Ebay Akoya Pearls

[plb1257]

Hi, I am new to the Forum and have learned a lot from the information on this website. My question is, does anybody know of a reputable ebay dealer from China who sells Akoya pearls that truly are nice? I bought some from E S and the pearls had visible flaws, even though they claimed that they were AAA+ and 95% free of defects. I certainly would have not called them AAA. (I'm aware that this grading system is very subjective, but who out there is really selling AAA pearls?) I am looking for a bracelet that is triple strand with a 14k YG clasp. If there are not any ebay sellers whose items truly look like the pictures and are trustworthy, are there any other sites direct from China or elsewhere that are reasonable? I know, you get what you pay for, but I am looking for good value at a reasonable price. Thanks so much for any info you might be able to give.

[jshepherd]

You are going to very hard-pressed to find good quality akoya pearls there from China.

I just did a search on eBay for akoya pearls and then sorted by lowest-price listings which included shipping, returning 200 results per page. I've checked every 5th page of listing and am now on page 25 of 55 results. That 5,000 out of 11,000. I haven't seen a strand of genuine akoya pearls yet - they're all freshwater pearls being sold as akoya.

Even in a small size (around 6 mm), if the strand is under $300, it's not going to be a fine strand of pearls. The $100 strands you find there will last 3-4 months and then you'll be left with nothing but bead.

[Pearl Dreams]

plb1257,

Welcome to P-G!

Is there a reason why you particularly want the pearls to be Akoya (saltwater pearls cultured with a bead inside) rather than high quality round freshwaters (with no bead inside, but just some mantle tissue, they are essentially all nacre)?

Consider that freshwaters have improved a great deal in roundness, and overall quality in recent years. Consider also that a bracelet is going to get more wear and tear than, say, a necklace or earrings. Really you can get more bang for your buck with cultured freshwater pearls.

Just my opinion....

[Caitlin]

I agree with that. And they should be the highest quality freshwater pearls which are as beautiful as good akoyas, but cost a fraction of the price. They can take a lot of wearing and never wear down to the bead, because there is none.

One of those below is a Hanadama strand, the other is a top quality Freshwater strand. It is hard to tell the difference.

[plb1257]

I am totally open to freshwater pearls. Do they have a grading system? Do you have any good sources?

[Pearl Dreams]

Are you in the USA? There are reliable vendors right on this website who have beautiful pearls, including Jeremy Shepherd at PearlParadise.com, Kevin Canning at PearlsOfJoy.com, and Terry Shepherd at ThePearlOutlet.com. See the websites for their grading systems.

I've only listed a few of the larger vendors; there are others who post here on P-G, both in the USA and abroad-- see signature lines where people post their websites.

[plb1257]

Thank you all for your very helpful responses. I am still looking for a three strand bracelet with 14k spacers and clasp in FWP. I have not found any in Freshadama pearls yet but will keep looking.

[Caitlin]

Why don't you call Pearl Paradise and ask if they can make one up for you. What kind of spacers do you mean? Little gold beads or those little bars. Anyway PP has some fine designers on staff.

[plb1257]

Thanks! I will do that.

[fresh-pearls]

hi -- just wanted to add another thought for novice, since i am just a couple of steps away from novice. in reading the thread, i wanted to add that the design and stringing is an art, based on lots of practice and attention to the drape of strand(s). along with the quality of pearls chosen, remember to consider the quality of design execution. you want to choose a firm (pp or others) that specializes in pearl jewelry, and will string your piece with the same drape as a far more expensive piece. please learn from my mistakes! working with pearls is an art -- and you can pay more for labor from a firm that doesn't have pearl specialists and presents a messy looking pearl bracelet. good luck!

[plb1257]

Thanks, I will keep that in mind!

[GemGeek]

Such wise advice, fresh-pearls! Drape really matters. If one strand is out of line, your eye goes right to it.

[plb1257]

Well, PP can do the bracelet for me that I want. My big decision now is whether to go AAA or Freshadama. Any advice?

[Caitlin]

Go freshadama. Though the AAA will be very good as well. I wore a freshwater pearl bracelet (beading grade)for a year as an experiment in how the Power pro thread would compare to silk- washing dishes, showers and the usual banging a bracelet gets (banging is OK, pearls can be banged quite hard with no marks). If anything, it looked better, shinier, at the end of a year. I am sure I could have worn a better grade fw pearl with the same results.

[Chameleon]

Beautiful Estate High End Akoya Pearl Necklace. Natural not cultured. Any takers for few US?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Estate-14K-Gold-...c169eab8d#shId