What are these ebay pearls?

[Caitlin]

joy oh joy

Caitlin,

Let me clear up some inaccuracies that perpetuate on your forum.

In your post #32 you write, "the last link is to one of his own blogs" and that is further addressed in post #44 by Lisa C, "if he owns and writes BaliBullocks..."


Regarding your latest post #45 where you provide the definition of fraudulent I would hope that would now cause you to understand my original objections to your e-mail which you published in your post #15. Fraud is a crime, and you are accusing us of this crime. As I already wrote to you, "fraud includes intent to deceive, mislead or to cheat" and the mere presence of errors and inaccuracies, be they proven errors and inaccuracies, or suspected errors and inaccuracies, does not in itself constitute fraud.

Moreover, further suggestions of criminal activity on our part still remains on your forum in post #39 which suggests that the silver we offer on eBay is stolen.

If you carry out your threat in post #43 you will only be making matters much worse for yourself since you've made your intentions, "to seriously hurt (our) business" public.
- majabali

If you keep bothering me, I will. We have done it before

[Caitlin]

P.S. Taking something at "face value" means that one doesn't look further than what can be seen on the surface. He uses the phrase rather triumphantly, but incorrectly if he's meaning 'You can't argue with this. It's fact, I win.'

The phrase doesn't mean "this is factual" or "this is evidence/documentation" or "this has been investigated".

If he owns and writes BaliBullocks , his writings are liberally sprinkled with Malapropisms. I read them, all that were posted, though I didn't see anything with a recent date. They seem to pose as investigative journalism. Oh well, this has run its course anyway, blustering about sick pearl farmers won't make these pearls SouthSeas.

I don't know if that one is his or not.

[GemGeek]

When I see someone bully and lie, I think of how ashamed their mother would be.

[Caitlin]

I have insomnia and this is beleaguering my head. So with a shot of Camerena Blanco, I came up with this post. Now maybe I can take my mind off this guy and get some sleep.

I have already mentioned this guy suffers from an enormity of words. This ad is 635 words long. It HAS to take the cake for the longest description I have ever seen on eBay. This guy thinks he is a superior wordsman. He rules through words. He is a wordsmith of such length and verbosity a lot of people won’t even read his spiels to the end. I sure didn’t. I took one look at the photo and barfed. Here is someone who believes he can control many through the power of his words. He depends on his wordiness to muscle through life. He uses his words as though he is throwing a pointed object. He means for them to stick.

CELEBRATING OVER 15 YEARS OF SELLING INTERNATIONALLY ON EBAY

Fourteen years ago we purchased a large hoard of Lombok south sea baroque pearls, all strung as necklaces, from a pearl farmer in southwestern Lombok, Indonesia, who was ill and in need of surgery. We’ve had these put away all this time and this is the first time we have ever offered any for sale.

He starts out with an extremely positive statement about what exactly, the pearls are. He flats out declares the pearls in the photo are Lombok south sea pearls.

South Sea pearls are the most luxurious and rarest of pearls in the world. Their unique characteristics are a thick nacre, a satiny luster, and a subtle array of colors. Because the indigenous oysters live in warm South sea waters, they deposit a thick coating of nacre more quickly than oysters in cooler climates. This thick nacre produces a soft glow rather than a metallic sheen, and with the glow comes color.

Now, after confidently saying how experienced he is, he is describing his pearls as south sea, he explains exactly what ss pearls are. He makes this statement with complete confidence. He seems to be very positive about the nature of SS pearls and is actually educating the customer about them. He is ACTING like an expert, isn't he?

This hoard consists of 30 necklaces or chokers, all averaging 41 cm in length or 16 + inches. Each string of pearls has between 41 and 45 pearls making a total in this hoard of approximately 1,250 pearls! The pearls average in size from 8 to 12 MM.

Now he jumps back to his hoard describing them and counting these SS treasures.

All the pearls are in excellent original condition with none having any scratches, chips or other problems. These pearls all have a very nice luster and grade on average AA. Their color ranges from platinum white to light golden champagne and each string is generally consistent with the color of the other pearls.

I didn’t see much gold in the photo, but I guess we should believe him, cuz he seems to know what he is talking about. Here he is reassuring the buyer that these pearls have a nice luster. He sure sounds like he knows what he is talking about! He EVEN GRADES them. Wow. This guy knows his pearls, huh! At least he knows just what words to use. AA.

