[Pearl_dreams]

The "wow" factor is so very subjective. People have different expectations.

However, if I felt less than fully satisfied with the strand I had received --but believed that a better strand could be substituted -- then I would return it for a replacement, not just a refund.

[salem]

Hi Gemsveritas,


I remember that thread you linked to with sweetfrock. I always wished she had stayed around as we privately pm'd a few times. If I remember right, I think she was over on this side of the world, maybe Hong Kong? It's been awhile. Anyway, I also couldn't follow the link and got sent back to the main page of PG. However, it was one of the first threads I responded to because she and I had ordered strands around the same time and were comparing our findings. A lot of it was offlist, but I still distinctly remember her using "dull spots" and "pits" and possibly deep scratches? She even posted a number of photos, were they still there? I guess I could just look up her user name and check. But I am lazy.

Anyway, I know she wasn't were happy with them. I had ordered an AAA strand dyed black strand and discussed how I saw the dye job since she was also considering the ordering a strand of those. I also remember advising her that maybe she had been sent the wrong strand, as from her photos I had also expected better surface quality from Freshadamas. However, they were beautiful pearls and had a lovely orient if I remember correctly. Maybe I should go review the thread? Hmmm..it's been a long time.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::wheww! that took me back. It seems the posts with her earlier photos got deleted because her photo links were no longer active, and since I am not an Admin. and am pretty computer ignorant anyway, I wouldn't know if it were possible to delete the links and keep the text. Depending on how it was written, it may have sounded really odd anyway. But my posts responding to her comments are sill there, so if it was a deliberate attempt to censor out negative feedback I think my posts would be gone too. But just my two cents.

[Pearl_dreams]

One more comment that has been on my mind:

Before I ordered my Freshadamas, I visited a number of jewelry stores locally to see what they had in freshwater pearls-- independent stores and mall stores-- and what they cost. I looked at some very nice Akoyas as well. With that knowledge, I then placed my order.

The pearls I received from PearlParadise beat the other strands I had seen, hands down, both in quality and cost. Are they 100% perfect in every way? No, how could they be? They are made by mussels, not machines. But I knew a good deal when I saw it.

If anyone is planning to order the top of the line pearls from an online vendor, I recommend going through a similar exercise. See what you can get locally. Then order. I think you are more likely to be wowed with what you receive when you have seen the alternatives.

The vendor may make a mistake-- they are not machines either. Of course that is the time to contact the vendor and arrange to return/exchange the item.

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by Gemsveritas

If Admin would stop deleting my posts and others that have concerns about their Freshadamas, while pretending that she doesn't, I would not have placed the above post.
For example, Admin deleted the worded descriptions. ie - dull spot, small pits, etc. posted by sweetfrocks of blemishes in Freshadamas in posts #13 & 14, link:http://pearl-guide.com/forum/showthr...?t=1366 . There are other examples.

This is the link she was attempting to post:
I can't wait!!

Gemsveritas,

Those threads were edited because the poster used the photo uploading service "photo bucket." The photos expired, creating a deadlink to the image. The images were not, ever removed. This can be easily verified by our computer savvy members by looking at the cache of the page:
http://209.85.173.104/search?sourcei...php%3Ft%3D1366
So basically, the pictures you "claim" admin removed because they spoke ill of freshadama were left in place, completely untouched until the photobucket account expired. How long do you think that is? Probably at least six months.

Posts are routinely deleted when an expired photo is found. It creates a dealink within the site which is bad for the forum from an SEO optimization standpoint.

Now the current page:
I can't wait!!

So if Admin deleted those posts for the reason you state, that means she also broke into Sweetfrock's photobucket account and deleted the pictures from there.

Your accusations are without merit and as a member you are basically accusing the forum of being unethical and acting without integrity. That puts you on a really slippery slope in my book.

[jshepherd]

I should add that Caitlin is Admin and she does a really good job of "up keep." She edits posts as necessary, as she finds them, when picture have expired, or she has found some ZE muck that was missed. If anything is in question she moves it to the moderator board for consensus.

She is Admin because she is a long-time member with no business ties to any of the vendors here on this forum. She will also probably take offense to your post as you referred directly to "her."

[pattye]

Hi Gemveritas and All,

Just want to say that I have no ties to any of the vendors here, and as I reread the thread referred to, it seems Sweetfrock grew in appreciation of the pearls she purchased and in the end was very pleased and also bought earrings. IMO.

I vaguely remember photos, with small natural blemish near the clasp. I think Caitlin's summary of the photos is very telling, even without the original photos.

I have read the forum virtually every day for the last 2 1/2 years and can affirm very few posts are deleted or edited, then only because they are completely out of line.

Caitlin spends hours daily behind the scenes as admin. She has made her biases known and speaks out freely. I certainly appreciate the time she is willing to devote to keep the forum running smoothly.

Just a few thoughts,

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[Karl]

I can certainly understand the desire/expectation of the "wow" effect when purchasing a gem grade strand. However, different people may be wowed by different features what might wow me wouldn't wow you. If returning the strand won't easily work in your situation, you might request hi-res images of the strand to review first, prior to shipment. Then if you have issues with the strand...you can request they put together another one. Obviously this wouldn't help in all cases...but it might in yours.

