[knotty panda]

Ok, this isn't about buying, but it's about a jeweler with GIA attached to his name (which stands for "G"ee, "I" oughta know, but don't so, I'll "A"d lib). My apologies to Jeremy for this story right up front!

I bought a strand of golden SS baroques from PP. About a week later, I was window shopping and saw some SS rounds 12-15 MM which I took a closer look at. The jeweler explained they were natural for a mere $20 grand, but nice guy that he is, he was willing to negotiate.

I queried him several times -- natural? Natural? You mean, NATURAL? Each time he replied, yes, natural.

I was wearing PP's GSS and took them off to show Mr. GIA. Mr. GIA told me he thought they very good quality GSS pearls, however, he was quite sure they were purchased illegally and passed on to me. I had blackmarket pearls!

You see, the pearl divers, he explained, (they have divers at farms?) rip off the pearls from the owners and sell them on the street. That is the only way that I could have obtained such a nice strand.

I laughed myself silly right there in the store.