Reading something online and have a question please

[lilliefuzzysocks]

There is a woman on Pricescope with multiple posts showing what she is claiming are Natural Pearls. She has a certificate she has posted for one of the strands. Please look at the photos and tell me what your thoughts are. My question is her claim to how she knows they are natural.... Her words:
i had this necklace for two years now. the biggest pearl is about 9mm and the smallest is 3mm. the pearls are great. really round and luster is great too. the pearls have few dotted teeth kind of marks on them which is the only way anyone can tell these are natural. they are so perfectly shaped and color is so even that they can be mistaken for cultured.
http://www.pricescope.com/forum/pear...e-t177279.html
http://www.pricescope.com/forum/pear...e-t177283.html
http://www.pricescope.com/forum/pear...e-t177282.html
http://www.pricescope.com/forum/pear...e-t177280.html

[Marianne]

The dear lady is mistaken. The single strand maybe legit. IMHO

[Caitlin]

I am not so sure. Pearls seemed to me to be more expensive in India than anywhere else in the world. They love their Basra pearls. By which I mean Persian Gulf pearls. The ones she claims are round are off round, almost every one in the photos is off round, but smooth.

Those necklaces would be extremely expensive, but the model looked very upper class. And that does mean oodles of money that can be put into pearls and gold. I want to see a lot more photos. If they are Basra, then she has a collection of rolls royces, but in pearls. Many of the shapes look familiar. I can't rule out naturals completely, by eye alone.

Not impossible to believe... Now where is Alison?

The certificate would be considered worthless unless it is from a lab, such as in Bahrain. But jewelers in India know more about pearls than most jewelers and Basras are their long time favored gem for naturals.

And in Hyderabad, gem dealers have their reputations to keep up. There are street merchants, but there are also some of the best in the world. Need more photos......

[Caitlin]

Maybe the charitable trust foundation that kinda certified them can be googled. The world of Indian pearls is very different than here. Most of the natural pearls in the world are in India, or so I have heard claimed, more than once. In any case that indicates that in India natural pearls are procured by everyone who can possibly afford them. Where is Amrita?

We have paid very little attention to pearls in India, but that is because they are so big on natural pearls. I do believe there is a national obsession with them as there is with gold jewelry.

The street vendors sell freshwaters at far higher prices than boutiques in the US for the equivalent. I went to an international health conference run by some guru, who assembled an impressive number of prominent speakers and workshops. The Indians in attendance at the galas were all wearing natural pearls and the Europeans were wearing pearls from street vendors.

[Caitlin]

I will bring my Basras and on Sunday, J can get some SS and hanadama out and we can get out the loupes and look closely.

Mine are very typical shapes from good to bad. And typical colors from the slightest tinge of yellow to fairly yellow- known as "creamy" in the advertising. That tinge looks white on the skin an it is warmer that the silvery pearls of other places. I'll have Kether bring the ring, too.

[newberry]

Oh that is going to be fun and very interesting. Sunday is always fun at the RUCKUS

[dkan 168]

I saw the pics on Pricescope too, and thought they would be very costly if they were indeed naturals.

They do not do much for me, whatever they are worth.

DK

[Caitlin]

I just found a photo of some similar pearls I collected from an auction source a couple years ago. Darn I didn't realize it was so small. while I am at it here is one that belonged to a famous actress and was auctioned a few years ago. One of my favorites.

[Amanda]

I've a couple of ethic-Indian friends, and natural pearls are definitely important there, far more so than elsewhere. And lots of bling high-carat gold, too.

[Amrita]

Yes, natural pearls are a big obsession in India, and cultured pearls are still the second choice (or not a choice) in the "upper levels of society" meaning the really moneyed folks. However, there is an increasing number of women now, who like freshwater and South Sea pearls, especially golden. But the question still is "are these natural pearls or cultured pearls? " whenever they check-out any strand.
And of course, 22 to 24 ct gold ornaments are a very important part of the Indian culture, whether it is a wedding or an anniversary, or a birth or any other occassion. 18 ct gold is only used for diamond jewelry in India.
I am no expert on natural pearls myself, given that I deal with cultured FWPs and some SSPs, but I would not be surprised if those necklaces that the apparently classy lady on Pricescope was posting about were indeed natural pearls.

[Katbran]

That lady's got some pretty hunky diamonds as well lol

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I get offers from India all the time for my naturals. They always insist upon a certificate, yet offer a wholesale carat rate (ridiculously) far below the cost of the certification itself.

Needless to say, I won't be selling any naturals in India any time soon. The only likely source are Persian Gulf naturals by volume, but at the going rate offered, cannot be very profitable.

While I've seen a few nice pieces from India, I'd be wary of anything purporting to be naturals from that country.

[natural]

sure that one not natural...!

[New Zealand Natural Pearl]

Yes looks like cultured pearls to me too!

[Caitlin]

which one? There are several pictured.