Akoya Pearls? Not this time!

[The Pearl Outlet]

Beware! I just came across this site selling 11mm, AAA Akoya pearl earrings for a mere $209, with 14k lever-back settings! I think I smell a freshwater pearl.

http://www.pearlclassic.com/akpewhro7m14.html
http://www.pearlclassic.com

Oh yeah, and 9-10mm AAA Akoya strands for only $775.
http://www.pearlclassic.com/18whakpenest2.html

And I thought eBay was fraught with fraud.

 

[Caitlin]

Yuck. I see they have a link to Perles of Tahiti. It's like they found a way to exploit a link, by implication! These guys know what they are doing, they are professional con artists selling fraudulent stuff.

 

[jas932]

gosh y'all, that's a heck of an accusation to make off of only a couple of photographs.

We all know that there is no universally accepted standard for grading pearls, so one company's AAA rating might be another's A.

Personally I have never come across an 11mm Akoya, but 6mm Akoya earrings for $100+ is not out of the question. Gold leverback earrings can be purchased for under $30, and that's before a bulk discount, and if you buy those pearls right you can more than double your money at that price.

Do you have more to go on? Has anyone purchased from this company and has proof that their Akoya's are Freshies?

.julie.

 

[eric-anandia-pearls]

I have to agree with Terry - that combination of size and price don't quite add up. Likely these are freshwater... "Akoya" could just be a labeling mistake, but I don't know these guys.

 

[lisa c]

How can you research these links? Ach. I wish I new more computer tricks. See, I think I hear more than price comparisons in your evaluations/assessments; have you researched their link and discovered they're only 3days old or something? or they've changed their name 4x in the last year?

 

[pattye]

If "Perles de Tahiti" is a link, I can't get it to work at all.

When we bring the pearls back to our office in Southern California, we design each piece of jewelry ourselves. We drill each pearl, hand string it, hand knot them

This statement seems misleading--from what I know of how most strands of freshwater and akoya pearls are marketed--matched, drilled and on temporary strands. There can be exceptions for the Tahitian, and SS, of course. Just my thoughts---------

 

[The Pearl Outlet]

Akoya pearl strands are never measured in full mm sizes and Akoya pearls are not farmed in sizes over 10mm. A pair of 9.5-10mm Akoya pearls of nearly any quality at wholesale prices is far above their selling price of these fictitious 11mm Akoya pearls.

 

[lisa c]

Thanks Terry! I knew the add was full of wild hyperbole, and the "selecting each pearl" was the least of it, but it helps to know how you guys pick up on stuff.