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The Pursuit
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As I pursued the idea of a pearl engagement ring, I began reading (and posting in) this forum where I found Zeide Erskine and Jeremy Shepherd to be most helpful and knowledgeable in all matters related to pearls. I discovered that although pearls, in general, might not be durable enough for something like an engagement ring, natural pearls can be much more durable than cultured pearls and, if treated properly, can withstand a lifetime of wear. I began searching for a black natural pearl suitable as the center stone of an engagement ring (6mm-10mm). The first one I came across was a 9mm almost-round black keishi from the Gulf of California found by pearl farmer Douglas McLaurin. I contacted him within a week of when he posted his finding in the pearl-guide forum, but by then he had already sold it. It was almost a month before I found another black natural pearl for sale.
After asking around the pearl-guide forum, I was referred to natural pearl dealer Jeremy Norris of Oasis Pearl in California. He claimed he had a 2.5 carat, 7mm, round, black, natural pearl from Mexico and his asking price was $1600. Unfortunately, he didn't have pictures, nor did he have a certification, nor an appraisal. So I asked him if he had any contacts in New York that he would send it to for viewing. To my surprise, he offered to send the pearl directly to my home with no deposit (you can contact me, Jeremy, if you don't want this fact publicized). I thought this was suspicious, but was assured by Zeide Erskine that lending on trust as such is a standard practice. When I received the pearl, I found the quality to be exquisite except for two very slight blemishes on one side. It was much rounder than the Douglas McLaurin's almost-round keishi, although its overtone was green instead of red. I sent Zeide the following pictures to get an expert opinion on the quality, although I don't think the pictures do it justice:
http://leroybrown.glassmelter.com/pearls/
Citing the two minor blemishes, I offered Jeremy $1400 (pending a certification) and he agreed (not on the basis of the blemishes, but on the condition that I paid for the certification), but before I paid him, I set out to make sure I wasn't being ripped off.
Later, when the integrity of of this pearl came into question I also contacted Casey Greenling, who is not involved in the pearl industry professionally, but has a collection of natural Mexican pearls that he is looking to sell.