Is it fake?

N

Natali

Guest
Hello,
I need some advice please.I got some Tahitian pearl from EBAY.When you scratch it with the fingernail-the coating goes off( it looks like crashed glass-like substance).All over the pearl this type of coating.Is it normal to have something like this in natural pearl?
Someone advised to do tooth test. I got a deep scratch and it is white colour.....looks like the pearl is soft...And coating did go off as well.
Same item as I bought on picture
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=92809&item=5008909765&rd=1
 
Natali,

It sounds like you are having a bad experience, and I am very sorry to hear it.

What you are describing should absolutely not be happening. When I first read your post I thought it may be possible that the seller has coated the pearl, maybe with a white pearl underneath. But after looking through the sellers other auctions it appears as though there is a pattern of deception here.
For example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=52584&item=5008243271&rd=1

This strand of clearly low-quality, baroque Akoya pearls (would not cost more than $10 wholesale) has a list value of more than $10,000 and a claim of South Sea attached to it.

Also:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=52584&item=5008066562&rd=1

Colored Akoya pearls that are described as ‘super rare Tahitians’ (worth $19,000). So rare, in fact, I have never seen anything like it in my life. The fact that I have seen thousands of low-end Akoya strands that look just like this must simply be a strange coincidence. By the way, the fact that the pearls are small (to small to possibly be Tahitians) and the pearls are not round, I would value the strand (retail) at around $100.

I would be willing to bet that the piece you have is set with an Akoya pearl of very low quality. The reason I say this is because you are describing a peeling of the pearl with a white interior. This means that the nacre is so thin that it is actually just coming off. The white you see is mother-of-pearl, or the shell nucleus. If it were Tahitian the nacre depth would be a minimum of .8mm, and would come off like thick pieces of bark from a tree, not flake off like a dried film. You may want to check with a jeweler to see if the diamonds are real as well…
 
seller does not speak english...no shipping address for return yet

seller does not speak english...no shipping address for return yet

Thanks for your answer Jeremy.
I tried to contact the seller about the return of my items-they did not send me the address yet where to send them back.I think this guy from es_store on purpose behave like he does not understand what is going on.When I sent him an e-mail about pearls that they are colour coated ,means fake-I got message back that I got everything according the description.I am trying to put on him the charges for shipping...obviously because if I knew they were fake I would never bought them.And they shipped it by FEDEX not EMS as I asked (paid for EMS)...so additional VAT charge will be for this junk.
They do send everything by FEDEX because they think people will not be very happy to send items back because of very high expences for shipping and in total it is like 50-70% more money in addition to the cost of the pearls.
So people who already spent alot of money for shipping will prefer to keep item(s) rather then sending it back.
Lets see if I get a shipping address from the seller.When I asking him shipping address his answer on my e-mail:items as described....
I decided not to keep my other item I bought from them.If one is fake then the other is colour coated as well,just better quality(does not peel with the fingernail).
What is your opinion on this item? :
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5008057990&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

If link will not open you can put an item number on EBAY search list
Item number: 5008057990
Thanks again.
 
I have taken a look at this item as well and something just does not feel right. If everything listed on the auction is accurate it is an incredible deal. 2 Tahitians pearls, 9.5mm in size, a 14k gold setting and .19 cttw of diamonds? Selling the item for a buy-it-now price of $61 US dollars would be at a loss. Here is the breakdown of the piece wholesale:
Gold is 2.62 grams:
Let us just round the figure to $15 per gram. The gold value is about $40.
This definitely seems heavy from the picture.
Diamond weight is .19cttw.
This quality and size would probably cost the seller at least $500 per carat, so I would estimate the diamonds are about $95.
Two Tahitian pearls (flawless as described) with a silver gray overtone (silver gray is not a very valuable color) would probably cost the seller about $60-$70 per pearl. So the minimum price would be about $120.
So to put this piece together (in the quality described by the seller) it would cost about $250. So a price of $61 seems very unrealistic. Something (if not everything) must be misrepresented.
 
