Hi everyone!

I was in a jewllery store the other day, looking at a strand of freshwater pearls. The seller stated that the pearls were from Malaysia. I found this unusual, as I did not know that pearls were made in Malaysia, seeing how China has now dominated the market. The pearls were lovely, about 8mm, slight baroque shape, in varying degrees of peachy-pink tones, with a good lustre, and slight blemishes. The price tag was AUD$720 for a 18 inch necklace and matching bracelet with 9ct gold ball clasps. This seems a little pricey, can anyone advise?

China does produce more than 90% of the world’s freshwater pearls, but other countries produce them as well, possibly including Malaysia. I know Malaysia has had their hand in South Sea and Tahitian production, and even have their own abalone farms.

With regard to the price, that is your typical retail price. We sell a similar necklace for $145 USD, which roughly translates into $196 AUD. The bracelet is half the price. Here is a picture of the necklace:

Pink Freshwater Necklace

[purepearls]

Were the pearls slightly baroque or near round? In terms of pricing, there is a difference. If the pearls were baroque, they would be worth much less. If they were close to round in shape, the would be worth more! We do have very nice round Freshwater pearls in peach in different size ranges. Our pricing is about much, much less and the quality is excellent.

Yes, the pearls were a slight baroque. Also, they were multicolour, in colours of pink, peach and cream. They were quite large pearls. The price I mentioned (AUD$720) was the lowest the jeweller would do, so I was reluctant to purchase them for this reason, particualrly having read a lot on this forum! I am willing to pay up to AUD$1000 for a stunning, high quality necklace and bracelet, but am wasting a lot of time searching through jewellery shops! Thank you for your feedback, I will seriously consider ordering online from the experts now!

I doubt they are from malaysia, most likely imported from China but claimed malaysia pearls.