Bought these from an auction... are they real?

[margaret1]

I just bought these from an auction and was wondering whether they were real pearls? I paid $250 for them and am hoping i wasn't ripped off. The auction house has not sent them yet so i am able to request a refund if they are fake.
The description of the item says that the pearls are 13mm on a 16inch strand. Unfortunately there is only one photo. Any help would be great.

[Mary Montpezat]

I'm afraid the clasp doesn't look promising - and 13mm would be pretty large & valuable if these were real saltwater cultured pearls (I don't know anything about freshwater ones). If you're confident of a refund, I guess you'll have to wait till they arrive & take better photos to post!

[pearlescence]

I'm surprised at an auction offering refunds - usually auction goods are sold as seen and no refunds. That would alert me immediately to something odd going on. Was there any further description of the pearls or clasp. Was this a general auction or a specialist jewellery event, a one-off or something regular?

[Pearl Dreams]

They look like cultured Akoya pearls to me...the luster is sharp but I see some pearls with surface blemishes; one on the left looks like it has a low-luster area.

[Bodecia]

If items sold on eBay are not as described the eBayer seller has to make a full refund including initial postage costs. eBay sellers have to abide by the rules. If a complaint is made to eBay that an item is not as described and the buyer wants to return it the first thing PayPal does is to withdraw the money from the seller's account. Once they look into the matter the money is either returned to the buyer or seller depending on what eBay finds, but most will just refund even if they actually described an item accurately as it is not worth the hassle and eBay generally will side with the buyer. If the matter is disputed then it can take 6 or so weeks for eBay to decide.

They do look okay to me but only one photo is not good enough for me. Still until you receive them you will not know.

It it is a good idea to ask for more photos if undecided and fairer all round. I generally list between 6 and 12 photos but some sellers do only list one which annoys me no end. I think a potential buyer should be able to have several views of the item. And also ask questions of the seller if the listing doesn't state them already.

Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 and natural pearl collector and all round pearl lover

[KarinK]

Hi Margaret and welcome

There's great chance you'll find this place as addictive as the rest of us do

If you want to know if the pearls are fake or real cultured when you have them in your hand, the trick is to either rub them gently against each other or on your teeth. They should feel slightly gritty rather than smooth if they are not fake. As to the kind of pearls and whether the price is fair if they are not fake - the experts here are going to need more pictures.

- Karin

[pearlescence]

The implication in the Margarett's initial post was that the auction was not ebay

[margaret1]

Hi everyone,
Thank you for the replies. I guess i'll just have to wait until i receive them.
I bought them from an auction in Australia. They are a reliable auction house however i was a little confused to see that i had won the 13mm pearl necklace for $250. I thought that anything above 10mm was quite valuable. Unfortunately i never got to view the necklace before the auction. I purchased the necklace through an absentee bid. The description on the auction outline was very brief: "13mm Superior Quality 16" Pearl Necklace"

[Pearl Dreams]

What did the auction house say they are? South Sea? If the largest one is 13mm, that is too large for Akoya of course, but the luster doesn't look right for SS.

My very first thought when I saw them was "Majorica" but then I saw the blemishes and you would not have those with Majorica....

[margaret1]

Unfortunately there was only a brief description of the pearls (much like all the other items in the auction). They did not identify what kind of pearls they were so i have no idea if they'd be majorica or south sea. Maybe they're just freshwater pearls?

[pattye]

Welcome, Margaret1,

Very interesting strand, I look forward along with the others to seeing your photos and comments upon having them in your hands.