Unfortunately, those pearls in the photo have very poor luster, they are ringed, a big fault, but a type of ringing not seen in SS so much as freshwater pearls and Tahitians. So they can’t be cultured SS because none of them have nuclei, if you look at the shapes, they are very poorly shaped, very oblong, never a shape seen in cultured sea pearls, so, they MUST be natural! They are not AA in ANY grading system. In the freshwater world, they don’t even have a grade unless you go down from an AA to an A to a B to a C! These are c grade freshwaters that can be bought at the gem show in Tucson for $1.00 a strand. Less than that if you buy other stuff too. They are at the absolute bottom of commercial freshwaters for shape and surface and luster.

The total gram weight for these 30 necklaces is 1.5 kilo grams, or over three pounds of pearls!
Wow. If you think these are SS, for way under the usual price, you are being tickled on your Greed Button.

Checking current market prices, our minimum bid is less than current auction wholesale when buying direct from a Lombok pearl farmer. If you check other eBay listings, there is currently an almost identical string of same size and number being offered with a US $750.00 BIN. On that basis the retail value of this entire hoard is easily $22,500.00.
Wow. This guy knows all about Lombok pearl farmers! He is really an expert!

We do not purport ourselves to be pearl experts but we have done our very best to describe this lot as accurately as possible. This lot is being offered with a money back guarantee if not completely satisfied and we are notified within 7 days of receipt of the lot.
What!!!!!! That caveat negates every word he said before! But you have to read down to here to see it. The the following "education" in SS pearls not only seals his role as an expert, it buries the caveat from any but the most discerning readers.

Some results at live auctions:

-A slightly longer string and of pearls slightly larger:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5948553 Sold for $1,750.00

-A longer string and consisting of 47 pearls: Sold for $8.500.00

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9772547

-A string of smaller pearls, 33 pearls total: Sold for $1,300.00

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6655225

-Another string of 31 pearls total: Sold for $3,750.00

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/379205

Now he goes back to showing you comparables!!!!!!! Just as though he was in real estate. Look at these SS. Look at how much they cost. Now look at mine. If by chance you can’t see the differences, which are clear to anyone with a first grade education in pearls, Your Greed Button should be really popping by now!

The sliminess of this description is that it does not say right up front, “I bought these under the impression that they were Lombok pearls, but I am no expert. I think they could be south sea pearls, but I am no expert.
No blathering dither about how they came from a sick farmer and they are a “hoard of SS” upfront and the caveat buried in the wordiness, below. He buried his caveat. That shows intent to mislead.

[Pearl Dreams]

Anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of how SS pearls are cultured would know there is a round bead inside every cultured SSP. Looking at those elongated pearls, it is obvious that there is no round bead within, and that they cannot be cultured SSP.

They look exactly like the cheaper freshwater pearl strands I've seen so many of (and bypassed) at gem shows, complete with rings and dull areas.

It's good that the listing was withdrawn by the seller. But there are so many other sellers listing freshwater pearls as Akoyas, Tahitians and SSP. Buyers really need to know their stuff when it comes to buying pearls.

[Sea Urchin]

It's pretty clear that he lies and cheats people and tries to scare people off from doing anything about it with threats. I think he belongs in prison.

[Caitlin]

Well, no one can sue anyone over an OPINION!

I declare as fact that the pearls in his pitch are cheapo freshwaters and to hype them up the way he did was DELIBERATE. Deliberate and deceitful hyping with a cavet buried in the exact middle of 650 words is deliberately misleading and phony. Someone pretends he is an expert then deliberately tries to deceive people- then to claim he really isn't an expert in the middle of his overwhelming verbiage, is deceitful.

Remember the guy who claimed his dyed freshwaters were Tahitians and 14k gold, then at very the bottom, he admits it is gold plating! Then , on the 'about me' part of his site he says he deals in FW. Everyone considers that a misleading ad. Deceitful. Fraudulent. Hoping the buyer will not read the entire text. His sales are really slow- I have had a "tahitian" drop on my watch list for months. All that has happened is he is now calling it freshwater and halved the price to $10.00

[Amanda]

In my not-very-humble opinion, anyone who addresses a woman unknown to him as "Dear lady" is a pillock.

[Caitlin]

I will soon post his latest screed, in which he is far more unpleasant and threatening.

[Caitlin]

Sigh. I am about to REALLY get my dander up. The guy is chicken to come on here, so he harasses me through the Ebay email system.

Caitlin,

It is very unfortunate that you decided to carry out your threat and revise as well as move the entire string so that it now shows up under Google searches of our business name, Majabali. This is especially unfortunate for you since you stated in writing that your intentions in doing so would be to "seriously hurt (our) business."

You should be aware that we have retained full web page copies of this string on your forum since first appearing on June 20. Those document all that was originally written as well as all the changes or editing by you and under your name.

