Golden South Sea Strand

[trinitycubed]

Hi All,

This is my first time posting, however I have been lurking for a while now. This forum is spilling with pearl education and I appreciate it very much! I'm in the market to purchase an exotic strand and did some research on this site and a few others. I fell in love with this golden south sea strand (it's been a dream of mine to own a south sea strand ) and it was within my budget of $3,000. I googled the site and it seems like someone from this forum had a positive experience with the site. I also found the site on BBB, and they had a grade of A+. I emailed the site with some questions that were promptly answered. I also received some better images of the strand. Here are the images that I received (they're hosted on my Photobucket account):

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ri/strand1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ri/strand2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ri/strand3.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ri/strand4.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...ri/strand5.jpg

The details of the strand are: AA to AA+ for the surface area, the pearls range from 10-12mm, excellent luster and has round to semi-round pearls. As this is my first (and probably only for a while) splurge for a strand of exotic pearls, I wanted to know if this was a good deal for golden south sea pearls. Will I be able to find a better strand for this price?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[pattye]

Hi Trinitycubed,

Welcome!

Well, probably an ok deal. Sounds like you favor rounds over less expensive baroques. I see some slight variation in color, which hopefully is a sign they are not dyed. Especially since you are spending that kind of $$$ it would be good to have them checked out by a lab to make certain they aren't dyed, which would greatly affect their value.

Does the company have a generous return policy, say 90 days??

If you want, you can name the company. You will have a better chance of getting feedback about them.

[Ashley]

Hi Trinity-

Welcome to the forum! I would err on the side of caution with Pattye and request a consignment to have them checked out first, but they don't look treated to me- there's this subtle iridescence on the surfaces that typically dyes will just cover up and drown out; the inclusions are standard for the pearl type, and the luster and surfaces all look pretty nice. I really like the color, btw.

Be sure to vet their return policy, but all in all I'd say go for it- they look like a good deal to me.

[trinitycubed]

Thank you for your feedback, Pattye and Ashley! The return policy is 14 days and the exchange time is 45 days. Also, in the description, they say a "Certificate of authenticity prepared by G.I.A. Graduate in Pearls" is included. I believe I read somewhere on here that the GIA doesn't prepare certificates... can someone please help me confirm this?

Thanks again!

[Pearly Shell]

14 days return policy for a online seller seems pretty short. I prefer an online seller that will give you at least 30 days for a FULL refund, 90 days is better. Especially with jewelry purchases that you may want appraised.

Also the statement that a "Certificate of authenticity prepared by G.I.A. Graduate in pearls" DOES NOT mean a cert from GIA. It would be more likely that an employee of that seller has gone through the GIA Pearls Course will provide a valuation letter for you.

[Ashley]

Regarding the return policy- you can contact the vendor and ask them to either:
a) extend the grace period for a few weeks- most vendors are willing to be flexible.
b) request to see the pearls on-approval or on consignment for 2-3 business days in order to have them physically in front of you so that you can ensure for yourself that the pearls are indeed worth the expense.
P.S.- Overseas transactions are more difficult to return and often ends up an exercise in frustration- make sure the vendor has a physical location and people to talk to here so that any of your concerns may be addressed by someone who has a vested interest in maintaining trust and a good reputation.

There is a difference between a GIA Gemological report, and an appraisal completed by a GIA Graduate. The first will be a bonafide gem cert with x-ray analysis, and other fun tests that will be done to determine that the pearl necklaces' color is natural, there is a bead nucleus, how thick is the nacre, etc etc.

Historically, GIA started out doing pearl certifications, so sending them in for testing is an avenue that can be taken if that's what makes you most comfortable with a high value purchase. GIA certs will generally take a little over a month to complete (4-6 Business Wks), and will run $150-250 each approximately.

Bear in mind that the cert will not guarantee origin of the pearls, and can be a little vague when it comes to pearl i.d. in general- if I were going to spend $15,000 or $30,000 on a strand, I'd probably request that the vendor send the gems to GIA (which is usually done quite happily) at their expense.

A GIA Graduate Prepared Appraisal on the other hand, is a physical description and estimate of fair retail value for the pearls based upon the knowledge of the seller. It is usually used as a recommendation for insurance purposes in the cases of loss, damage, theft, etc. The typical description for these types of appraisals will include type, size, shape, origin, type of jewelry, pearl count, pearl quality, treatments (if applicable) and so on.

Again if I were going to be purchasing these pearls, I'd most probably contact the vendor and ask for a short consignment, and take them to a trusted jeweler in the area that knows their pearls

[trinitycubed]

Hi everyone, so I was doing some thinking and had some questions regarding purchasing loose strands. I just want to make sure that I've researched all of my options before taking the leap. I'm currently living in New York city and I saw that there are many places to purchase pearls here. While looking through the topics here, I noticed that many of these places are for wholesalers only. Do any of you have any suggestions for places in New York where I may be able to find a strand of south seas without having to be a wholesaler? Or is this not worth my time?

Thanks for all the feedback and great information!

[jshepherd]

There are a number of them in New York and many of them indeed might sell retail-direct. This issue is in the price. If you are a consumer buying one strand from a wholesaler, you will be paying retail even if you buy direct from a wholesaler. That is the way an ethical wholesale house would do it.

[Miriam Reed]

The pearls look pretty good, but I'd be careful with the 14 day return policy. Find out if that period starts from when you place the order or when you receive them. You don't want to have just received them and not have time to send them back, if you find they aren't like they appeared in the photo.
You should be able to find someone in New York. If not, anyone who ships from within the States can get your pearls to you without any hassle.

[alamedic]

Hi everyone, so I was doing some thinking and had some questions regarding purchasing loose strands. I just want to make sure that I've researched all of my options before taking the leap. I'm currently living in New York city and I saw that there are many places to purchase pearls here. While looking through the topics here, I noticed that many of these places are for wholesalers only. Do any of you have any suggestions for places in New York where I may be able to find a strand of south seas without having to be a wholesaler? Or is this not worth my time?

Thanks for all the feedback and great information!

Have you heard of Jewelmer? A french Filipino producer/retailer of south sea pearls. I'm not sure if they have a shop in New York but maybe you can check out their website or email them to inquire about purchasing south sea pearls. I'm actually very proud of that company (I'm Filipino) because they put the Philippines on the map as a great source of golden south sea pearls!

BTW here's their website: www.jewelmer.com

[pattye]

Jewelmer is a well respected and known company around here, and you are rightfully proud!

They very generously furnished gorgeous polished plates of gold lip shell for the "Ruckus," International Pearl Convention held at Pearl Paradise in July, 2010.

[alamedic]

Jewelmer is a well respected and known company around here, and you are rightfully proud!

They very generously furnished gorgeous polished plates of gold lip shell for the "Ruckus," International Pearl Convention held at Pearl Paradise in July, 2010.

Wish I could've been there! Do you have pictures?

[pattye]

Perhaps you can attend next year! There is a whole thread about it, and here are the photos from page 10, scroll down to see the lovely shells lined up in front of the sushi chef! There were many more on other tables, too, but I am not finding the photos. http://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/pea...2010-a-10.html

The dates for next year have been set, July 22,23,24, 2011. It was wonderfully educational, and great fun, too!

[alamedic]

If my budget allows it hahaha! Thanks for the info!

[Nerida]

Jewelmer's pearls are indeed exquisite.. they had some fabulous things on their stand at the HK show!