearl Buckle Necklace

$2,100 Sold out DAVIDYURMAN.COM

From the Pearl Collection. Sterling silver and freshwater pearl necklace. Pave diamond buckle clasp; 0.38 total carat weight. 16"L.

Edit again-- no, the clasp on my example is diamond. But still they are FWP-- so I think the necklace without the diamond clasp must be as well.

 

[amti]

Thank you Pearl Dreams!

I was also leaning toward fwps but thought their shape was too round for a fw strand of that size from 2010 and the fwps he sells now are not that round. Upon further research, Yurman had a south sea collection in 2005 but I haven't found any strands for comparison.

Is there a way to distinguish by eye the differences between ss and fw pearls and even fakes? I don't have these pearls in hand yet, but am curious to see how round they really are and hope the camera was not deceptive. As long as the pearls are round and decent, I'm happy. However, knowing what type of pearl they are will change the way I wear them. Thank you!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

amti,

The price would be much higher if they were SSP. They do look very round, which is why I wonder if they have a bead nucleus.

 

[Tucs]

Just for reference, I bought a gorgeous strand of high quality 10-11mm FWPs with matching 11mm earring studs for my mom for $1,100 total back in 2006. I bought them in China after intense haggling, so i would imagine they would have sold for substantially more in a B&M in the US.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Also, since it's Yurman, you have to expect a mark-up for the name brand.

 

[pattye]

Yes, I agree, high quality freshwater pearls. Round SSP would be much more expensive, especially from Yurman. You will be receiving lots of compliments on this necklace, no doubt! I hope you have it soon.

It is becoming more and more difficult to id pearls in general, because the best quality cfwp can look quite similar to SSP. In person is not as difficult as from a photo. One looks at color, shape, luster, kind of blemishes, size, "the tooth test, " rubbing 2 pearls together to check for grittiness. The clues are often subtle. Looking at lots of pearls in person helps train the eye.

 

[dkan 168]

As already mentioned in the thread in PS, I believe it is a lot of money for a strand of CFWP with a silver clasp!

DK

 

[amti]

Thanks! I will take photos and post them when I get the strand. The seller has been very good about communication and has very good feedback.

Tucs, that was so sweet of you! I bet they are gorgeous! I would love to see pictures! My husband works in China and bought me a set of fwps about 8 years ago and they are not truly round. Knowing he could have spent a little more makes me want to kick him now. lol

dkan, I agree... but Yurman's trademark is chunky silver. He's really not known for his pearls. I don't own any Yurmans and this purchase was really a whim when shopping for a yurman ring for my daughter. I couldn't care about the clasp but a strand of good pearls does deserve a nice clasp. Most of the pearls I saw while living in Japan had silver clasps and when I questioned it, I was told silver compliments white pearls better than gold.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Just one word of caution....there are a ton of FAKE Yurman pieces all over eBay. They are sometimes indistinguishable from the real hallmarks. Just an FYI, each and every time I've purchased Yurman from Neimans I've received a little David Yurman (black on one side, white on the other) polishing cloth and DY pouch for the item. I would also ask for the item code on the receipt and then look it up to make sure it matches the item being purchased. I'm not suggesting your piece is a fake, but I just be very cautious buying on-line unless the seller agrees to a full refund if the item is not authenticated. FYI, last year, DY had a sample sale at Chelsea Market (NYC) and I bought several items for my daughter that were 50%+ off. Yurman also has outlets too.

And I see you are in TX...DY has an outlet near Houston, I believe.

 

[amti]

Yes, I'm in Austin. I did not know they had an outlet! Good to know! I am curious to see the pearls in real life and hope they are real. I really don't care if they are Yurman or not since I did not pay Yurman prices. I'm more concerned that the pearls might not be real. I'm not positive I can tell the difference from a real good fake from a real one, although I have a high power microscope and a few pearls for comparison. There is a two week window for returns and the seller is very good about communicating with me. Feedback is very good as well. I did see a pit in one of the pearls though, so that is a good (although bad) sign, right? I will look into spotting fake Yurmans later tonight too. Thanks for the advice!

ETA: The pearls were purchased from Neiman Marcus in 2010 so they come with the NM pouch in the photos and not a DY pouch. Thus, I won't be able to verify with a receipt either.

 

[Tucs]

amti, I don't have close up photos of the strand because it's with my mom... I should take a couple in two months when I see her next.

