Southsea pearls or not?

[lovepearls]

Hi! I hope you can help me with these pictures of pearls. i am new to pearls and i'm not so sure how and what to look for.
1. white southsea pearls? i paid $100 for this pair. it is around 13mm
2. are these golden southsea pearls? two 14mm & one 15mm loose pearls. i'll be paying $225 for all three.
3. green and brown. are these southsea pearls? i thought they come only in white and golden. or are they freshwater? they are between 12-13mm. are they worth $70 per pearl?
4. my mom bought this necklace for me. according to the seller's tag it is baby southsea with southsea pendant. is there such a thing - baby southsea?

i would appreciate some feedback. thank you.

 

[Agustus-Collection]

Hi

1: could be, would need better photo to be sure
2: 14mm - 15mm for that price would not be possible being genuine south sea pearls ( i assume that they are round )
3: they look definitely dyed to me, many lesser grade south sea pearls are dyed with some 'fancy' colors :l
4: the baby south sea look more like freshwater pearls, the pendant could be a south sea pearl.

Cheers
Sven

 

[waimeamomi]

Sven beat me to it - everything he says, except that I think a matched, round pair of 13mm SS for 100. would be suspect. #3 could be Tahitians, but any pearls that color brown are dyed.

 

[lovepearls]

thanks for the quick reply. if picture #2 is not southsea (golden), could it be freshwater then? if it is, is it worth $225 for all 3? picture #1 the (white) pearls have blemishes and imperfections that's why i assumed it was cheap. how would i know if it is southsea?

 

[Caitlin]

The colors on the golds look dyed;theyre totally unreal looking. Baby south seas specifically means "freshwater pearls", esp aat Greenhills plaza, If the 13mm earrings are freshwaters and not shell pearls, they are worth the $$ but they could be shell pearls. I don't think you have any Southseas there. Real ones would be prices 10x higher, at least.

 

[lovepearls]

thanks for your feedback. i've always suspected that the 13mm are fwp despite the seller's claim of them being southseas but never thought of shell pearls. what are shell pearls? how would i know if they are shell pearls or not? and the gold pearls, do you think they're freshwater or shell pearls? i haven't actually seen them yet - just through this photo. I'd rather spend my $225 on a good fwp. sorry for all the questions, i never thought that buying pearls would be this complicated. i'm really glad i found this site - i'm looking forward to learning more.

 

[morphius]

For $225, you could get a stunning pair of top quality 9.5 to 10mm white freshwater pearl earrings with rose overtone on heavy-weight 14k gold studs...if you're paying $225 for the whole lot (of what's pictured), I agree that it's possible they are all shell pearl...or lower quality fwp

 

[DerekJ]

Do the tooth test to check if they are shell pearls.

 

[KarinK]

Do the tooth test to check if they are shell pearls.

In case you're unfamiliar with it - it means rubbing the pearls gently either against a tooth or against each other. If they are pearls they should feel slightly gritty. Shell pearls will feel smooth.

You might want to look at some of the vendors from this site to compare prices before you buy anything from the pictures.

- Karin

 

[pearlescence]

Shell pearls are simply fake pearls dressed up in a fancy name to disguise the fact that they are fake pearls. They are beads painted with a sort of stuff which is based either on mother of pearl (south sea shell pearls use the shells from south sea pearl farming) or fish scales (majorcan /majorica pearls)

 

[Unusual Pearls]

i agree with what Sven said.

 

[Stan Liem]

They cannot be genuine south sea pearls unfortunately.

In Indonesia, where many SS pearls can be found, for 15mm+ diameter AAA SS pearl, it would have cost around 250 US dollars per GRAM (and 15mm pearl alone would be about 5 grams, so a single pearl costs roughly 1250 US dollars).

 

[vakker]

South sea pearls price depends on the quality, size, tax and store. Stores charge high because they are paying high rent and tax and they charge even higher if they are reputable jewellers . I bought some golden and black pearls in Greenhills but i wanted to make sure they were real so went to a gemologists paid 1500 pesos per set for appraisal with certificate. They were genuine south sea pearls and were dyed and low quality. Don't buy from PINKY or maybe they are all the same. Pinky even gave me a certificate saying she sold me high quality south sea pealrs but as i was in doubt i took it to a gemologists. I also have a suplier from palawan where they have pearl farms and where JEWELMER is from. And i asked her about the brown, chocolate and green south sea pearls if they are dyed. She is also new in the business she said she would ask her supplier and she claims her supplier is jewelmer which i didn't believe. Her supplier said they weren't dyed but they were injected something to achieve the color while still in the sea and said the color will not fade. I said i checked Jewelmer's website and they didn't mention any green or brown color and she said of course they won't published such things like that. I am waiting for my golden color order but will take it the appraiser again before i order more coz i also want to start selling . I am just looking for a trusted supplier

 

[jshepherd]

I would actually take what the first gemologist told you with a grain of salt. The pearls couldn't be dyed in the Philippines (you need an actual pearl processing factory for that) and South Sea pearls are rarely dyed.

The second supplier is making up stories; both about Jewelmer and the injections. Jewelmer doesn't sell brown and green, and no South Sea producers inject their shells to achieve color.

Post some photos so we can tell you what you really have.

