[Nerida]

Hi Ksrizz - how are your China plans going?

Hope no-one has misunderstood - I'm definitely not making comparisons between PP product and Apex - that would be the last thing I would do, particularly as I haven't bought pearls from PP ( I have bought findings, and they were fantastic!)! I am sure we haven't given any indication that that is what any of us here in this thread have been doing....

My Apex pearl purchases are mostly items I have resold. If I were looking for gem quality pearls, particularly to wear myself, I would be either planning an all day venture in China looking for specific pearls (which I may or may not find) - or going to PP or TPO or Pure Pearls websites..... BECAUSE they all seem to be consistent in their quality, well regarded by their customer base, and deliver products that are true to their descriptions from what I read. I am just saying that Apex are a much better than average ebay based pearl seller (and there are so many average ones, and a hell of a lot that are apalling!). And as PG said, sometimes you don't want exceptional quality - you may just be looking for something affordable to wear casually or in multiples - but as always, you do want both reliability and consistency, and that is something I have always found at Apex pearls. I am definitely NOT an agent for them, just have no hesitations to recommend them! Remember too that I am in Australia - I had never heard of TPO, PP or Pure Pearls until I started reading this website - they don't come up on my Google searches here unfortunately! Until now, online buying of pearls for me meant some shonky traders who do come up immediately on Google (won't mention names) or ebay sellers. In order to resell well, my pearl purchases from now will predominately be in China - BUT I am dreaming of one day having my little business include SS's & Tahitians (preferably from Josh, I am totally in love with his pearls) ....always fancied a buying trip to French Polynesia! Who wouldn't? Hope this clarifies things!

Regards,
Nerida

BTW my business name is Penelope's Pearls - no website, which is why I have never added it to my signature - when I have a website, I will add it! Pearl sellers must have a thing for alliteration - I have had this name for ages, didn't know there were so many other "PP's"..

[Nerida]

Sorry Hanaleimon - didn't notice you had already posted the link...

Jerin - not sure if there is any other site than their ebay one - I usually just contact him by email if I am looking for something, so don't know if there is any other business associated with the ebay site. I did ask him if it would be possible to visit him when I was in Suzhou, but he wasn't in town at the time..
Nerida.

[PGDesign]

Originally Posted by ksrizz

PP's quality is exceedingly better. From the reflections in the pearl, luster, shape, consistancy, even dye job seems spotty. You can see the differences viewing the Tahitian pearl earrings. They are a much higher class of pearl. As tempting as it was to buy at lower prices, considering - price vs. quality - I have to say, your money would have went a lot further and for generations - staying with the gems you once before purchased.

Ksrizz - Nobody is trying to compare Apex pearls to PP's! As Nerida said, and as I stated in my posting, Apex are regarded as a good source of low priced 'everyday' pearls which do represent good value for money. It is helpful for forum members to know that a reliable e-Bay source exists for this purpose, that is all. Not everybody can afford to make all their purchases from PP, TPO, and the other higher end dealers, much as they might like to.

I think it will be clear to anyone that if you look at Apex's prices they cannot possibly offer gem quality/flawless items for such a tiny outlay. I do have pearls from PP and they are reserved 'for best'. Whilst I am sure your comments were well-intended, I do not agree that I have spent my money unwisely, considering how little I have spent, I am very pleased. Not all of my pearls are purchased for investment purposes, nor am I in a position to consider future generations. Many of my Apex strands have been gifts for others, where spending more would not have been possible or appropriate, and all have been well-received.

To compare my (very costly, and flawless) Tahitian earrings to the dyed freshwater strand next to it doesn't make any sense at all. I merely placed them there to indicate how accurate some of the dying methods are now, because that has been discussed elsewhere on the forum. Much as I would like another Tahitian strand costing thousands, the freshwater strand I purchased is lovely in person and can be enjoyed without the worry of damage or loss. Incidentally, the dye job is not 'spotty' and for their huge size (10-11mm) they have very good lustre and bright reflections - far better than those 'comparable' (and very costly) strands in many of my local jeweller's.

[jerin]

Originally Posted by Nerida

Sorry Hanaleimon - didn't notice you had already posted the link...

Jerin - not sure if there is any other site than their ebay one - I usually just contact him by email if I am looking for something, so don't know if there is any other business associated with the ebay site. I did ask him if it would be possible to visit him when I was in Suzhou, but he wasn't in town at the time..
Nerida.

Hi Nerida and thanks for the help. I am still confused, I found the ebay-site and the name is apex pearl while the one I mailed to seemed to write their name a little bit other like apex_pearls.

It does not matter, I´ll contact both of them and then I am sure to get a clarification.

[PGDesign]

Originally Posted by jerin

Hi Nerida and thanks for the help. I am still confused, I found the ebay-site and the name is apex pearl while the one I mailed to seemed to write their name a little bit other like apex_pearls.

It does not matter, I´ll contact both of them and then I am sure to get a clarification.

Hi Jerin - this is the direct link to Apex's e-Bay store, where I made the purchases, I'm sure it's the one you found: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/APEX-JEWELRY

[Nerida]

Yes, that's the one. Sorry for any confusion!