I have never done it myself, but people here always advise to perform the "gritty test" to tell if a pearl is real or fake: rub it gently against your teeth to see if it is gritty (real) or smooth (fake) -- someone more experienced please correct me if I said that wrong.

For another reference, and in case you haven't seen it, here is a very high-quality strand of FWs from a reputable vendor:

https://www.pearlparadise.com/p-150-95-105-mm-white-freshadama-freshwater-pearl-necklace.aspx

 

[amti]

Tucs, thanks for the link. I actually purchased a set of freshadamas from them last November during their Black Friday sale and returned them for two reasons. 1- I could tell they weren't round, 2- I have a very similar set that my husband purchased a few years ago that is very close to shape and size. The luster on the freshadamas was superior, but it didn't make sense to keep two sets that similar. I've since purchased a dyed black fwp necklace from PO and this DY one. I didn't realize how much fun I had wearing a colored strand until that necklace so I'm looking into colored pearls now, but wanted a large strand before purchasing anything else, so I was hoping this necklace would fill that void.

I have done the gritty test on some pearls, but it will leave a mark if you're not careful so I don't like doing it on nice pearls- I don't know if this set would be classified as nice or not until I see them in person. I heard from the seller and my package should arrive Thursday- she's crediting me $50 for the delay in shipping. I will use the free time I have between now and then to study up on how to spot fakes and post better pictures. Thank you for your help!

 

[Katbran]

Well good luck - they look like CFWP and I hope they look as nice in person ! Best of luck. I do hope these are not coming from China..

 

[amti]

No, not China.

 

[amti]

I got my pearls today. They have more surface scratches than I thought they'd have... is there anything I can do about them? I do have the option of returning them, but the scratches don't really show up unless magnified. How do you tell if they have a bead nucleus or if they are fake pearls? They passed the gritty test, are cold, and sizes are all different but do lack a bit in luster. Here are some pics!

Could the indentation near the hole be the nacre chipping? Or could it be a fake pearl? This is the second pearl from the clasp and I wonder if it had glue on it prior to getting restrung.

Scratches

View attachment 35454


Holes- I have no idea what to look for here since the holes are so small and the string is tight.

With flash

They are very white, almost too white for me, but I'm loving the size!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

My immediate impression is that they are fake pearls. I'd send them back!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

amti, I couldn't add more before as I had something cooking on the stove. I have a few more minutes now.

The extreme roundness and uniformity of the color, the areas where they are peeling, all look like imitation pearls to me. I hope others who are actually in the industry will come by to weigh in. I hope I'm wrong about them.

 

[amti]

Thanks for your explanation. I can totally see that and thought they looked fake in the photos too. I am not totally convinced they are fake yet, but that seed has been in the back of my mind. If they are fake, I really want to make sure before I send them back and want to know what makes such a good fake.

I shot them in pretty strong backlight yesterday evening so I will try to reshoot them when it isn't so bright. Some of the closeups were shot next to a one of those huge magnifying (lit) desk lamps, which may also have something to do with color. I do see subtle differences in hue as well as imperfections, but they are hard to capture. Some of the pearls are not completely round, but they look pretty good in the photos. I'll try different backgrounds to see if it helps.

Under a high power microscope, the outer layer is similar to my akoyas but the imperfections are a bit different. My akoyas have tiny bumps and ridges set close together. This one has what looks like little lines and a few pricks/bumps scattered a part (not all on a pearl and not all pearls have them). They aren't very pronounced but you can see a few in the closeups in post 16. I tried comparing it to my fws but my dyed black set is hard because of color, the other set has just pin prick imperfections (no scratches, but I have only worn it a few times), but the clean surface is quite similar. I also have mabe pearls and a SSP pendant I can compare the surface to if those would be better choices.

The only place I could tell something was chipping was near the hole (not touching it from what I can tell) on the second pearl next to the clasp (first pic on post 16), so I wondered if removing dried glue could have done that. It is the crater looking thing near the hole and there are fine scratches around it. The string looks new, so it was restrung recently. I can also feel a slight grove where the crater is when I slide my nail through it. If this is fwp, then isn't the nacre in layers? If that chips, will the nacre under it be shiny or just dull? If it is fake, then I would assume a glass bead would be under it, right? Is there a way to tell without breaking the pearl? The other areas where the pearls are scratched don't seem to be peeling. They look more discolored and there is no ridge when I rub my nail over the areas.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

amti, I'm going to give you a link to a thread with lots of photos of fake pearls, for comparison and educational purposes:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7110

I will come back to the thread later but I'm getting ready to go out.