 

[vakker]

I didnt talk to the appraiser face to face as she was in her lab/office. It was the appraiser's assistant who said the black and golden set were real cultured SSP but dyed and low quality that's why they both have PHP18000 market value. They black turned out more green in the pictures. When i am looking at it there are purple overtones and greenhills seller said they're peacock. The white south sea set has the highest market value of PHP36000 and bought it from the last supplier that's why i ordered another set of golden and if they turn out to be good then i will purchase bluish grey and black south sea set. The golden earrings with PHP10000 market value was purchased in the souvernir shop in Palawan. All setting in 14k yellow gold but appraised as 12k gold only. The gemologists studied at GIA so i don't know. The only gemologist i found who appraise SSP coz all gemologists here are only interested in golds and diamonds as people here are not really into pearls more on golds and diamonds that's why thieves and snatchers won't bother with SSP. SSP is most appreaciated in the West i think. Just my opinion

 

[perlinda]

The black South Sea pearls are Tahitian pearls, I don't think they're dyed since I've never heard before that SSP dyed in Tahitian black color. Green and chocolate, yes (check picture on the post #1), but not that black color, cmiiw. The golden ones appear to be dyed, you mentioned that the pearls are low quality, can you describe why because I can't read what's written on the appraisal. There are not too many spots visible so surface is not too bad. Usually, SSP that are dyed are the ones with very low luster and appear chalky white/cream.

You can see the sample here, the pearl on the left is the perfect candidate for being dyed.

 

[vakker]

Hello, thanks for the reply . The first 3 pictures of golden is set with market value PHP18k beacuse they r low quality and dyed according to the stores assistant. Indicated in the certificate is the set, the size and what settings. Reasons that makes it low quality wasn't mentioned. The other picture of golden pair of ear rings with 14k gold settings with market value 10k. The seller from Palawan said has not been touched or treated. So i dont know why the white SSP set has value of PHP36k and the others has very low value. must be because the white was the first one i gave her and because i was happy with the result i gave her the other 3 sets and told her i am gonna sell them and was surprised she said they are low quality and have low market value.

 

[1521pearls]

SSP Philippines

SSP Philippines

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I didnt talk to the appraiser face to face as she was in her lab/office. It was the appraiser's assistant who said the black and golden set were real cultured SSP but dyed and low quality that's why they both have PHP18000 market value. They black turned out more green in the pictures. When i am looking at it there are purple overtones and greenhills seller said they're peacock. The white south sea set has the highest market value of PHP36000 and bought it from the last supplier that's why i ordered another set of golden and if they turn out to be good then i will purchase bluish grey and black south sea set. The golden earrings with PHP10000 market value was purchased in the souvernir shop in Palawan. All setting in 14k yellow gold but appraised as 12k gold only. The gemologists studied at GIA so i don't know. The only gemologist i found who appraise SSP coz all gemologists here are only interested in golds and diamonds as people here are not really into pearls more on golds and diamonds that's why thieves and snatchers won't bother with SSP. SSP is most appreaciated in the West i think. Just my opinion

------------

In Greenhills, there are many sellers that can be trusted, but I really caution you to be careful. The largest producers of pearls in the Philippines usually sell their pearls on their own shops or they sell it at auction in larger jewelry trade fairs. That's why it is hard to find quality pearls that are not treated in the local market. Most pearl farms are members of the association where they agree on floor price for the pearls---so a real affordable south sea pearl in the bazaar is something you really have to scrutinize. Check for the inner glow of the pearl, and for uniformity in color. Finding a pair that perfectly matches yet comes at a cheap cost is something that you have to be worried about. When you are looking at golden pearls and being presented pearls under really bright light; be patient and don't get pressured into buying. It helps to visit a well-know i.e. Jewelmer store to compare pearl quality first before going around bazaars or palawan market to shop so you have an idea what the real untreated pearls look like.

Some dye jobs are really good and they do not fade. I have personally purchased those when I was more naive about what I was buying. Just politely ask the store owners if the pearls have been treated in anyway. If you are happy to own dyed pearls, go with the store owner that was honest enough to tell you.

There are suppliers in the Philippines you can trust who sell genuine untreated SSP, but be prepared to pay for top quality pearls since the pearl farmers also know the value of the pearls they sell and they do not come cheap.

I hope this helps.

 

[Cees]

Greenhills sells mostly the lowest quality South Sea pearls you can find on the market. The vendors go to the Hong Kong Fair and they are only interested in round pearls, no ovals ,buttons or baroques. Only 2 or 3 vendors sell higher end South Sea pearls. Jewelmer is using a part of he harvest for their own jewellery collection, the rest goes to Hong Kong for auctions,etc.

 

[Kayema]

I live in Manila and am writing an article for an expats women's magazine about Greenhills pearl buying. This forum has been invaluable, and I wondered if Perlinda could give me permission to use this photo in the article. i think its a great picture showing quality differences between 2 pearls. Thank-you!

The black South Sea pearls are Tahitian pearls, I don't think they're dyed since I've never heard before that SSP dyed in Tahitian black color. Green and chocolate, yes (check picture on the post #1), but not that black color, cmiiw. The golden ones appear to be dyed, you mentioned that the pearls are low quality, can you describe why because I can't read what's written on the appraisal. There are not too many spots visible so surface is not too bad. Usually, SSP that are dyed are the ones with very low luster and appear chalky white/cream.

You can see the sample here, the pearl on the left is the perfect candidate for being dyed.
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