This item on Ebay: 5008057990 is not recommended if you are looking for real pearls. These pearls are not Tahitian pearl earrings. I would highly recommend staying away from buying pearls on Ebay if you want high quality pearls.
 
Thanks for replyes guys

Thanks for replyes guys

I understand...probably colour coated (in best case pearl)....gold-plated with fake diamonds...
And gold...I doubt it is more then 2 gramms...they are so thin and delicate....
Lets see how refund goes...definetely I am going to leave a feedback so other people see that they are about to buy a fake colour coated pearls.
 
interesting feedbacks

interesting feedbacks

DO NOT BUY!!GURANTEED GENINUEJUNK SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SELL ON EBAY!
Buyer rpracingmotocross ( 48) Jun-01-04 09:05 4112198522
Reply by es_store: SORRY FOR THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE PEARL AND PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM US AGAIN Jun-01-04 09:07


DO NOT BUY!!100%painted fake pearls tomuch$4return 4only 50% of my$back ? a JOKE
Buyer rpracingmotocross ( 48) Jun-01-04 08:53 4112197755
Reply by es_store: WE GURANTEED 100% GENINUE PEARL. PLEASE GIVE US THE APPROVEMENT Jun-01-04 09:01



:eek: Piece of crap. 20/70 stones visibly flawed. Out 72.00 $ S&H costs.
Buyer sunna_woman ( 141) Jun-01-04 07:14 4104147247
Reply by es_store: REFUND POLICY IN OUR EBAY DESCEIPTION. Jun-01-04 09:02


*This* neckklace was fine - but, if you return anything you're out *all* S&H $
Buyer sunna_woman ( 141) Jun-01-04 07:14 4104816851
Reply by es_store: THE NECKLACE IS FINE, WHAT YOU WANT WE DO FOR YOU? Jun-01-04 09:03

seller did not follow my very clear instructions & cost me alot of extra money.
Buyer blondezilla2000 ( 27) Aug-22-04 16:10 4915226958
Reply by es_store: The buyer reponsed your local tax. Aug-22-04 16:15

it's offered to send pearls back, -however it cost you $100 for shipping, custom
Buyer christine-munich ( 198) Sep-06-04 18:37 4915993282
Reply by es_store: WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T MAKE EVERY ONE APPRECIATE OUR PRODUCTS. WE DO REFUND Sep-06-04 18:50


pearls with absolutely thin nacre - just right to be a present for your child!
Buyer christine-munich ( 198) Sep-06-04 18:29 4917564951
Reply by es_store: WE IMMEDIATELY REFUNDED TO YOU WHAT YOU WANT? Sep-06-04 18:33


As a pearl-expert from Germany I must say, this pearls are of very poor quality!
Buyer christine-munich ( 198) Sep-06-04 18:24 4914861071
Reply by es_store: HOPEFULLY YOU LEFT FEEDBACK BEFORE THINKING WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO? Sep-06-04 18:50


:mad: this pearls are EVEN not worth the $70-$100 you pay here at auction!
Buyer christine-munich ( 198
 
As a rule with eBay it is always important to check a seller's negative feedback - especially when the seller is selling jewelry. Unfortunately the vast majority of buyers do not know that they are getting deceived and take the seller's word for something. So the seller ends up with thousands of good feedback, and only a few that accurately describe the experience. I am sure many others do not want to leave negative feedback as they know the sellers will reciprocate. I firmly believe purchasing pearls on eBay is like buying a lottery ticket - a lot of big promisses that are rarely ever delivered.
 
All GREAT advice!!

I also bought some "real Mikimoto grade" pearls on eBay, as you can see from my previous post...

Well, after good advice, I ended up telling the seller I would not be purchasing the pearls and if they wanted to file a non-paying bidder alert then I would have to notify eBay that I had experts who could tell just by looking at the picture that the pearls were grossly misrepresented!
Well, surprise surprise....no problems not paying for them!

