[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Folks,

Let me nominate DivaDesign for the eBay ignoble price of the day for the most daring and imaginative auction copy pertaining to the ugliest pearl item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FINE-12mm-WHITE-...QQcmdZViewItem

Zeide

[Rosomane]

I can top that. Check this out:

Antique Rare 14K Gold with Huge Ocean Pearl Ring
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

This is a VERY RARE MUSEUM quality, antique solid rose gold 14k pearl ring from the 1910 to 1920 period. It's NOT plated, NOT filled, it's solid 14k gold of superb quality. The pearl's indeed a genuine natural ocean pearl of the most valuable quality and it's the largest pearl I've even seen in a ring. The ring is NOT like those dainty modern, for it is very highly compressed and heavy for it's size . It came from my mom who's expertise was in antique jewelry for over 60 years. According to her notes: "VERY RARE MUSEUM quality, superb quality highly compressed solid 14k rose gold with very large ocean pearl, hand soldered and hand chased, from the 1910 to 20, very impressive" It's size 7.5 (7 1/2). If too small or too large, for right hand people, consider the right fingers are thicker than left fingers. Also, rings can always be re-sized for a small fee by any reasonable local jeweler. This was appraised in the 1960's and I can not find appraisal documents yet I can give an accurate suggestive appraisal value: at least $2000 usd. And, I do NOT believe any well informed antique jewelry collector who knows pearls, would disagree with that figure. Of course, if modern, probably about 1/2 that value and a dishonest jeweler would tell you 1/4 of that value based on either ignorance of antique jewelry or hoping to get it from you cheap.

Q: Hello, when you say a genuine pearl you mean a not cultivated but natural one? Thank you, Concha
Sep-17-06
A: Hi Concha, YES. It's a natural ocean pearl NOT man made it's NOT cultivated. I can't blame you for double checking. Though it's rare I have any need to buy jewelry here, I let my niece buy some bogus so-called blackhills gold piece. Therefore, I'd ask the same sort of question if I were in your shoes even though most ebay sellers are good people, there's a few bad ones out there. With me, a customer is far from being some sort of #. Thank you for your interest. Sincerely, Brad

So I asked how did he know it was NATURAL? was it x-rayed?
His response:

I know antique jewelry , probably more than most ebay sellers who sell it. The pearls feel gritty against teeth. My mom was an expert. Info came from her. I doubt if they had x-ray abillity back then. I do not own an x-ray machine. I do not trust modern day jewelers who may have x-ray capabilities.The pearl is next to a penny which gives you an idea of it's size. Except for precious metals, I do not have all the tools most modern day jewelers have. The colour is as shown in photo: a rather yellow white colour like most ocean pearls. The draw back with selling valuable jewelry is that even the best of experts can be wrong and all it takes is ebayer who's trigger happy with firing Neg. FB. I do my very best to make sure something's genuine but if you have any doubts about it being some sort of cultivated genuine ocean pearl, please do NOT bid. I think my mom would of known, unless the cultivated ocean pearls were something they've did during more modern days. If so, then cultivated is totally ruled out. I believe you're honest yet I hate to get caught up with some one possibility taken it to a dishonest appraiser involving x-ray tech, a sticky subject which I'd hate to deal with. I'm sure ring pre-dates such x-ray tech.For this reason alone, please do NOT bid because I do not know x-ray tech and this seems like it can be too problematic and I do not need the sale.Like me, I'm sure you're an honest ebayer but I have too much personal stress, to get involved with the subject of x-ray tech, there's just too many dishonest modern day jewelers who discredit antique jewelry and even dishonest collectors. Sincerely, Brad

I don't know, I'm just a neophyte in pearls but I DID study interior design and art history and that ring looks a tad too modern for 1910 or 1920. Streamline moderne was born in the 30's but I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as that. But I could be wrong, hey I'm just learning and I've been wrong before. Plus, a look at Brad's other auctions have descriptions like, Victorian Art Nouveau and lots of descriptions of the gold in other pieces being "museum quality - highly compressed." Whatever that means. I get the diff between cast and forged but "compressed"??? uh huh, and "cultivated" (I can almost hear it pronounced "coyltivatid poyls" in a Yonkers accent, heh heh). Sheesh
Note: no offense East Coasters, my folks are from New York & PR.

