[iceruby]

I am looking at two white pearl pieces. One on Ebay:-

Ebay Item number: 230176524116 - Buy It Now price of $799.00 (Aust)
(it implies actual value is $3099)

Certificate of Authenticity

PEARL QUALITY:AAA
Luster:Very High
Surface:Very Clean
Nacre:Very Thick
Size:10-11 mm
Color: Natural White (NEVER BEEN DYED)
Type: Australian South Sea Pearl
Shape:Perfect Round
Metal:18K(750) (stamped) Yellow Gold
# Of Diamonds:10
Total Diamond weigh:0.04ct
Diamond quality : G.H color (nearly colourless) SI1 clarity(slightly imperfect)

The second is on http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=970

11.00 to 12.0mm AAA White South Sea Pearl & Diamond Earrings
WSE-Romance

With flawlessly round White South Sea pearls dangling elegantly from French lever-back diamond findings. Made with our lustrous White South Seas, some of the rarest and most valued pearls in the world, these sophisticated earrings feature AAA quality pearls with a warm luster and beautiful silver overtones. The pearls have a highly reflective shine with a beautiful smooth satin surface; VS-1 diamonds totaling .06cttw are set in 14kt yellow gold or white gold.

Our Price: $1210.00

Apart from the obvious quality difference in diamond and gold how can I tell the quality difference of pearl? Which is the better value? Both seem to be rated the same, one is 1mm larger than other.

[tanakarn1]

There is no international standard of pearl quality. AAA from one company may be different (higher or lower quality) from the other. Anyway, there are many happy customers of Pearl Paradise here in this forum. As for the e-bay vendor, I have no idea about it.

Good luck!

[Raisondetre]

Many PGers here have bought from Pearl Paradise and are happy customers. I'm one of them and I would not hesitate to buy from Jeremy again and again. In fact I have quite a few orders lined up because of the trust involved. With PP you never have to worry about the quality - what you see is what you get, as stated in the description.

Buying on ebay can be difficult - even if the feedback is 100% positive it can be hard to know about the quality - not many people can appraise pearls accurately, especially for consumers. We are all highly attuned on this forum, but that is not the case with the general public. I have had a look at the Australian website (http://www.pacificpearls.com.au/) - although it seems reputable they do have a number of low quality pearls as well. It's a good thing that they rate those as A quality, but the pictures are not as big as I'd like to assess the quality of the larger pearls. In general, I think the workmanship is not as good as Pearl Paradise just from what I've seen. They also do not state that the black freshwaters are dyed.

I personally find the yellow gold a tad out of fashion with the diamonds looking like headlights. I just prefer white gold.

In terms of value for money, the Australian website may be cheaper being closer to the source, but I'm not certain Pacific Pearls (two PPs, how confusing) is actually a true wholesaler. You can only get good prices in quantity. It doesn't matter where you are purchasing from if you're the vendor. The pearl vendors in Australia sell at normal retail prices possibly higher than in the US. The size would only matter if the quality is as stated and both pearls are graded using the same criteria. It may seem so on paper, but there is universal grading system and no guarantee of the quality. I would buy from Jeremy as I do not personally believe anyone can beat his pricing at that quality given the quantities he buys in. Jeremy would also know most of the wholesalers and farming enterprises in Australia, so perhaps he can comment on Pacific Pearls.

Ultimately it's up to you. You might decide to try ebay and let us know if the quality of the pearl is as stated. You might be pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't take the risk. You may "save" a few hundred bucks, but given that you're already shelling out a large sum of money for a pair of earrings I'd play it safe.

[pattye]

Hi There--

1. The online sellers on this forum do a much bigger volume than it appears Pacific Pearl Intl does--300+ sales in 2 years.

2. ebay seller only has 30 day return policy--not much time to get a questionable pearl checked out and returned. The pearls in the photo may not be the actual pair you would receive.

3. Most of the value should be in the pearl, not the diamonds at that ct weight. The actual size of the pearl does make a difference in cost, even 1mm. Anyone should ask exactly what size they would be receiving. One might also want to request certain overtones, as "white" isn't just white!

4. You can call our online seller forum members for personal service and have your questions answered, as pearl lovers too they are happy to give you the attention such a purchase deserves. Doubt if you would be calling a company in Australia.

Just some things to consider--

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

[Josh]

If it's not Care Ehret on Ebay you're dealing with, you're taking a big risk. I agree with Pattye on the size issue too. One mm is a big difference in price as far as Tahitian pearls so I would imagine that SS's follow.
Pearl Paradise is easy to deal with and is the leader in online sales for lot's of good reasons.

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by iceruby

Ebay Item number: 230176524116 - Buy It Now price of $799.00 (Aust)
(it implies actual value is $3099)

What do you mean? Isn't 'actual value' the price (at most)? Seriously...

I do not know the seller. If you trust their return policy, whether the item matches your expectations or not the loss wouldn't be so terrible. If not... Not sure what more could I know aside the information provided by the seller. And if there are issues with the items, they're not going to boast about the flaws, are they.

[Sueki]

I've bought several items from PearlParadise, and been more than happy every time.
If anything, the pearls have, to my layman's eye, been even better than described.
The difference in price between the two items that you are looking at -there will be a very good reason for the difference, and it might be that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.