[Caitlin]

Hi bluecamel
Boy did you arrive with a bang!

Truth is Jeremy has been taking stands against all kinds of fraudsters and misrepresenters all along, but I like the idea of a scams, frauds, and debunked myths forum.........

[bluecamel]

Hi Caitin,
Happy Birthday! I’m glad that you like the idea for a new forum. Being new to the world of pearls, I will admit that I was completely lost wading through the various lies of some on-line sellers. Fortunately, my only mistake was one set of AAAA earrings. Can you imagine that my lack of knowledge had me believing that on-line sites that did not carry the quad A rating were not worth my time? Finally, I discovered this forum and learned the facts of life!

The kinds of things that Pearlflection and other unscrupulous dealers represent should not be tolerated. Those of us that are now informed find their claims to be laughable, but we should not be laughing. We should mad as **** and start holding their feet to the fire.

The members of this forum are armed with so much knowledge that no one can get away with any false claims. This knowledge is now harnessed and it needs to be unleashed upon all businesses playing loose with the facts. From what I have discovered reading past posts, the members of this forum certainly have the credentials to police up this entire mess.

So as I mentioned before, it seems that the forum is at a cross roads. For all of the honest pearl lovers out there, a decision needs to be made how to proceed. Once a plan of action is agreed upon, (be it a blacklist, running forum, etc.) then it should be implemented with extreme prejudice, making this forum a definitive voice in the world of pearls.

[Caitlin]

Bravo!!!.

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by bluecamel

From what I have discovered reading past posts, the members of this forum certainly have the credentials to police up this entire mess.

Suc good deeds... never, ever go unpunished.

[Kevin Canning]

BlueCamel - welcome to the forum! I like you're style

making this forum a definitive voice in the world of pearls.

No need to worry, we already are most trafficked pearl related website in the world, as well as holding the largest collection of pearl related information that I know of online.

I do like the idea of a sort of "scam-busters" section of the forum, but it would have to be done in the right way - done poorly it could be a total mess, with possible legal implications.

[richipat]

Ok guys, I am sad to say that I bought some earrings over a year ago for a gift.

Once they arrived, they were very white, had all sorts of claims on the accompanying literature, but they DID NOT PASS THE TOOTH TEST.

They felt as smooth as plastic pearls.

Very strange since they are supposed to be covered in nacre -- or some kind of "pearl dust" or something from the real thing. Quote from HSN: "Each bead was created by applying multiple layers of natural shell in solution onto a mother-of-pearl center. "

So I dumped them in a drawer and bought something else.

And they were way overpriced.

YAK!!!

Later....I googled Pearlfection Simulated Pearls and this Amazon listing came up. http://www.amazon.com/Pearlfection-S.../dp/B000MSWM3S

Here is quote about how they are made: Part of the Pearlfection collection. Background Story: The creation of Pearlfection starts with the same identical mother-of-pearl nucleus that is used in saltwater pearl culturing. This includes the classic heirloom akoya pearls and the highly coveted South Sea pearl varieties. A special aquatic solution has been created and applied by man to mimic the finest saltwater cultured pearls in the world. Features and Benefits: PH-This jewelry was created to mimic high end cultured pearl jewelry PH-These pieces are easily worn by themselves or with other cultured pearls Looks and wears like the high end saltwater pearl strands as well as gives protection to the Pearlfection pearls California residents only: ?Proposition 65? WARNING

[jshepherd]

They made it a point to say that their pearls were porous (yes, the used the word porous) like the real thing. This is how they are "just like" the real thing.

Nacre would likely be ground mussel shell. This is what shell pearls are made of.

Shell is very similar to pearl. It is the epithelial cells in the mantle tissue that creates the shell, and when placed against the nucleus, it coats and creates a pearl.

But, not all of the shell creating mantle tissue is the same as that used in pearl culturing. Each part of the mantle is responsible for different parts of the shell.

In the Pinctada marg., for example, the outer lobe produces the periostracum. This is the horny conchioline outer layer of the shell. The outer wall of the mantle near the periphery creates the rainbow-color nacre, while the inner creates white. Only the periphery edge is used in pearl production. The rest of the mantle just creates shell.