I instead bought my pearls at www.pearlparadise.com - Jeremy Sheperd has been so helpful :) - better service and MUCH, MUCH better prices than anywhere else I have seen.

Did you pay by creditcard? If so you can do a chargeback...
Also, your transaction is covered by the eBay buyer protection if you paid by Paypal.

I would suggest getting back to the seller and tell him you will file a fraud complaint if he does not agree to refund all your money.
And then, check out PearlParadise!

Good luck!
 
The way to handle the situation,fashionzombie, you were right

The way to handle the situation,fashionzombie, you were right

Obviously,the seller belongs to jail.There are many like like these es_store on ebay.I can't understand why EBAY is not interested to keep their web from unhonest sellers of fraudulent items.I am pretty sure people complained before.
97% of people are happy with the seller,and they keep the seller-ebay gets money from him.
I saw how EBAY investigate all disputes:they normally send you a letter and telling you:please run after the seller-we will give you his phone number :).
 
Unfortunately, the sellers on Ebay do get away with it and it's a growing problem in auctions. Always do your research as it is your best tool in protecting yourself from these fraudulent acts. If things seem fishy, contact the company and ask detailed questions about the products and always make sure there is a solid refund policy.
 
97.7% feedback is a LOUSY feedback score. In this case it means 17 people out of 1,000 gave negative feedback IN THE LAST MONTH! A store could not stay in business for long with that volume of complaints to the BBB!

I would NOT buy from anyone whose feedback score isn't in the high 99% rank. For an example, here is a niche market pearl person- she sells unusual natural pearls -and for fairly high prices. She has been selling on ebay since 1999 and has NO negative feedback to speak of.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:FSEL:US:1&Item=5011390149

Please notice how her advertising style, which, although rather over the top, is appropriate for Ebay and does suit her unuusal taste in rare and fine pearls.
 
Last edited:
I have had a few "nightmare" purchases on ebay for Tahitian Pearls.
I've found if they are listed as "Genuine South Sea Tahitian Pearls" you have not only a 50/50 chance of getting something real (even if nowhere near the stated RRP) but if you have a problem and hammer eBay enough (go to the help section and go through the process of reporting a fraudulent seller) something gets done as they can't use semantics to get their way around wording.
I've managed to get 4 dodgy pearl sellers punted off :D
Only ones on eBay I can personally guarantee you will get a genuine product off is: Care Ehret (DruzyDesigns) & Christina Chang (KinaJewelery8899) - both very reputable peral jewellery designers in the US.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Squicke
Welcome to this forum! Good for you for invoking ebay against the phonys. But they will just come back tomorrow under a new id, right? The atmosphere surrounding the pearls on ebay often reminds me of a public bathroom at a bus station, I am afraid to touch anything!

I want to second your opinion on Care Ehret of Drusy Designs (who is a member of this forum and posted on this site re the Kasumi pearls.) The link in my above post goes to one of her auctions. Her pearls are gorgeous and she really really LOVES her pearls! They go for rather high prices too. Actually, she demands and gets way high prices, but if you are a retail buyer and/or a layman, and want gourmet pearls and 22k gold, she's your gal.

I want to stress that she is a niche pearl market person, not one to sell strands of round, white akoyas at all. One finds her by googling "Sea of Cortez pearls" or "Kasumi pearls" etc. I believe she had a big clientele before she ever moved to ebay.
 
Natalie - buying from es_store through EBAY

Natalie - buying from es_store through EBAY

Just one word of warning - don´t buy anything from es_store via Ebay. I tried my luck one time just to see if it was possible to get a bargain - it is not! The article i was bidding for cost $ 107.50, shipping was $ 70.00!!!! and although this cost was far to high (compared to Pearl paradise´s shipping cost) it took the item to get to Europe nearly 2 weeks.

