The are definitely fake.. but I don't think you have any reason to feel bad about the price. OK, so it wasn't cheap costume jewelry... they are what they are. It is not possible to have any type of natural pearls in such size, so if you like very large beads, the look can only be from something artificial. 30mm round beads would be instantly recognizable as something artificial. That's part of the fun.
You can definitely have freshwater pearls for the money. Their typical size is about 10mm - only rarely a bit over.
How big do strands round cultured pearls go? Only about this much:
LINK to 17-21mm strand. Perhaps there are a few larger baroque or button pearls somewhere... who knows. Their price is good indication of how scarce these sizes are.
The easiest way to get a bold look from freshwater pearls is just to use allot of them - thick torsade necklaces and long multiple strand ropes come t mind. Someone had a 3 meter long rope made and posted here a couple of days ago.
30mm round pearls? No... That simply cannot happen.
Speaking of huge: weird shapes of nucleated freshwater pearls grow as giants like
THESE. These are still unusual merchandise, but that's changing. So if you like their look, you are in luck!
2c