It is not the same thing as a pearl.

There is nothing wrong with shell pearls. They are a very affordable alternative to the real thing. But they are indeed fake pearls, and they look and feel very different from the real thing. Insinuating anything else is just dishonest.

[bluecamel]

Hi Kevin,
You are correct, things would have to be handled the right way and I do not have a clue as to the legal end. I would like to throw out some ideas and see what people think.

Would it be possible to have a permanent alphabetized list of businesses that are deceiving the public? Then linked to each business name, would be the posts that expose their unsavory practices and then a response of undeniable proof from our experts.

It should be very clear cut---Business Name, Lie(s) and Truth. If the owner of the site responds, be it negative or positive, their response should be part of the permanent record. That way the consumer can make an informed choice and maybe the owner in question will change their ways.

While reading past posts, I remember a business that had stolen a photo from one of the member’s site. When this was exposed by Jeremy with undeniable photographic proof, how did the thief respond? Did he blame his rotten childhood, a dishonest photographer, or man up to the charges? No, he attacked Jeremy calling him a liar. Anyone with an IQ above a bag of hair could tell by the evidence who the real liar was. Heck, there are people on death row because of less evidence than was presented in this incident. And in the end, the photo was curiously removed by the guilty party, vindicating Jeremy. As a consumer, I would appreciate knowing about unethical businesses.

On the flipside of this issue, new members are asking who they can purchase certain items from and the response is look to members of the forum. But if someone is new and other forum members are not on-line…would it not benefit both the customer and our retail members if there was an alphabetized permanent list of the good guys and gals (Amanda!)? Just some thoughts.

[Kevin Canning]

I know what you are saying and yes we do get a lot of new people coming and asking who they should purchase pearls from. BUT, this site was never created as a means to advertise and we would rather lose some sales and keep the integrity of the site then cross the line into self promotion.

It is a very slippery slope once you start using a site like this for promotion and we tend to err on the side of caution.

[bluecamel]

Hi Kevin,
I understand what you are saying reference a slippery slope. But one thing that makes this site unique and really enforces the credibility factor is the way all of the various retailers interact with one another.

I just thought that a list of retailers (no ads or banners) that support the site would give the new person an immediate starting point and keep them from being taken.

But I would never want the credibility of the site to be questioned.

[jshepherd]

I think you make a very good point. Maybe we should develop a page that lists the sponsors and members of the forum that honestly represent the products and sell ethically. A lot of people come here browsing and ask, but it is always an uncomfortable question.

Regarding those that conduct business unethically, eventually they are discussed here. But I would have a problem listing them as unethical vendors. Yes, The Pearl Source was using a photograph that they did not take, and the way the responded to being "outed" was unprofessional and left them with a lot of mud on their face. But, that does not necessarily make them completely unethical, although the use of AAAA is questionable, in my opinion.

Isn't there a list somewhere on this forum of the members and sponsors? We can use this to create the page.

[Caitlin]

If you aren't signed in, aren't there various advertisements salted in between responses?

[jshepherd]

Yes, but those are just financial sponsorship spots. Being listed as a recommended seller should have nothing to do with contributions to the forum. It should be related to the experiences people in this community have had with the sellers. I think there are something like 15 to 20 companies represented here, maybe more.

[bluecamel]

Hi Jeremy,
Stealing does not necessarily make them completely unethical??? Isn’t that like a little bit pregnant? Either one is or isn’t. Where does one draw the line?

I don’t know, have just been venting, because I work hard for what I have and I would hate to be taken by these lying #%/@*($^!!!!

It is just disheartening to see them go unchallenged and continue to fleece the uniformed.

[jshepherd]

Yes, stealing is definitely wrong, and using someone else's pictures as indicative of your own goods is unethical.

Where does one draw the line? That is a good question. I personally prefer to target those that are intentionally deceiving consumers through dishonest representation and imitation goods.

The AAAA grading system is a gray area. I think it is dishonest, but it is not illegal. The Pearlfection claims are illegal, as are 99% of the "pearl" claims on eBay.