everything you've ever wanted to know about pearl engagement rings,

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preswine

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I promised to make a thread detailing my experience. Sorry it took so long, but here it is:
 
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The Motivation

The Motivation

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The Motivation
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In the spring of 2006 I decided to start looking into buying an engagement ring for my, then, girlfriend, Rachel Rohrs. She likes dark tones and isn't much of a traditionalist, so I started looking into dark precious materials. I couldn't find much in the way of dark precious metals, but when it came to gems there were a number of possibilities. Black diamonds were the first I considered, but the more I studied diamonds, the more it seemed there was nothing unique or precious about them at all. On the contrary, it seemed that diamonds fetch such high prices merely because the general public has been conditioned to accept such high prices.

As I continued my search for dark gems I found the, so called, "black" pearls. These appealed to me for a number of reasons. First of all, I discovered that pearls have many nuances. These nuances not only made pearls interesting to read about (and I had no intention of spending several thousand dollars without reading extensively about the product I was buying), but they impressed me with the idea that every pearl is unique and precious in its own right which gave me an opportunity to select a very personal gem for my beloved. Second of all, pearls are relatively inexpensive, which meant that for the same price as a vulgar diamond, I could get something truly sui generis. Last of all, I intend for my marriage to be, at least in part, a symbolic demonstration of the relationship between god and mankind. This relationship is exemplified by the fact that god has, out of love, sacrificed himself to makeup for our shortcomings. One of my favorite descriptions of this sacrifice is the following, "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. " (Matt 13:45,46). I was, therefore, very pleased by the possibility of further emphasizing this symbolism by seeking a precious pearl engagement ring for my beloved.
 
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The Pursuit

The Pursuit

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The Pursuit
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As I pursued the idea of a pearl engagement ring, I began reading (and posting in) this forum where I found Zeide Erskine and Jeremy Shepherd to be most helpful and knowledgeable in all matters related to pearls. I discovered that although pearls, in general, might not be durable enough for something like an engagement ring, natural pearls can be much more durable than cultured pearls and, if treated properly, can withstand a lifetime of wear. I began searching for a black natural pearl suitable as the center stone of an engagement ring (6mm-10mm). The first one I came across was a 9mm almost-round black keishi from the Gulf of California found by pearl farmer Douglas McLaurin. I contacted him within a week of when he posted his finding in the pearl-guide forum, but by then he had already sold it. It was almost a month before I found another black natural pearl for sale.

After asking around the pearl-guide forum, I was referred to natural pearl dealer Jeremy Norris of Oasis Pearl in California. He claimed he had a 2.5 carat, 7mm, round, black, natural pearl from Mexico and his asking price was $1600. Unfortunately, he didn't have pictures, nor did he have a certification, nor an appraisal. So I asked him if he had any contacts in New York that he would send it to for viewing. To my surprise, he offered to send the pearl directly to my home with no deposit (you can contact me, Jeremy, if you don't want this fact publicized). I thought this was suspicious, but was assured by Zeide Erskine that lending on trust as such is a standard practice. When I received the pearl, I found the quality to be exquisite except for two very slight blemishes on one side. It was much rounder than the Douglas McLaurin's almost-round keishi, although its overtone was green instead of red. I sent Zeide the following pictures to get an expert opinion on the quality, although I don't think the pictures do it justice:
http://leroybrown.glassmelter.com/pearls/
Citing the two minor blemishes, I offered Jeremy $1400 (pending a certification) and he agreed (not on the basis of the blemishes, but on the condition that I paid for the certification), but before I paid him, I set out to make sure I wasn't being ripped off.

Later, when the integrity of of this pearl came into question I also contacted Casey Greenling, who is not involved in the pearl industry professionally, but has a collection of natural Mexican pearls that he is looking to sell.
 
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The Verification

The Verification

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The Verification
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From the beginning, I knew that Jeremy Norris had a sterling reputation in the pearl-guide forum (in fact, so sterling that the experts of pearl-guide will tell you that you don't even need a certification when buying from Jeremy Norris), but to be safe I wanted to ask some sources unaffiliated with pearl-guide.com. Google turned up the fact that Jeremy had a degree from GIA. So I contacted GIA and they verified the date of his graduation/certification.

Next, I checked the pearl under a black light, as I had learned that black pearls from the Gulf of California glow red under UV, unlike other black pearls. It glowed red, confirming that Jeremy Norris was at least honest about the region of origin.