BTW, I'm new and glad to meet all of you,

Mary Louise

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Marie-Louise,

I find it extremely doubtful that this pearl ring is natural. A natural pearl of this size and roundness would be named and its exact circumstances of origin be recorded, somewhat like Bill Abernathy's Little Willie. The setting is also highly unusual for a natural full pearl. Family histories of what a piece of jewelry is rarely pan out under scrutiny. That particularly applies to pearls. However, on a price score the fugly thing from Diva Design with a US$1,800.00 price tag and a US$ 10,000.00 retail comparison still beats this "natural pearl" ring. It is also a lot uglier.

Zeide

[Rosomane]

Yep, Diva Design definitely wins the 0's contest. Thanks for your 2 cents (more like a dollar as usual...).

Mary

[ladykemma]

Originally Posted by Zeide Erskine

Hi Folks,

Let me nominate DivaDesign for the eBay ignoble price of the day for the most daring and imaginative auction copy pertaining to the ugliest pearl item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FINE-12mm-WHITE-...QQcmdZViewItem

Zeide

wow free knots! golly!

[Rosomane]

Unfortunately, I can't quote from the ad because the seller states that it's copywrite/copyrited (sic)! I guess I could summarize by saying that the seller admits to knowing little about Pearls and disparages fresh water pearls compared to PPBs and seems to be confused about 1) what a cultured pearl is and 2) when exactly the Victorian era took place (hint: it was not during the 1920s-1930s).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-ESTATE-V...QQcmdZViewItem

item# 180031367055

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Rosomane,

That's a good one. And the clasp is so classic that it is still found in unchanged design in every findings catalog under cheapest 14k stampings. My guess is that these gorgeous pearls must certainly come from the Victorian Ocean. That is probably where the magical Island of Keshi (one of the Bayuvaric Islands of Greece) produces its enchanting sequoia pearls.

Zeide

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

Originally Posted by Zeide Erskine

... enchanting sequoia pearls.

You mean the Sequoiadendron pearlwishius... ?

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

You know - I was looking through eBay and started to post a link to an auction. Then I noticed that about every third acution that I was looking at was selling a "Tahitian black Japanese cultured Freshwater ocean pearl". That is a lot of contradictions in one descripton

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Folks,

It's time to nominate this week's eBay hoot. As always, the object has to be ugly, brutally overpriced, and either fake or grossly misrepresented.

Candidate Number 2 is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-AAA-quality...QQcmdZViewItem

Feel free to post more candidates so they can be properly voted on.

Zeide

[mikehrz]

That's beyond a hoot. That's just flipping insane. Off-round dyed "akoyas" for 16K. And they'll let you mail cash! I think that's the first ebayer I've seen who offered that payment option. Is it just me, or does the earring post/backing seem just a bit large for those pearls to be true 10-11 mm?

At least they're not labeled Japanese.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Mike,

Maybe they, too, are from the Victorian Ocean. Who knows. Afterall, all this seller's images are stolen from across the web including other eBay sellers that stole them from yet somewhere else.

Zeide

[TheOyster'sAutobiography]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tahitian-pearls-...QQcmdZViewItem

[jshepherd]

I love the description on that one! The strand has very low luster and a lot of pits! It is an honest description!

But, if you see the appraisal prepared by the "esteemed" appraiser Norman Monteau, the strand is still valued at $20,000ish.

[TheOyster'sAutobiography]

I believe the ugly low-luster pearls in the pic aren't the same as the strand in the appraisal. The ones on the appraisal are much more obviously graduated.