Maybe I should contact the buyer whether he or she is willing to sell me the strand that looks like many worn akoya strands I have seen before and then I can take some close-up pictures for everybody's scrutiny. Or, better yet, a neutral party may do that.

Zeide

[Caitlin]

Showdown! Let her keep the clasp and just send the beads-

I would like to see a little collection of pictures of peeling akoyas
on this site. I would like to see a section to the left here on frauds, how they are perpetrated and how to avoid them-

Buy from trusted dealers, obviously.

[jshepherd]

If you were to do that you would start to see a collection of low-end junk freshwaters that "some" may still find attractive, but are considered garbage by most. Everyone knows that cultured Akoya can easily be damaged, especially if it were short cultured. Freshwater pearls can also be damaged, lose their luster (if they had any to begin with) and look horrible as well.

Several years ago average culturing time dropped to little more than 6 months for Akoya. This has jumped, but the lasting effect is a bad taste for cultured Akoya by many. The same thing has happened in the past with the over-production of freshwater pearls. If out of every 1000 freshwaters produced only 100 of them could even be used in jewelry and the rest were suitable to be ground into dust or painted an exotic color to be sold in beading shops for $5 a strand what would people think of the industry. Well, this has happened, and is still happening to some extent. Just recently has the quality of freshwater jumped, but it is still not widely available.

That being said, I have only been in the industry for the last 10 years. Granted, I have been completely immersed during that time and would never balk at the chance to go head to head with any pearl dealer. But I cannot imagine taking credit away from founders of the cultured pearl industry like Mikimoto, Jean-Marie Domard, or Robert Wan. They are the reason we are even discussing pearls today, and referring to their work as 'plated' just does not serve them. Showing pearls that are peeling and all around garbage is not a comparison, it is just that - showing garbage.

You all know that I am a big believer in freshwater pearls, they are getting better and I am obviously capitalizing on it. But on the same token, so are the Akoya, so are the Tahitians - each beautiful in their own right, and each desired in their own right - rightly so.

As I have said in the past, I will continue to support each industry helping them better themselves along the way. But if someone calls their jeweler and asks; "What is the nicest looking, most lustrous, round pearl you carry?" If the jeweler carries high quality Akoya, the answer will almost certainly (and rightly so) be Akoya. The jeweler should then tell the customer how to care for the strand and keep it beautiful for years to come. If the same customer is interested in black pearls, pointing that customer to freshwater in lieu of bead-nucleated, beautiful Tahitians would be a disservice.

Hi Jeremy,

Nobody doubts that there are high-quality akoyas around. However, short-culturing is still the call of the day and you cannot make the nacre thicker in post treatment. Thus, saying that the akoya is always more valuable than a freshwater cultured pearl is dishonest. I have seen coated freshwater pearls that turned dull after the coating wore off. I have seen the same thing in Tahitians. While the coated freshwater pearls were never touted as something they were not, the Tahitians were. I also have seen many freshwater pearls both natural and cultured that were of outstanding quality and the natural ones often hundreds of years old, I have yet to see a short-cultured akoya to stand the test of time. Indeed I have seen plenty of them peel and flake just like the strand in the above eBay lot.

Zeide

[jshepherd]

I would not say that Akoya are always more valuable than freshwater. I would say that nearly 99% of the Akoya on eBay are on par with beading quality freshwater. Those pieces are the ones available in China for as little as $1 per strand (yes, there are low-grade Akoya available for as little $1 per strand at the factories) and no more than $15-$18 per strand for 7+mm. There are even loose that cannot fit this grade that are peeled. But on the same hand, there are tons, and tons of freshwater produced every year that is sold uner $10 per kilo, around 25 cents per full strand.

But I will say that what is available to most, in most brick and mortar around the country (freshwater), is less valuable than their Akoya counterparts. The pearls we carry which you have dubbed "freshadama" are indeed better than and Akoya produced in Japan or China, but they are very, very limitted when viewing the consumer market.

Originally Posted by Zeide Erskine

Thus, saying that the akoya is always more valuable than a freshwater cultured pearl is dishonest.

What reputable dealer does so?

When i decided to buy a pearl set for a friend's graduation present, i went to pearlparadise prepared to spend the extra money for akoyas if the fw didn't measure up. fortunately for my wallet, the fw they offered had about 90% of the luster and beauty of the akoyas. indeed, held at arm's length they were darn near indistinguishable. no one there pressured me to buy the akoyas because they were somehow inherently more valuable. On the other hand, if i had been determined to settle for nothing less than the absolute best-looking pearls they had to offer, then i would have selected the akoyas. for the average consumer akoyas still represent the most beautiful pearls around, while fw present a better value for the dollar. will this situation change? maybe. those freshadamas are extremely pretty, but until they become as ubiquitous as akoyas, and as (in)expensive, akoyas will still be the most beautiful and accessible pearl on the market.

the problem isn't a lack of high-quality akoyas. the problem is a proliferation of low-quality ones.

edit: i see jshepherd beat me to the punch...

Hi Mike,

I have seen people even on this forum say many times that akoyas will always be more valuable like-for-like than freshwater pearls. I think it is high time that the reputable dealers on this forum put up pictures for consumers to see what an akoya pearl is going to look like 5 years of daily wear down the line side by side with a freshwater pearl that was of the same luster, roundness, and quality rating (that's what like-for-like means) that has been similarly worn. The value of an item is not solely determined by its prevalent retail price but also by the fact how well it holds its quality and thus value over time. And in this respect, the freshwater pearls, like-for-like, do hold their value far better than akoyas. So, while one may safely say that the average akoya pearl costs more on the same size basis than the average freshwater pearl, this is not true on a like-for-like standard and certainly the average akoya pearl does not retain its value like a freshwater pearl will. As such, the average akoya pearl is going to be more expensive and less valuable.