Even though I was not expecting premium quality for such an low amount, the item was even lower quality than I had imagined. Their retailprice was ridiculously overpriced, but that I had suspected anyway.

However, I am buying from internetsites like Pearlparadise and Pearloasis and both companies have done very well. Pearlparadise have really low prices and as far as I am concerned, the offer very good value for their prices. Service is great and I am going to buy some more very soon.

My advice: keep away from Ebay when buying jewelry or pearls.

Kind regards
Inge Jernberg
 
On any eBay purchase, I suggest one pay with PayPal using your personal credit card, then if the item is "not as described", file for a refund through PayPal because of item being "not as described".

Most likely, after offering proof, you will be refunded. If the shipping cost is high, as it usually is from China, then you could ask PayPal to have the seller pay for the shipping.

By paying with your own credit card through PayPal, you may have recourse through your own credit card company as well as PayPal.

PayPal likes to have you pay using your funds in their account so the credit card option does not show up if you have enough cash in there. So in order to use your credit card, first you have to empty your PayPal account. Then when you go to pay the option of using your personal credit card will show up.

Bill
 
Natali said:
I can't understand why EBAY is not interested to keep their web from unhonest sellers of fraudulent items.I am pretty sure people complained before.
Click to expand...

I think eBay wants to keep frauds off, but they also want to keep listing fees coming in. So unless they "know" there is fraud they seem to turn their back.

Some time ago they got very strict about how diamonds and other precious gems were listed because of so much fraud. Then I understand they got pressure from the diamond industry and decided they should do something about it.

In the diamond industry there are standards of description, unlike the pearl industry where there is no standard grading system.

The GIA has developed a description system however, and it is fraudulent to state that a pearl is natural when its cultured, natural color when its dyed, Tahitia or South Sea when its freshwater.

Therefore, there is enough ammunition available to go to eBay and force them to require a description, and have stiff penalties for the fraudulent misrepresenting of the pearls.

What it will take is for the strong arm of some of the large pearl organizations to collectively put pressure on eBay to regulate the listing of pearls just as they have with diamonds and other precious stones.

Bill
 
Grading standards for pearls comes up in several different contexts on this forum doesn't it?

What organized groups are advocating for them? Maybe members of this forum can continue to advocate here. The correct words should get googlers who are interested in pearl grading standards over here. And of course, it comes up high in the Google listings in a numbr of other pearl subjects already. This forum has a number of mentions of the topic. Maybe it is time to make statements favoring standards and bring attention to the topic on a regular basis.

I also like the idea of Bill writing a kind of editorial on the subject such as he wrote above.

I also like the idea of this forum adding pearl grading standards as a topic, if that is what it is called. If it were a separate topic, it would always be front and center even if it has fewer posts than other topics, it would not slide back in the threads of other topics, either- not that it has actually made topic staus yet as i think it should.

Comments such as Bill's are very to the point in quality control issues of consumers wondering what they have just bought on ebay, etc. as well.

Maybe such a thread is where to put this kind of question from consumers.

Just a thought, a way to say, "Good for you, Bill, this is a good subject."
 
Caitlin Williams said:
Grading standards for pearls comes up in several different contexts on this forum doesn't it?...

...I also like the idea of this forum adding pearl grading standards as a topic, if that is what it is called. If it were a separate topic, it would always be front and center even if it has fewer posts than other topics, it would not slide back in the threads of other topics, either- not that it has actually made topic staus yet as i think it should.

Comments such as Bill's are very to the point in quality control issues of consumers wondering what they have just bought on ebay, etc. as well.

Maybe such a thread is where to put this kind of question from consumers...

Just a thought, a way to say, "Good for you, Bill, this is a good subject."
Click to expand...


Hi Caitlin,

At your suggestion I started a thread on "standardized pearl grading". Its in the cultured pearl forum. Here is the url: https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?p=950#post950

Bill
 
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