Dyed Pearls - Opinions?

GemGeek said:
Dyed pearls are a fashion item. And yes, on occasion they can fade. I had a strand of the most amazing bright aqua color freshwaters. When I went looking for them a few months later, I found a pale mint green. I also had some dyed gem beads drastically fade as well.
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Very informative and interesting GG. I'll keep that in mind when purchasing pearls.
 
WHen I started in pearls there were dyed freshwaters everywhere. Pearl quality was low and I guess the dye covered many sins...turned them into outfit matching beads rather than gems
The tide turned around 7-8 or so years ago when natural colour freshwaters of good lustre and shape started to appear on the market, along with the first bead nukeds (remember the comet/tadpoles, often dyed in violent hues?) then after a year or so the first ripples- wow
Now it is hard to get dyed pearls (apart from black or grey and even they are hard to find in good quality at the moment)
The only source of plentiful dyed freshwaters I can think of (apart from dusty forgotten corners of HK wholesalers|) is Honora . It does make me cringe a bit when they are on QVC here spinning up the most lumpy old ringed lumps of dyed nacre as 1% of the harvest. But people buy them and are very pleased with them so...
 
I agree; if it's pretty, you like it, and you pay the true price for honestly sold merchandise, it's all good. Honora definitely planted seeds for me ... those guys kept babbling about "keshi pearls" ... I looked it up on the internet, because what they said just didn't quite make sense ... and Pearl-Guide popped up in my search ... and look where that lead, to my everlasting delight :)
 
Is there a way to artificially add or enhance orient? For example on an item like this? It's currently going for $1.31 on ebay. What is the deal with that? It's ultra baroque, obviously, but if the color, luster and orient are natural, it's very pretty. s-l500.jpg
 
I've never heard of a way to enhance orient. The pearl is pretty.

Look at the vendor's sold items and see what similar items went for, and that will give you an idea how high it may go. Then you can decide how you want to bid (assuming you do want to bid.)
 
I've always loved Akoyas so the roundness and color were what I expected in a pearl. I've always thought that the irregular shaped pearls were cheap and the dying made it look worse. Nowadays, my opinion has changed and I love irregular shapes but still prefer natural colors. What I dislike are the misrepresentations of dyed pearls being called something they are not.

LV, that looks like a beautiful pearl. Is that the pearl that is going being sold, or just a picture of what you might get? If it is a Chinese seller, I've had terrible luck with them sending pearls that are nothing like the photos. Be sure to check the feedback posts, esp the negative and neutral comments... those are the most important because they will tell you so much about a seller!
 
LVLanghanke said:
Is there a way to artificially add or enhance orient? For example on an item like this? It's currently going for $1.31 on ebay. What is the deal with that? It's ultra baroque, obviously, but if the color, luster and orient are natural, it's very pretty. View attachment 46796
Click to expand...

What do they say about this pearl ? Size and type ? Backside photo ? It's very pretty.
 
LVLanghanke said:
Is there a way to artificially add or enhance orient? For example on an item like this? It's currently going for $1.31 on ebay. What is the deal with that? It's ultra baroque, obviously, but if the color, luster and orient are natural, it's very pretty. View attachment 46796
Click to expand...

What do they say about this pearl ? Size and type ? Backside photo ? It's very pretty.
 
My personal preference is for pearls that have not been dyed. I have bought three dyed strands and one has sat on top of my safe for years to remind me never to do that again. The other two have been given away to someone who thought they were great. Not sure if she still wears them but I see her wearing other strands I have gifted her.
 
I reread the PP article, it had me smiling and teary eyed (I know its the holidays so that is probably a part of the emotional reaction). so generous of you guys to share your collections. I also remember the 3 strands on the safe to remind you to not settle. That in mind more people should tape pictures of their bad pearl purchases to their monitors when they get the ebay itch LOL

newberry said:
My personal preference is for pearls that have not been dyed. I have bought three dyed strands and one has sat on top of my safe for years to remind me never to do that again. The other two have been given away to someone who thought they were great. Not sure if she still wears them but I see her wearing other strands I have gifted her.
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I don't mind dyed pearls, particularly if they work in combination with gemstone beads etc. I really like black pearls and sometimes the colors on dyed black akoyas or fwp are very interesting. I also like chocolate browns with yellow gemstone beads etc... I like the fun colors that coordinate with gemstones, for me it helps in design ideas that might not otherwise be possible, but the fantastical colors on their own, I am not fan. I have a friend that does beautiful work with dyed FWP made into torsades with combos of gemstones and sometimes swarobski crystals of all colors.
 
The more I see them, the more I like the look of black FWP and akoyas. And maybe some of the more subtle colors. I don't care for chocolate SSPs, but only because I'm not a fan of brown.
 
LVLanghanke said:
Oh, I wasn't going to bid on it, I was just pulling it up as an example. Here's the listing, though. But now that I have looked at their feedback, I might keep an eye on the shop and see if they list something I fancy, given how cheap they are. http://www.ebay.com/itm/GORGEOUS-Na...82f564b&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=351930352278

They have 100% feedback rating and do include backside photos, which is nice.
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When I was searching for the photo (not having read the whole thread), I found another vendor whose photos look exactly the same (same style, same green stick). I suspect some of these vendors are the same person, and they leave feedback for themselves, if that's possible. (I sell on eBay, and most transactions do not leave feedback, good or bad, hence my suspicion.)

Back to this pearl, it's still under $4, and free shipping. ;)

Regarding dyed pearls, I don't have a problem as long as the buyer knows what they're getting. "Tahitian black" dye is deceptive. I don't see a problem with fashion pearl beads to color-match an outfit. If you watched Downton Abbey, half the time the ladies were wearing long strands of little glass beads in coordinating colors, not expensive jewelry.
 
So I'm going to bid on one of these pearls just to see what I get. I can spare a couple of dollars to satiate my curiosity, although I don't have high hopes.
 
Make sure you get one with free shipping. :D
 
I have one strand of dyed chocolate freshwater pearls that I bought for myself when I was 16. I wore the crap out of them to the time but I can't say I reach for them anymore mostly because I almost never wear anything that would go with them. I won't get rid of them because of sentimental value (being the first strand of pearls I bought for myself). I don't have anything against dyed pearls really, it's just that I can't make myself want ("need") any when I can get such vibrant colors that are naturally ocurring.
 
I have one strand of sideways drilled dyed freshwater pearls that I strung myself. They are fun with jeans and look good in person, but photograph terrible. This was before I discovered natural blue akoyas and multicolored Tahitians that both have a similar coloring to my dyed freshies. I definitely have a "type."

I adore my naturally colored pearls, and I'm amazed how well they photograph. There's something about the surface of the dyed pearls that the camera just translates as dull. Whereas the naturally colored pearls actually look more colorful in photographs.

To me, they dye job has to make the pearls look amazing or I'm not interested.
 
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