I also tried to find an unaffiliated local expert to give me a hands-on appraisal. To this end I contacted Neil Landman, curator of the natural pearl exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, author of the book Pearls: A Natural History, and fellow alumnus of Polytechnic University. Mr Landman referred me to an estate appraiser and I spoke to their pearl "expert" (whose names I can't recall). When I asked this pearl "expert" if he could determine whether or not the pearl was natural, he said he only knew enough about saltwater pearls to make such a determination and asked me where the pearl was from. When I told him it was from Baja California, he said that it must be freshwater since all pearls from the US are freshwater. He obviously had no idea where Baja California was (in Mexico) and that pearls were grown there.

The next appraiser I contacted was Gina Latendresse of American Pearl Company in Tennessee (who also has a sterling reputation). She told me that she could appraise the pearl, but that she wouldn't be in New York until the spring of 2007. I also found out that American Pearl Company sometimes buys from Jeremy Norris and gets their pearls certified/identified at either the GIA lab or the AGTA lab in New York. I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle to get an appraisal, but I still had every intention of getting a lab certification/identification.

Fortunately, almost all the labs that do pearl identification/certification have sites in New York. They are actually all within a block or two of each other in the diamond district. The labs I looked at are: GIA, IGI, EGL, and AGTA. EGL and GIA are less expensive than the other two. EGL and AGTA are quicker than the other two. The reputations are pretty consistent across the board and, although Sotherbys auction house claims that they will only accept a GIA cert for natural pearls, at the time my general impression was that the differences in reputation mattered more to end customers than savvy gem professionals. With this in mind, I naturally went with EGL for the fast and inexpensive service.

When I arrived at EGL I asked to speak to someone about exactly how they determine whether or not a pearl is natural, whether or not they include a copy of the x-ray with the report, and whether or not they comment on the particular factors that led to their conclusion in the report. Gemologist Donna Beaton of EGL explained to me that they don't have time to write such comments nor do they include a copy of the x-ray, but assured me that they can easily make the determination from the x-ray. All the other labs said the same thing, so I left the pearl with EGL.

One week later the certification came back saying that the pearl was cultured! I called EGL and asked them if they were sure. They said they were absolutely sure. When I went to pick up the pearl I asked to see the gemologist that examined the pearl (Donna Beaton). I told her I got the pearl from a very reputable dealer and I asked her if she was absolutely sure it was cultured. She said that she was completely sure. So I went home and contacted Jeremy Norris.

Jeremy Norris said he was very surprised at the result. He told me he got the pearl from a very reputable farmer that he's dealt with in the past and asked me to send the pearl back to him so he could take it for a second opinion. Not wanting to give up hope, I offered him the following proposition: let me take it for a second opinion, if they second lab says it's cultured then you pay for the cert and I send it back, but if they say it is natural I will pay for the cert and keep it. He agreed.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take it to GIA (who requires a month for testing) and have it back in time for my planned proposal. So I took it to AGTA, but first I asked my dentist to x-ray it for me. Unfortunately, I can't scan those x-rays to show you how they looked, but in them I saw a distinct boundary 1-2mm below the surface and concentric rings throughout the body. The concentric rings suggested natural, but the distinct boundary suggested cultured.

When the certification came back from AGTA saying it was saltwater, natural color, and uncultured, I went back to EGL, AGTA cert in hand, to tell them I got a conflicting report from another lab. Donna Beaton came out holding an article from a trade journal about the cultured Mexican pearls, presumably to try and set me straight. The article is written by none other than the head gemologist of the AGTA lab Dr Lore Kiefert (who is apparently well published about the mexican pearls in particular). When I showed Ms Beaton the AGTA cert her confidence suddenly waned. She said she used to work for AGTA and that she knows Dr Kiefert personally. After calling Dr Kiefert and viewing the AGTA x-rays, Ms Beaton decided to change her determination from "cultured" to "natural". EGL gave me a refund along with a copy of their digital x-ray:
http://leroybrown.glassmelter.com/pearls/egl_rad.jpg

Back at AGTA, I asked to see the x-ray. Although they wouldn't allow me to keep it because their x-rays are not digital, Dr Kiefert personally pointed out all the features on the x-ray that lead her to her "natural" identification and explained that the distinct boundary was merely a conchiolin layer. Satisfied with her explanation, I paid Jeremy Norris and took the pearl to my jeweler to have the ring made, but after my jeweler drilled the pearl I inspected the drill hole and saw white, which made me second guess Dr Kiefert's certification. I took the pearl back to AGTA and Dr Kiefert graciously inspected the drill hole for me. After cleaning it out, she showed me that it was simply white powder from the drill. Once clean, it was easy to see through the drill hole the conchiolin layer 1-2mm below the surface and the concentric layers of nacre to the center*. I finally achieved 100% confidence that the pearl was, in fact, natural and Dr Kiefert echoed that confidence saying, "Be happy with your pearl. It's very unusual."