[Caitlin]

Hi
I was reading up on the controversy and I thought one post of mine (#26 on the cited thread) was good enough to quote over here, so I'll quote it, then I'll do another post on my feelings about Gemsveritas-?Wendy....

Honestly, if a blemish here or there or a dull spot makes you not like the pearls, then I would recommend some high quality faux pearls. They never have off shapes, dull spots or dimples. In fact, on an incredible number of pearl sites, including this one, there are instructions on how to tell faux pearls from real pearls. The reason is so many people think faux pearls are real and ask for a way to tell the difference.

To describe faux pearls:
Faux pearls have fantastic luster on 100% of every part of all the surfaces- NO dull spots ever, anywhere.
They have perfect skins, never a blemish or dimple anywhere.
They are absolutely, perfectly round. Never anything but 8 way rollers on a good faux strand.
There is never a deviation in size in a matched for size strand. Nor is there a deviation in the rhythm of size increase in a graduated strand.
Not one faux pearl ever has a hint of a ring anywhere on it, not even around the drill hole.
Faux pearls never have differences in color from pearl to pearl, no matter how slight. If you take a photo, they will all photograph the same.
Faux pearls never have the slightest of color discolorations anywhere under the surface.
You can’t look into or through the surface layers of any part of any faux pearl, ever.

If you look at a string of pearls that exhibits all above traits, they are either faux or they are worth more than most people can pay.


Under magnification, Faux pearls usually have a plastic or glass bead visible at the hole’s edge. Also under magnification, the edges of the hole may show slight separations from the bead or even chips missing.


The ultimate test for the usual faux pearl is the “tooth test. Rub a pearl surface on the edge of a tooth. Faux will be smooth, “real” nacre will be slightly gritty with tiny grits.



This above list does not apply 100% to a lot of shell pearls and high grad faux pearls made from compounds. Some even pass the tooth test.

Most faux pearls except brand name ones such as Majorca don’t have any iridescence. The iridescence on Majorcas, is equally distributed everywhere on the surface, from all angles.

In general, Majorcas cost way more than any other faux pearls, even rivaling all but the best cultured pearls, if they have the clasp certificate and box.

[Caitlin]

OK now for Gemsveritas:

Back when the photobucket problem was edited, I was not Admin.
Any editing of posts will say "edited by Admin" and the date. No one can edit in secret. It is part of the architecture of the site.

As far as the photobucket problem goes, when you use an outside site to post, it is not as permanent as resizing your photo to 400 pixels high and no more than 620 pixels wide. Both dimensions have to be within the requirement, but if you do that, the photo will stay up as long as the site does.

Another problem with URL photos like photo bucket is if they are too big, they distort the page for other readers. They run off the right edge and take the print with them.

I believe one of our members wrote instructions for posting pictures-I will make them a sticky on Pearl Books and Resources.

[Kevin Canning]

They were very pretty, but I expected "WOW".

Don't take this the wrong way but what experience do you have with pearls to determine what is a "wow" quality freshwater pearl?

What I mean is, did you understand what you were looking at, did you notice the orient, the matching etc.?

In the end all reputable dealers have a generous return policy, if you don't like the item return it - simple as that.

In cases like this, there probably aren't any real pearls that would give you the "wow" effect your are looking for.

[ghostman]

Oh boy, looks like my thread has gone off-topic based on a single line in my original post. Just to be clear, I wasn't stating I've witnessed any sort of bias regarding thread moderation. I think it's valuable to have vendors responding and ensuring this doesn't become a spam site. I actually made my initial statement because I wondered why there hasn't been any direct comparisons between similarly graded pearls across vendors, and I wondered if it was due to users not wanting to create an awkward situation for the vendors who post here regularly.

On topic, I thought Ashley's response pretty much answered my question regarding the rating system. I can't say I'm completely satisfied (I don't think I can be in this situation) since it just reaffirms the fact that there is no universally accepted way of grading pearls. I did, in fact, notice that the requirements for each grade varied from vendor to vendor, so I'll have to make a mental note that "AA" on site 1 is similar to "AAA" on site 2.

Back off topic, I'm not sure I agree with banning Gem. I think she may have misinterpreted the actions of the Admin, but I don't think she had set out to intentionally disparage this site. She had made a statement that she thought was true at the time, to which Jeremy expertly put to rest with his response (I'm pretty technical, so I'd have to agree with Jeremy's assessment). Not to mention... the guilt that she got banned due to my thread

Sorry for the trouble this has caused.

[Caitlin]

Ghostman, you are not responsible for another's posts.

Gemsveritas....Wendy....... went way too far.

We do not allow insults to other members, but this went much further, she virtually accused forum leaders of a lack of integrity and "balance". She accused me of lying. She could have PM'ed me and asked why I deleted her posts. I would have said no posts in that thread were deleted. She could have done a search of her old posts to find out what thread it was in.

We have never allowed abusive posts and hers qualified amply as abusive. That is the line and she knew she was flaming us. If you think this forum lacks integrity, by all means join another one, but I happen to know that the owners of this site have worked hard to maintain a high level of integrity.

While I do not love it when people complain publicly before they have gotten resolution on their complaints about a purchase- I do not delete them. I realize that it does show to what lengths our favorite vendors go to get customer satisfaction.