Thinking of buying Golden SS from "xiangmingtan" on ebay. Is this a mistake?

[est190]

Hi guys. I am new to the site--posting wise. I have been a lurker from time to time. This is such a great community and resource. Thanks for the effort y'all make to educate newbies like me.

Anyway, my wife loves pearls... really loves them!! She has a big birthday coming up and her brother is getting married next month. I would like to do something special for her and I saw her looking online for Golden SS shell pearls to match her dress and shoes she's wearing to the wedding. I have never really considered SS pearls before because the prices are so darn high.

I found a few on ebay that seem "too good to be true." I am smart enough to know the old saying, but one particular vendor have been on ebay for a while and has a really high rating. He has some strands that he is selling for prices that don't see to out of whack from what I have seen from online vendors in the US and then he has a few other strands, smaller MM (9-11 mm range) that look really nice in the pictures (claims to be non-stock) for pretty low prices ($260.00 for a round 10-11mm Golden strand--that looks very clean in the picture). If it's the real deal, I would I want a few opinions before I spend money.

The vendor is xiangmingtan and the strand I was looking at is AAAAA18"10-11mm NATURAL REAL South sea golden pearl necklace 14K. He is located in Hong Kong and has the strand listed for $258.00. (I tried to post a link to the ebay listing, but the forum blocked my post because of the URL).

He has other strands with larger mm pearls that he is selling for prices that I am more accustomed to seeing. I sent him an email to confirm they are real SS pearls and not dyed freshies or shell pearls, which he confirmed. What am I missing here? Does this strand make sense to you?

I would rather not spend ~$250 for shell pearls (although if the clasp is real 14k gold ball clasp as described (not plated or filled)--it wouldn't be the worst that wouldn't be the worst purchase I have made).

Anyway, thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

[jshepherd]

Everything the seller has is "South Sea."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-8-9mm-REA...ht_1704wt_1139

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AAAAA-REAL-1...ht_1687wt_1139

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AAAAA-REAL-1...ht_1687wt_1139

None of the pearls are South Sea. If you do buy that strand, you will either receive a strand of freshwater pearls or a strand of fake pearls. The seller, even with 100% positive feedback, is a fraud.

[Ramona]

Hi and welcome on PG. It is hard to tell from one picture, but if you are looking for shell pearls, this might be it. Perhaps if you have a price limit, some freshwater pearls or a SS golden pendant may do the trick? If you buy from a vendor that makes exchanges hassle free, you will have a much better buying experience than on ebay.

[Caitlin]

One clue: You will never find a South Sea necklace with round flawless pearls as depicted for less than a couple of thousand dollars. Even a baroque necklace will be almost 1k. A pait of earring of real SS would cost 300.00 minimum.

Perhaps, buy a high quality freshwater strand, instead.

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Not natural, not south sea, not saltwater, not AAAAA, not solid gold, not a bargain.

[Marianne]

Oh wow Jeremy, those "REAL NATURAL south sea RED"s are really something! Do they come from a lake in Southern Siberia?
Amazing the garbage they get away with!

[Cees]

I get sick about Ebay how people are fooled with fake goods. These can not even considered to carry the name 'pearls'.

[R&B]

Go Jeremy, well said mate

Rusty

[Mikeyy]

What do you mean fraud? Those are the most natural pinkish-redish, sort of dayglow pearls I have ever seen. Where's my wallet?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-8-9mm-REA...ht_1704wt_1139

[jshepherd]

You beat me to it, Mike! The listing is gone. It was the only one in the world ... .......................................

[Pearl Dreams]

Run, don't walk, from that seller.
Since your wife loves pearls, get her a real SS pearl as a pendant, or some earrings, or a freshwater strand-- but not shell pearls, which are not real pearls at all but just a shell bead with a man-made coating that imitates nacre.

[est190]

Thanks so much guys for the input. Obviously, I sort of knew in advance what you guys would say, but I needed to just hear it anyway. I guess I'll have save up a while to get her a set of south seas that she will truly love.

Jeremy, are there actually freshies, dyed or otherwise, that can simulate/emulate the look of Golden SS (by which I mean kind of big-- 8-10mm--and really "gold" looking)??

I know I have seen gold akoyas, but we're not really into them. I just don't like the idea of messing with akoyas any more than standard bleaching and pinking, but I don't feel that way when it comes to freshwaters.

Btw, I am wearing a pair of baroque tahitian pearl cufflinks I bought from PP last week Jeremy and they are awesome. I am thinking of pinking up a pair of the white ss baroques while they are still on clearance (sorry I didn't do it while the 10% discount was still available).

[DavidL]

One other way I found on Ebay is if the feedback shows it was a "private listing -- buyers' identities protected" the person is trying to protect themselves and not the buyer!!

[KarinK]

Hi est190,

I recently bought a strand of natural cream colored Akoya pearls from Kojima Pearls (http://kojimapearl.com). They had been in Sarah's pearl business familie's safe for 30 years. I paid $330 and they look just like baby SS. I don't know if she still has more.

- Karin

[jshepherd]

Jeremy, are there actually freshies, dyed or otherwise, that can simulate/emulate the look of Golden SS (by which I mean kind of big-- 8-10mm--and really "gold" looking)??

I know I have seen gold akoyas, but we're not really into them. I just don't like the idea of messing with akoyas any more than standard bleaching and pinking, but I don't feel that way when it comes to freshwaters.

Btw, I am wearing a pair of baroque tahitian pearl cufflinks I bought from PP last week Jeremy and they are awesome. I am thinking of pinking up a pair of the white ss baroques while they are still on clearance (sorry I didn't do it while the 10% discount was still available).

Yes, large, dyed freshwater do exist, but they don't look like real golden SSP, IMHO.

I'm not sure what you mean about messing with akoya related to the gold. Natural gold color akoya do exist, and they haven't gone through the bleaching and pinking, so they are among the least messed with. Not to get into another discussion about the Japan Pearl Science Lab with you, but when we first brought them in, we had a few dozen certed as natural color. The natural golds (in hanadama grade) are called kinsyoku, and the natural silver-blues are called madama.

I'm glad you are enjoying the cufflinks.