Our attorney has advised us that since the statute of limitation in Arizona is one year in defamation cases, we have plenty of time to put together our case against you.

We've tried our best to work with you in good faith, including our take down of our listing and to offer explanations, but your clear and stated intention is to hurt our business and we simply will not allow that to happen.

You are NO pearl expert, and our attorney was shocked to read in your own words that you have no professional credentials in gem stones or jewelry, nor have ever attended any GIA courses. But he was happy to hear that you've at least read some books on the subject. Your specialties of geomancy, macramé and dog breeding brings little to the table when it comes to pearls, and the same can be said about your past career as a Counselor.

I have instructed our attorney to take no action at this time against you in order to allow some additional time for you to re-consider your decision and to weigh the inevitable consequences, if things remain as they are at this time.


- majabali

Even though you demean my master's in counseling, I am a professional at drawing up case histories on maniacs, I mean manics. I did it for a living. I had many dual diagnosis people. ie mental illness plus substance abuse. You are very manic-y . You are either totally tweaked up or you need meds for your manic disorder. You are literally blowing it out your orifices and are utterly powerless to do anything but threaten. If you could have, you would have gotten rid of those blogs accusing you of everything from selling antiquities, to pedophilia- seems like you are in the pedo capital of the world so one could wonder why- and drug dealing. Why can't you stop them from ruining your reputation far more thoroughly than I can by saying it is fraudulent to sell those pearls as SS? And if you had ignored me after you took the page down, this incident would be closed.

coming up- a psychological autopsy written by a former clinical director of a psychiatric clinic. Unless you cease and desist bugging me through ebay.

Did you say this thread has already come up when you google majabali? It doesn't for me, but we can hope.

[Pearl Dreams]

Caitlin,

If you don't want him to contact you any more through eBay, you can just report his messages as unwelcome.

The link to report them is at the bottom of the eBay messages page in the "Marketplace Safety Tip" section.

[Caitlin]

If you quit writing to me through ebay, I will quit adding your letters to this page. If we both quit, this thread will slide away into oblivion. If, not it stays active and will rank all the higher on a google search for majabali- though WHY you would EVER want ANYONE to GOOGLE Majabali, is BEYOND my comprehension. that is crazy. Your name is worse than mud, Your name was totally rotting rotten- long before I ever got here.

You are going too fast to reason sanely. You need to take a deep breath- if not your meds. Your mouth is running far faster than your brain and you can't help it, can you? You are on a manic roll and keeping obsessing more and more, on less and less. You jump on details and act like they are mountains. You have no sense of proportion You can't pick your fights, you engage with everyone, anytime, and always try to have the last word. I think you are on some kind of roll and completely unable to moderate your tongue and perhaps not even, your behavior. You are engaging in behaviors no calm and centered person would ever display. You are out of control and getting closer and closer to bigger and bigger mistakes you will regret when you crash.

And that is just the trailer.

[Caitlin]

Thanks, I was hoping for a tip. I spent quite a while looking for a way to report him.

[pearlescence]

Anyone who pays an attorney to do nothing is better simply left.

[Caitlin]

Wow Caitlin, I am truly impressed!

Not only are you able to "expertly" tell that our pearls are not south sea pearls from photos alone despite any professional credentials or EVER attending GIA courses, but now you are also able to diagnose me as manic depressive!

"Coming up- a psychological autopsy written by a former clinical directer (sic) of a psychiatric clinic. Unless you cease and desist bugging me through ebay."

I can't wait for that, so by all means, bring it on! But an "autopsy?" Hmm, now that will be amazing since I am very much still alive. Another word choice would have been nicer, don't you think?

You are neither a physiatrist or a pearl expert Caitlin, but my attorney will only be rubbing his hands together as you carry on as a "self declared" expert in both these fields.

Yes, I have also been thinking about reporting this incredible travesty to eBay, especially since you've published our listing as well as one our eBay hosted photographs on your forum. After all, it was originally through eBay that you initiated contact, so eBay will only regard it as understandable that I continue to use eBay as our only means of maintaining contacting you. How they (eBay) regards your behavior is up to them.

"If you quit writing to me through ebay, I will quit adding your letters to this page. If we both quit, this thread will slide away into oblivion."

Sorry, that's not sufficient for us as this string has far too many lies, libel, slander, and defamation to let stand as is. I just searched Majabali again on Google and it appears as the second item on the second page.

Our reputation has been hard earned over many years (over 15 years on eBay) and we are NOT about to let it be unfairly tarnished by the likes of you, or anyone else like you!

The sooner you understand that, the better things will be for you.