Quote:
Originally Posted by msLondon  I've never purchased anything from ebay, are there any overused terms that are used to mislead the uneducated consumer.
I've seen the following:
1. natural pearls...translation NOT faux/fake
2. Tahitian Black...translation FW peacock |
The phrase "Tahitian black color" often appears in the descriptions of these strands, which is a pretty clear indication that the underlying pearl isn't Tahitian. Dyed freshwaters look nothing like Tahitians, so I'm not sure this rises to the level of "buyer beware." I'd say this is more of a "buyer must have the most basic notion of what (s)he is trying to purchase."
I'm also seeing more baroque shell pearls, but the uniformity is still a dead giveaway.
Hanaleimom, she was fortunate you refrained from quizzing her about nucleus sizes used by SSP farms.
I think the rise of "south seas" as a general descriptor may be rationalized thus: "they're farmed south of the US/Europe and come from the sea."