Zeide

[Caitlin]

I humbly withdraw my request to show garbage on this site- even if it is shown under the title of frauds and how to avoid them.

While the work of the giants in the industry cannot be belittled- there needs to be a standard with weight for akoyas- because the products of the cheap akoya culturists do undermine the whole reputation of the akoya market.

Short-cultured akoyas may have more bling than average freshwater pearls, but the product is faulty if it doesn't last a lifetime of gentle wear. And meanwhile my string of potato pearls from the bead store is wearing well under hard wear. It has poorly shaped pearls, but lots of them have brilliant patches of luster and even orient.

Since China appears to be the major grower and purveyer of such cheating akoyas, why won't they do the same thing with SS or Tahitians and lie about them too? I hope they decide to develop standards and go for quality in both the akoyas and the freshwaters- you wouldn't believe the glut of freshwater dyed in seasonal colors at the gem show. I swear they aren't selling 1/1000th of their stock. Most of it stays bagged up.

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams

Since China appears to be the major grower and purveyer of such cheating akoyas, why won't they do the same thing with SS or Tahitians and lie about them too?

I would not place the blame solely with the Chinese for the Akoyas. Yes, they have played their part in producing low-quality, but by attempting to compete with the lower cost of production the Japanese are just as culpable. And I do not feel the Chinese come anywhere near to competing with the Japanese on all the 'value-added' or better put 'diminished' treatments. Most of the factories use Japanese technology in China, because let's face it, the Japanese are the ones who basically started the factories in China in the first place.

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams

I hope they decide to develop standards and go for quality in both the akoyas and the freshwaters- you wouldn't believe the glut of freshwater dyed in seasonal colors at the gem show. I swear they aren't selling 1/1000th of their stock. Most of it stays bagged up.

But it is the price for which they are selling them when compared to their cost of production that makes it all worth while. While there is a market for them, both freshwater and Akoya, they will still be produced.

[Caitlin]

[quote=jshepherd] ........ 99% ...Akoya.... on eBay are on par with beading quality freshwater. Those pieces are the ones available in China for as little as $1 per strand
QUOTE]

What kind of nuclei do these beads have? I thought the MoP mussel shells were "expensive". Like how expensive?

Hi Caitlin,

The fine white ones are relatively expensive around 5 cents for a single small round to 2 dollars for a 14mm supergraft bead. Prices drop precipitously from there. Still, at a dollar a strand these are loosing money particularly after drilling. Other nuclei are cheaper, and different materials are already in use. However, the auction picture of the destroyed akoyas shows a high-grade nucleus with only faint but distinct striations.

Zeide

[Caitlin]

…”it's extremely important when purchasing pearls, to be absolutely certain of the meaning of any descriptive terms used by the seller” Grading Pearls- PGF….

What does “thick nacre” mean for akoyas? Is it a term with a precise definition, i.e. .4-.5mm?
I notice nacre thickness is not a criteria for Akoyas in the A-AAA system, but one can determine this, how?
Isn’t nacre thickness really the single most important factor in durability and a factor in which cheating is too common?

It looks like the Tahitian grading standard specifies .8mm, though.
.

The newest definition for thick nacre in akoyas is 0.25mm of the radius (0.5mm of the diameter). I find this standard ridiculous because you would get 8x as much nacre on a 5mm pearl then on a 10mm. Who in their right minds would ever buy anything but eensy-weensy akoyas under this standard. Not to mention that I grew up with the metric system. I know exactly how little a quarter of a millimeter is. Most strands contain at least one "worked" pearl. "Worked pearls" are those that had a little bump sawed off and were drilled at that point. This is different from peeling or cracking nacre. Anyhow, if you search the drill holes of your strand, you have a fair chance of finding a "worked pearl" and from there you can gauge the nacre thickness without loupe or x-ray.

Zeide

[jshepherd]

For the very low quality, even too low for eBay, they strip the pearls of their nacre so they are able to reuse the nucleus and sell the nacre. But if they will be able to get about $1 or more per strand, they will keep the pearl. That quality may actually be sold locally in China for a bit more ($2-$3 per strand). Do not get me wrong, those pieces are absolute garbarge - barely worth more than their nuclei. They should never leave factory. One relief is, however, they cannot last long enough to be seen. After a couple of wears the unsuspecting customer is left with beads.

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by mikehrz

When i decided to buy a pearl set for a friend's graduation present, i went to pearlparadise prepared to spend the extra money for akoyas if the fw didn't measure up. fortunately for my wallet, the fw they offered had about 90% of the luster and beauty of the akoyas. indeed, held at arm's length they were darn near indistinguishable. no one there pressured me to buy the akoyas because they were somehow inherently more valuable. On the other hand, if i had been determined to settle for nothing less than the absolute best-looking pearls they had to offer, then i would have selected the akoyas. for the average consumer akoyas still represent the most beautiful pearls around, while fw present a better value for the dollar. will this situation change? maybe. those freshadamas are extremely pretty, but until they become as ubiquitous as akoyas, and as (in)expensive, akoyas will still be the most beautiful and accessible pearl on the market.

the problem isn't a lack of high-quality akoyas. the problem is a proliferation of low-quality ones.

This is the exact point we have been trying to make. May I ask, as a consumer and a budding pearl expert, would you still feel happy, or at all taken if you had purchased an Akoya strand that day instead of a freshwater? BTW, you should stop by and check out the new ones when you get a chance.