[msLondon]

I've never purchased anything from ebay, are there any overused terms that are used to mislead the uneducated consumer.
I've seen the following:
1. natural pearls...translation NOT faux/fake
2. Tahitian Black...translation FW peacock

[pearlescence]

the classic is authentic = good (or not so good) copy
you are quite right about natural and T black - both careful wordings which are economical with the verity

[Sueki]

It's not just on ebay, either.
I recently looked at a row of "real" pearls on a stall that were faux.....
And was assured by the vendor that these were absolutely the real thing and unbelievably rare, too......
He'd searched the world over for another strand without any luck......

[Heidi]

Often, for finished jewelery, a gold purity will be in the listing title but you will find the EP (electroplate), HGE (heavy gold electroplate) layered, plated, GF part of the description buried somewhere in the listing.

[Pearl_dreams]

About 6 years ago I was at T. J. Maxx and saw a strand of pearls, marked "Cultured Pearls 14K." I didn't have a loupe on me but they looked nice enough for the price so I bought them.

Got home, checked them out with the loupe. They were imitation with a base metal clasp!

Back they went! I took the manager aside and explained to him why the "pearls" should not go back in the display but back to his supplier, then wrote a complaint letter to the corporate office and got a 10% discount coupon for my trouble.

Now I keep a loupe in my purse.

[Hanaleimom]

I would like to share my experience.
I was in a small jewelry store and pointed out a dyed FW strand (looks too small to be Tahitian): "Are those dyed FW?". The lady replied: "No, South Seas". . Then I pointed to several white strands and at least 3 of them are small about 6mm or smaller "What about those?". The lady said: "South Seas, all South Seas.". Maybe "South Seas" is the buzz word now.

I won't be buying from them even if the price is right, not even gold chain. Either they do not know what they are selling or they do it on purpose, which gives me a reason not to give my business there.

[MistofCassiopeia]

I have interviewed about 40 jewelery stores in my city. 99% of them don't have a clue about the pearls they sell. It's no wonder buyers are confused!

[laurenb]

Originally Posted by msLondon

I've never purchased anything from ebay, are there any overused terms that are used to mislead the uneducated consumer.
I've seen the following:
1. natural pearls...translation NOT faux/fake
2. Tahitian Black...translation FW peacock

The phrase "Tahitian black color" often appears in the descriptions of these strands, which is a pretty clear indication that the underlying pearl isn't Tahitian. Dyed freshwaters look nothing like Tahitians, so I'm not sure this rises to the level of "buyer beware." I'd say this is more of a "buyer must have the most basic notion of what (s)he is trying to purchase."

I'm also seeing more baroque shell pearls, but the uniformity is still a dead giveaway.

Hanaleimom, she was fortunate you refrained from quizzing her about nucleus sizes used by SSP farms. I think the rise of "south seas" as a general descriptor may be rationalized thus: "they're farmed south of the US/Europe and come from the sea."

[Nerida]

IT's not just the level of knowledge and disclosure that is disappointing in a lot of bricks and mortar jewellers, but the quality of the pearls as well! I am continually seeing small, ordinary FW baroques for hundreds and hundreds of dollars, and loads of very chalky rounds. And because these are the ONLY pearls a lot of consumers will see, these jewellers are giving pears a bad reputation.

haha laurenb - good description of "south seas"

[pattye]

There are a couple of ebay dealers, Briarwoodartgems and BaublesandBeads, who have nice gemstones, and from whom I have purchased a number of times, but they incorrectly describe some of their pearls, such as Tahitians, when they were dyed flameballs, and pink petal pearls at SS keshi. Those are the latest that come to mind, but there have been others-----I do send them an email politely correcting them--------

[Miriam Reed]

I've only ever met one person in a brick and mortar jewelry store who was fairly knowledgeable about pearls. He was the jeweller and was from the far east. He also had a nice collection of pearls.

I've had salesgirls assure me that large faux pearls for under $70 are cultured pearls: that freshwater pearls are Akoya; that pearls don't come with a high luster; that there are no different grades of pearls - they're just cultured or not; that all their freshwater A to AA grade round pearls are natural pearls; that saltwater pearls are not cultured; etc, etc

Unfortunately, the general public isn't very well informed when it comes to pearls and that tends to extend to quite a few jewellers as well.

Let's take it as a challenge and see how much we can contribute towards helping people understand and appreciate pearls more!

[msLondon]

Originally Posted by Miriam Reed

Let's take it as a challenge and see how much we can contribute towards helping people understand and appreciate pearls more!

Oh I love a challenge! Do u think The pearl-guiders could get together a glossary of terms from A-Z?

[jerin]

msLondon,

Jeremy and Kevin have put together a Glossary of Pearl Terms, www.pearl-guide.com/glossary-of-terms-a.shtml (that´s what my copy says), I don´t remember under which thread Jeremy had it. If this address doesn´t work check "Pearl Farming", Pearling News or something like it.... Good luck.

P.S. We PG-ers perhaps should put together a glossary of "false" expressions and other faulty things, sellers and suppliers use towards us buyers.D.S.

[Sueki]

The glossary is on the left, at the bottom under Pearl-Guide FAQ

[Sueki]

Originally Posted by Nerida

IT's not just the level of knowledge and disclosure that is disappointing in a lot of bricks and mortar jewellers, but the quality of the pearls as well! I am continually seeing small, ordinary FW baroques for hundreds and hundreds of dollars, and loads of very chalky rounds. And because these are the ONLY pearls a lot of consumers will see, these jewellers are giving pears a bad reputation.

haha laurenb - good description of "south seas"

Same here Nerida....
Can't speak for Bond Street, but high street jewellers here have very poor quality pearls for sale.