Help!! Where to authenticate my pearls in Cebu Philippines?

[bbnnyy168]

Greetings!

I'm from CEBU, Philippines. I have some salt water pearls in my possession but i don't know their value. I need help as to where i can get a certificate of appraisal for them. Thanks

 

[KarinK]

Hi and welcome,

While we can't offer appraisal in this group, some photos of the pearls would bring feedback about the quality of the pearls. What kind of appraisal do you need? Is it for personal use or insurance appraisal. If it is the latter I'm thinking that your insurance agent would know where to get them appraised.

- Karin

 

[jshepherd]

A good start would be to post a photo of your pearls here. We could give you an idea of value and type.

 

[bbnnyy168]

Thanks! Here are the pictures of the pearls. i hope they are clear enough.

 

[Caitlin]

Thay aren't clear enough for me. How large are they? I have not seen that peanut pearl in any saltwater cultured pearl, They do not implant more than one bead, and the only kind of pearls that do allow many little pearls to grow at the same time, thus getting peanuts every so often or even deliberately, is cultured freshwater pearls from China.

If that peanut pearl was sold to you as a south sea pearl, they were lying, therefore I think the others must be freshwaters as well. They would not be worth much unless they are 14mm or ever. Although I have been fooled about cfwp from Philippine sellers before- there are some huge and pitted pearls out there, but I have been shown they are still CWFP.

MAybe I am wrong, but if not I am sorry to disappoint you.

 

[pattye]

Gosh, I can't see any photos~~??

 

[KarinK]

It's hard to judge the size but looking at the threads in the fabric they seem to be quite avarage in size. While not getting into the talk about SSP and FW (but having heard often about FW being sold as SSP) I don't think single pearls like these would be worth enough to get a certificate.

- Karin

 

[Caitlin]

I can see them. I looked and there are no photos to moderate, so this is beyond my help.

 

[pearlescence]

Hi bbnnyy168
They might be south sea pearls, in which case the roundish ones are worth more than the mis-shapes, but it's hard to give an accurate valuation. For the roundish, maybe $40-70 and for the mis shapes much less. If they are freshwater then just a few $ each.
What sort of appraisal do you want - a valuation or an identification?
Either way they probably aren't worth the expenditure, unless you have reason to think they might be wild pearls and that is very very very unlikely. Any certificate which is worth having will probably cost more than each pearl

 

[pattye]

Ok, I can see the photos now. Please retake the photos on a white background like a paper towel, and give the sizes. The photos aren't quite clear enough. Are these a recent purchase? All info you can share is helpful.

 

[GemGeek]

I have seen "peanut" pearls in south sea pearls. Sometimes keshi occur and bunch up together during growth. Caitlin is right that they are way more common in Chinese freshwater pearls.

 

[Caitlin]

I have been wrong about SSP before. So let's keep digging.

 

[bbnnyy168]

Thanks for all the replies and help. Will post a better and clearer picture soon Really appreciate it!

 

[perlinda]

To me, they kinda look like SS pearls. For the peanut shape pearl, one of my pearls here looks a bit like that https://www.etsy.com/listing/117102042/pair-of-11x12mm-baroque-white-south-sea
The round ones seem to be smooth from the picture (but definitely need better picture to know for sure), and if so, then their value is quite high depending on the size. Next time if you take the pictures with white background, you may also put ruler next to the pearls to give us idea about their sizes.

 

[GemGeek]

The peanut pearl discussion suddenly brought this gem to mind, posted by Dr. Tom Stern... Va Va Voom!

 

[bbnnyy168]

Greetings! Here is a better and new picture of the pearls above. Instead of 6, these pictures only contain 2. What do you thk of them- their value, etc? Hope you can help. Thanks!

 

[pattye]

We are trying to help you, as you can see from the remarks made already. Please give the measurements of the pearls. Perlinda who posted above, has a website where you can compare the size of your pearls and their quality to what she has listed.

The characteristics of the pearls show better on a plain white background, which is why we asked for a photo on white, not a dark color. Also we do need the sizes, thank you in advance for taking time to measure your pearls and giving that information.

 

[Topetang]

Re: Coconut Pearl

Re: Coconut Pearl

Greetings..
I'm also from Cebu, Philippines, and I have at hand A huge egg-sized coconut pearl which is still intact to prove its own natural authenticity. However, I believe an Authentication from proper agency like gemology laboratories is needed to properly dispose such a precious thing. And so, Where to have it done?, and can anyone recommend anyone to properly dispose this at an appropriate price? Thanks.

Doc Doki

 

[pattye]

Hello and welcome Doc Doki,

Are you able to post photos and millimeter size of the item you have? A white background, such as a paper towel, works well.

 

[cyndayco]

bbnnyy168, unless you're investing in, say...hamadamas, Cortez, or Basra pearls, I don't feel authentication is necessary. Thanks to China, pearls have become more commonplace. For Philippine pearls, I would only consider authentication for Jewelmer golden south sea pearls--and if I did buy them from Jewelmer, I'm sure they'd come with the right papers.

Topetang, I'm not sure P-G's expertise would apply to coconut pearls, considering that our interest is limited to pearls from oysters, mussels and other shellfish.