Search results

Yes, agreed. These are South Sea, not freshwater.

I think it's a harp seal too. @MintyFresh, I think you're referring to the 4th one. This one could be a harp seal pup, perhaps.

I agree. They look like the real deal.

For me it's the conch pearl flamingo followed by the second one, a seal playing in waves perhaps ... ?

This is actually a great lesson on differentiating baroque akoya from fireballs too. The akoya - The fireball freshwater -

These are fun! The only one that looks like akoya is the set of three though. The others look like fireballs.

I've merged the two threads so everything is now here.

Mori Pearl has been around since the 1960s, but that doesn't date the ring. I'd guess it from the 70s or 80s based on the style, but that's definitely not definitive. The provenance doesn't have the same brand premium as one like Mikimoto, so if you're just looking at the value for what it is...

That's a beautiful ring and you got a great deal on it! I think there are two hallmarks on it, but that could make sense. The one on the left in your first image is an old Mitsukoshi mark. The character is "koshi" and it was their "maru ni koshi" mark, which really just means koshi inside a...

These look faux to me. The surface and luster doesn't look like genuine pearl, and the knots are much too big.

The certificate for taking the grading lab looks real, but the business card ... not so much. I don't see any listing online for House of Silvestri Appraisals. If it were an actual Inc, that would exist. AND appraisals is spelled wrong on the card. There is no such thing as GIA Certified...

They are dyed Chinese freshwater pearls. They are not Tahitian pearls. They aren't even close to similar.

Scroll to the bottom of this page and there is a video with the pearl farmer - Yoneguchi-san. https://www.pearlsasone.org/courses/pearls_as_one/lectures/65676948

The company Belpearl in Canada trademarked the name Kasumiga. Unfortunately that doesn't mean that pearls sold as Kasumiga are real Japan Kasumi. There is only one farmer left on Lake Kasumi ga Ura, and his harvest in a small bag - just a few kilos - every year. They are all sold through Fuji...

This looks like a freshwater pearl.

It's more difficult to tell with a single pearl, but yes, it looks like one.

Yes, the appear to be baroque akoya pearls.

We just did some cameo work for a client. I'd never worked with them before and didn't know much about them. They are fascinating. We created a diamond cage and made a pearl collar out of them.

Baroques are a challenge for sure. We have our vault team trained on how to drill, but whenever it is a baroque pearl, there are only three of us who try to drill them. Drilling looks easy, but there are lots of little things that just take practice to really get the hang of. With baroques, I'd...

I'm sure they already have. I saw a vendor in Vegas selling them as "freshwater akoya." We had a talk about it and she promised to change her wording. They are very round and very white for sure. There is also an extremely wide range in pricing. I saw strands in Zhuji in the 5 mm range going...