Did I just got scammed?

[ben805]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=8903462963

This seller from HK have very high positive feedback and claim his pearls are of Japanese Akoya pearls, I was looking for cream color pearls and he suggested me to get this one, does this look like freshwater pearl to you? he said the pearls in real life looks slightly lighter cream and with more luster, I used the buy-it-now option to end the auction but haven't pay him yet, is this a good deal or am I about to get scam?

I also bought this one for my daughter

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5076788240

Please let me know what you think.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi,

Whether you got scammed or not, of course, depends on the actual pearls you receive. I bought from this seller before and I have to say that I was somewhat underwhelmed. However, in my opinion all Japanese akoyas harvested after 1909 are frauds. Nonetheless, wait until you receive them and take them to a reputable jeweler for an honest appraisal. Chances are, the pearls will appraise for about as much or slightly more (even including shipping) than you paid for them. Please note that Hong Kong sellers quote retail comparison prices in Hong Kong dollars. It is a prudent move to go to www.xe.com and convert that amount to U.S. dollars before bidding or buying.

Sincerely,

Zeide G. Erskine

[ben805]

When I requested for a picture, he said "the pearls have a little bit pink-tone on them. The following picture is the exact strand you will be receive. Slightly lighter than that and more luster."

This 7.5~8mm necklace and bracelet set along with the 7mm pink pearl necklace running for total of $860 including shipping, I'm still debating if I should go ahead and pay him and find out what they look like...should I go ahead and cancel the auction and buy from perhaps purepearls (Amanda) instead? atleast I'll be certain what I'm getting...

[jshepherd]

I only have a minute before I leave the office but this post caught my eye.

If you have not yet paid for the pearls DO NOT. This is pearl-society. The same company that claims to have those "suspended planting" pearls. Suspended planting and the entire process they describe is 100% a lie - it does not exist. I would not trust anything they tell you. Just looking at the auction you can see they are dishonest.
ie
untreated Akoya - a lie. All cultured Akoya pearls today are bleached and polished.
pearls from Japan - A lie. The seller is from Hong Kong, a trading hub for Chinese Akoya. Low-end 8mm strands can sell for under $100, and I am sure this is what you will get.
Pink pearls, but they are golden? A yellow coloration in Akoya is indicative of a low-value pearl.
Save your money! They will probably not leave you a bad feedback if you do not leave one for them. Point them to this post as the reason you do not want to pay. I would love to see them post here and try to explain their "suspended planting" to a group of pearl experts.

[jshepherd]

Another thing, on the second piece they claim to have a pink Japanese cultured necklace. It is obviously a freshwater pearl necklace. It is not a Biwa strand, and certainly not a Kasumigaura strand. So I would ask them, where in Japan is this necklace produced. I am sure they will lie to you, but the truth is China produces strands that look like that today - not Japan. I do not know of the quality of the enhancer, but the pictured freshwater can be purchased here in the US in the $50 range (off-round, average quality).

[ben805]

I'm glad I came across this forum while I was researching for more information regarding Akoya pearls, I'll go ahead and tell him to cancel the auction as I have not yet pay for them, $860 is a lot of money so If he wanted to leave me negative feedback then I won't blame him, as it was my fault to use the buy-it-now option to end his auctions before I do a more thorough research.

[jshepherd]

I really would not feel sorry for him if I were you. He is intentionally defrauding people on eBay. The seller is the classic example of why eBay is such a dangerous place to buy pearls. I have the same respect for the seller as I have for all the generals and bank presidents in Nigeria I receive emails from every day.

Amanda (Pure Pearls) would definitely be a better choice. Less money that what he quoted and I know her personally, she carries quality merchandise. Best of all, she is honest.

[ben805]

I'm glad you warned me about these auction, from now on I'll stay away from ebay when it comes to jewelry I'm still on the hunt for excellent quality 7.5mm necklace and bracelet, I did stop by purepearls, pearlparadise, and nationalpearl, all these three companies have what I'm looking for but all these different grading system are confusing, so how does nationalpearl's AAA+ compare to pearlparadise/purepearls's AAA? those are the highest quality they offer.

[jshepherd]

I suggest buy from 2 and compare - all have return policies. National Pearl is brand new (2 months old), and I think they only carry 3 products (just in different lengths). I cannot imagine they would compare to our AAA or Amanda's AAA. Because grading really means nothing unless you know the company (unlike diamonds it is 100% subjective), I would advise to completely ignore the grades and buy from Sites you feel most comfortable with.
If you do buy from 2 and compare you should let us know what you think!
Must go, it is V-Day!

[The Pearl Outlet]

You only got scammed if you pay for them. There are more than half a dozen web sites here in the US which sell a higher quality product at less then what you bid on this item with the "Buy it Now" feature.

Note that "golden" colored Akoya pearls like this are worth far less because of their color.

With regard to Japanese vs. Chinese, these were nearly certainly harvested in China. But does this necessarily matter? Read this article in the Pearl Guide:

Japanese vs. Chinese

[Kenji]

I thought that I recognized the seller pearl society. I just found the thread from almost one year ago where he was discussed.

http://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=163

I think it is very sad that sellers like that are allowed to continue their fraud for so long on ebay. Looking at all his finished auctions it makes me ill to know that so many people bought pearls after being so much lied to. These people will think again before every buying pearls again after they find that the seller tricked/stole from them. This hurts the whole industry.

[ben805]

it really puzzle me how this seller get such high feedback....99.8%!!!only total of 4 negative out of 2318 positive. he must be a very rich man to sell so many cheap junk pearls for hundreds and even thousands of dollars a pop. I also notice most of his auctions are listed in private, probably to prevent people from contacting and warn his bidders