Their Diamonds are Legit...Pearls???

[cooles_kitchen]

First and foremost, a million thanks to the regulars of the forum who take their time to enlighten us Newbies on the woes of Ebay pearl shopping and to provide insight and knowledge in the world of pearl selection and purchase...and as with diamonds I can see, YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET!

That being said, I've stumbled across an Ebay auction for a pair of "black" pearl earrings from a reputable estate dealer that I've done business with in the past. Their feedback is public and OUTSTANDING...my past purchases have appraised for amounts comparable to their estimates.

I'm having a bit of trouble posting a link...so, all i can provide is the eBay item number: 5049343008 (my apologies). I think the seller may purposely be giving a vague description of the item. In any case, any information you could provide me given the photos and the less than descriptive description would be helpful. I've asked the seller for more specs, and am waiting a reply. Nonetheless, I'd like to do my own research as well and am not confident in my own opinion...whatsoever!

I thank you all in advance.

Best,
Dave

[jshepherd]

I would suggest just asking the seller if the pearls are Tahitian. They appear to be, but this is missing in the description. If the pearls are not Tahitian, they are not natural color pearls.
If the pearls are Tahitian, and you receive the pair in the photo, it is not a bad buy.

[purepearls]

Dear Dave,
The listing states that the pearls are black saltwater pearls so I would be willing to bet that they are Tahitian pearls. They seem to have great customer ratings so they may be honest jewelers.

[jshepherd]

I agree with Amanda. They definitely appear to be Tahitian. Their rating does look good as well...

[PearlGirl]

I disagree with Jeremy and Amanda - these are not Tahitian, but dyed Akoya
pearls - which is why it says "rare" 10.2 saltwater pearls. Tahitians that size are not rare, but Akoyas that size, are rare. Also if they were Tahitian, it would be a major selling point, and therefore stated.

[jshepherd]

I disagree. If the pearls were high-quality Akoya pearls and 10.2mm, this would be a selling point as they would be much more costly than a pair of 10.2mm Tahitian pearls - especially a matched pair.
Another problem I have is that rarely are fine quality Akoya pearls in this size ever dyed. Dyed Akoya are always less expensive than the whites because the material is less expensive - never top grade. It would make no sense to dye pearls to sell them for less than their original value.