[ksrizz]

sorry to give my opinon. I truly didn't mean to disturb anyone. It is only that so many people come to this sight for education and, well, I guess what one eye sees might be different from anothers. I honestly did not mean to be rude. It was my honest opinion meant in light of trying to be completely objective, not thinking that I may be hurting someone's feelings about their purchase. Please accept my apologies.

Kelli

[Caitlin]

I doubt you gave offense to anyone. It is just that we have two kind of pearl freaks here: the top of the line lovers who buy the best pearls from Pearl Paradise, Pure Pearls, Pearls of Joy the Pearl outlet. etc-----------and then we have the "lowly beaders".

The lowly beaders have the temerity to embrace, love and use cheap, even schlocky, luridly dyed pearls called "commericial" pearls. Most eBay sites sell the latter. When I first got here, I would timidly talk about these commercial pearls and got teased by the venders who consider the commercial pearls worse than nothing. They got used to us though and we bring a dab extra to this forum.

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams=

...and we bring a dab extra to this forum.

A dab extra?!?! I say it is more of a dollop!

[silverseajewelry]

[quote=Caitlin Williams;25967]I doubt you gave offense to anyone. It is just that we have two kind of pearl freaks here: the top of the line lovers who buy the best pearls from Pearl Paradise, Pure Pearls, Pearls of Joy the Pearl outlet. etc-----------and then we have the "lowly beaders".

(Quoting Caitlin's post above) Can someone help me figure out how to quote correctly? Last time I did it, I got what appears above, but no little quote thingy.


Three kinds of freaks, Caitlin. Don't forget the crossover freaks who are all of the above: buy fine quality pearls for themselves, bead and sell less expensive pearls and dabble in (or are proficient in) fine jewelry construction. I think several of us are crossover freaks!

[Caitlin]

I think most of the lowly beaders are crossovers and so are some who came here thinking about top of the line pearls.

to make a quote. Copy the phrase you want o quote and paste it in your reply box. Highlight it and click the little box up there with the tail.
You can also hit the quote button at the bottom of the page and you will get the whole post quoted. Then you either leave the whole post or cut the irelevent parts out.

[PGDesign]

Originally Posted by ksrizz

sorry to give my opinon. I truly didn't mean to disturb anyone. It is only that so many people come to this sight for education and, well, I guess what one eye sees might be different from anothers. I honestly did not mean to be rude. It was my honest opinion meant in light of trying to be completely objective, not thinking that I may be hurting someone's feelings about their purchase. Please accept my apologies.

Kelli

Ksrizz - Please don't worry about sharing your opinions. It's just that my jeweller, with his 26 years experience (and GIA diplomas) has somehow failed to acquire your skill when it comes to 'objectively' appraising pearls from photographs! I certainly don't expect the pearls to appeal to everyone, but it can be helpful for others to see what is out there. That is the purpose of the thread.

As you say, different eyes see different things. In that respect I'm afraid I don't see the obvious lack of lustre and lack of reflections that you felt moved to comment on. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm presuming that your opinion is gained from purchasing from this vendor yourself? And as has been said by a very experienced member, we're not all absorbed with buying high end items all of the time, which I'm sure is the purpose of a 'Pearls On e-Bay' section.

Regards
PG

[Nerida]

I've got a new designation! I'm a crossover girl through and through!

I wear pearls almost every day (like many/most of us) - some very expensive ones, some SS's that I've had for 15 years, some ebay finds, many bought overseas and even (gasp!) some fake ones!

My customers, like me, are often women in my age group (mid 40's) with fabulous pearls looking for "extras" - cheaper pearls for ropes, torsades, funky high impact pieces etc. They also are often shopping for fabulous pearls for daughter's 21sts, graduation gifts, wedding gifts etc etc. I (like many on this forum) need to cater to all tastes, and also all budgets - Apex's pearls suit this well, and my intent on recommending them is as a good, reliable seller of mid quality pearls and budget prices whom people who need/want this option can tap into.

I think most of us are crossovers, there just isn't enough money for all the pearls we lust and crave over....still working on my multicolored Tahitian strand plans...

[airdancer]

Originally Posted by silverseajewelry

(Quoting Caitlin's post above) Can someone help me figure out how to quote correctly? Last time I did it, I got what appears above, but no little quote thingy.

I think you deleted too much - that's why it didn't turn out. Leave the opening with (QUOTE: member;post number) and the last bit with (/QUOTE). The curve brackets have been substituted with square brackets for this reply to work.

[silverseajewelry]

Originally Posted by PGDesign

Ksrizz - It's just that my jeweller, with his 26 years experience (and GIA diplomas) has somehow failed to acquire your skill when it comes to 'objectively' appraising pearls from photographs!

Ok, a practice quote. Plus, I'd just like to point out that for the last five years, I have never passed a jewelry store without at least stopping in to look at the Tahitians and other exotic pearls they might have. It absolutely amazes me how little the average jeweler knows about pearls...especially Tahitians (and this includes many serious stores in Philly where I used to live). I am sure LA and NY would be a different matter.