*Although there is a remote chance that it could be a perfectly round, perfectly tissue-nucleated, mexican, saltwater pearl, such a specimen would be even rarer than a natural.
 
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The Jeweler

The Jeweler

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The Jeweler
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I decided to pick a jeweler in New York because I wanted to view actual ring styles in person, in addition to having more flexibility for ring resizing, etc. I visited four jewelers, Mikimoto, Vancleef & Arples, Tiffany (for laughs), and American Pearl. Mikimoto told me that they won't set non-mikimoto pearls. They also told me that natural pearls don't exist. Vancleef & Arples told me that they won't set gems that aren't purchased from Vancleef & Arples (when questioned they claimed they could obtain natural pearls). The clerk at Tiffany told me that a pearl ring is not an engagement ring (with a snort). American Pearl offered to set my pearl in any ring in their inventory. They also offered to make a completely custom design if I didn't like anything in their inventory.

Needless to say, I went with American Pearl (which is unaffiliated with American Pearl Company of Tennessee). Unlike most pearl retailers/jewelers they seemed to have more selection/experience with my metal of choice (platinum), presumably due to their sister company, American Diamond. It seems that platinum isn't used much in pearl jewelery because, except in the case of very rare natural pearls, the platinum would greatly increase the price of an otherwise inexpensive piece. Most of my interactions were with the owner Eddie Bakhash, who was very accommodating and generally willing to please. He genuinely cared about what I was trying to accomplish and, although he paid careful attention to give me exactly what I asked for, he was also willing to give helpful suggestions about parameters I wasn't sure of. I decided on one of their stock designs, "Grace", which has two SI1 clarity, G color, .085 carat diamonds as side stones. I ordered it in platinum for $900 and they upgraded the diamonds to VS for free.

One small criticism of American Pearl is that they flip flopped about one minor perk. Originally they said I would get no discount for bringing my own pearl, then they said they would deduct the price of the stock pearl (~$50), and when they finally charged me they said they would not deduct the price of the stock pearl. This is obviously a minor quibble on a $900 purchase, but after the great service I received it caught me off guard. I don't hold it against them because I think I got a relatively good deal anyway and I know I was a tough customer. The service was great when I went back for a resize. They did it within a few hours and even offered to ship it to me free of charge if I didn't want to wait.
 
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Before I leave you with some final pictures, I just wanted to say, without raising specific criticisms of the other people I delt with, that Jeremy Norris and Dr Lore Kiefert each exhibited professionalism, knowledge, and customer service beyond even the slightest criticism. Even if I tried my hardest, I couldn't nitpick any of my experiences with these two professionals.

ering.jpg

bridge.JPG
 
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I edited in a few additional details:
-I originally forgot to mention that I also checked the pearl under UV light to confirm it was Mexican.
-I added a few more conclusions of the lab result (some of which are relevant to the interpretation of the x-ray/drill-hole). Namely, that the pearl color is natural (undyed) and that it was grown in saltwater.
-I noted the remote possibility that the lab results would also be consistent with a round, perfectly tissue-nucleated, saltwater, mexican pearl, but that such a pearl (if it could even be grown) would be just as rare as a natural one.
-I added a comment stating that Dr Kiefert is well published on Mexican pearls in particular.
-I added some additional (and deserved) recognition for Jeremy Norris and Lore Kiefert.
-I added the name of my fiancee, Rachel Rohrs.
-Fixed typo: The pearl is from the Gulf of California, not the Gulf of Mexico.
 
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What a lucky woman your bride-to-be is. Heck, I was thrilled my husband noticed I was interested in pearls. Lucky us, this a beautiful story and a wonderfully told experience you have shared. Thanks.
 
Awesome! Congratulations for the engagement, of course, and the sucessful pearl hunt :cool: A natural black pearl is a seriously cool thing in my book... and just about every other I know of. As much as I can tell, many do not know what these pearls are, but all it takes is telling the story to have instant recognition of their fascination and value. Showing around such a beautiful specimen must help! :D
 
Hi all,

I was re-reading the topic recently, and I have a couple of questions:

Is the pearl from the Gulf of Mexico or from Baja California (Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California)?

What species is the pearl from? Pinctada mazatlanica, Pteria sterna? What are the differences between the two species, and the differences between the two kinds of pearls, are the two species found on both coasts of Mexico? pearls from P. mazatlanica seem to be of lighter complexion.
 
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