Just bought this ring!

[pearl02]

OK, I am new to pearls and had no idea there was so much to them until I started reading all the posts on this website.

I recently purchased this pearl ring on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250196172137

I absolutely love the ring, and it looks great, but I have a few questions. I bought this ring for my girlfriend. She is a Chi Omega, and it is a sort of promise to get engaged ring, and her sorority does a big pearl drop thing around it, so it is a really big deal for her and for me and I want everything to be perfect.

So, my problem arises in the fact that I think I want a better pearl, and possibly a different size. The has fairly narrow fingers (size 6.25) and I think a 10mm pearl will look way to big on her finger. Therefore I was thinking of getting an 8-8.5mm AAA Akoya pearl from pearlparadise.com ($102). However, I am worried that a different size pearl will not fit into this setting. Also, would it be better to just get a Freshadama since the ring will be worn everyday?

I am kind of a perfectionist and tend to want the best of everything, but I am totally lost in the area of pearls and jewelry. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

PS. The jeweler told me that it would be $100 to resize the platinum ring from 7.75 to 6.25, this seems very high?

 

[Raisondetre]

To be honest, as a perfectionist, I'm not sure why you wouldn't get the setting and pearl separately, especially if you did not know if the pearl size was going to be good enough for her. I suppose that is a good price for the platinum, but that is a pretty standard setting and you might have gotten a completely new one at the right size for cheaper. Did you want to keep the "vintage" pearl at all? I wouldn't be surprised if it's a shell bead. Akoyas didn't typically grow that big for vintage, and it's way too metallic for a WSS. But I'm not an expert, so someone else might tell you otherwise. If the pearl itself is suspect, I'm not sure what you're getting is platinum either. Sorry to be a downer, I could be totally wrong, but something about the listing doesn't seem right.

 

[pearl02]

Actually, i did buy it mainly for the setting. I looked at a dozen jewlry stores and could not find anything like it. In terms of the platinum and pearl, they seem to check out as i have taken them to a jewler who told me it was platinum and a "good" pearl. I am not sure what a shell bead or a WSS is?

 

[Slraep]

Hi Pearl02,

I agree with Raisondetre's suspicions. I'm pretty sure the pearl in that ring has been switched. And the $299 for a platinum ring seems more of a giveaway than a sale, seeing as platinum is much more expensive than gold(and gold is really expensive). Did your jeweller verify that the ring is true platimum? Platinum is more expensive to resize because it requires more work to do so. A freshwater pearl would be an excellent choice vs. an akoya which would be the worst choice(for wear).

.....and it is a sort of promise to get engaged ring,......

Am I out of touch with today's youth? Is this some new style? Like a pre-engagement ring that buys you time so you can see if you really want to give that "deadly serious promise to get engaged" ring?

Slreap

 

[Slraep]

In terms of the platinum and pearl, they seem to check out as i have taken them to a jewler who told me it was platinum and a "good" pearl.

You got a great deal on the ring then. What the jeweller meant by "good" pearls probably means it is not a fake and nothing more.

Is there a stamp on the interior of the ring shank? Something like 900 Plat or 950 Plat?

Slraep

 

[pattye]

Hi All,

Although the seller describes the ring as pure platinum in the question and answer section, platinum 900 means 900 parts platinum and 100 parts iridium, a common combination, but should not be called "pure platinum." That is a pretty heavy mounting, so could be as described. Used to be a basic simple platinum mounting ran about $1000+ in the mid-90's. That would indicate you got a good deal and the pearl probably isn't worth much. I agree with the others that working on platinum can be tricky, and not all jewelers are able to do it, so expect to pay more for sizing.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[DFrey]

I don't think $100 is expensive to size a platinum ring. The current price for platinum casting grain is approx $52.51/gm so the ring appears to be below the cost of materials, and that doesn't even take in to account labor, markup etc to make the ring...

DFrey

 

[Valeria101]

The has fairly narrow fingers (size 6.25) and I think a 10mm pearl will look way to big on her finger.

I wouldn't know what to say about the price of sizing - this could be free for resizing a ring bought from the same store that does the little extra bit of work, or cost even more if something about the setting makes it difficult to size... I cannot know whether this one is such a case, but it could.

How important is to save $50? I don't think less is probable even with allot of shopping around.

10mm seems reasonable size for a wearable pearl ring and still doesn't jump out of the picture on my hand (ring size 3). In the end, it would be the wearer's personal choice.

Just a thought...

Love the ring!

 

[pearl02]

The ring is stamped pt. 900, which I understand is not "pure" platinum, but I believe it is kind of the standard in platinum rings.

The jeweler also told me that it didn?t look like a pearl less then 10mm would work in the setting?? If so I might be more inclined to go with a freashadama since the 10mm akoya jumps to like $210 (vs. 105 for the 8mm)

In terms of the purpose of the ring. I think it is more specifically related to my girlfriend?s sorority, but I think many sororities do this sort pre-engagement ring. For me, I am not quite ready to get engaged, but it means a lot to my girlfriend to go through the whole ceremony that her sorority does for a "pearl drop", and she is going to graduating soon.

It sounds like $100 for resizing is reasonable; I just wanted to check on that because resizing for white gold is like $30.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[Nerida]

Nice setting for the ring - will look fabulous with a nicer pearl! And hey, I'm female - the more reasons to collect jewellery (especially pearl jewellery) gifts the better!!- wish Australian colleges/universities had similar sororities when I was there!

Nerida.

 

[jerin]

Actually, i did buy it mainly for the setting. I looked at a dozen jewlry stores and could not find anything like it. In terms of the platinum and pearl, they seem to check out as i have taken them to a jewler who told me it was platinum and a "good" pearl. I am not sure what a shell bead or a WSS is?

WSS = White South Sea Pearl
Shell bead means it is a fake pearl, the material is ground mother of pearl.
I don?t remember the process of mixing/glueing it, but there are posts on this forum to read about "Shell pearls". Personally I find the price for the ring very low, if Akoya pearl and Platinum and even more low if South Sea and Platinum

 

[pearl02]

OK, I just got back from the jeweler who is going to resize the ring, and they said it definitely looks and feels like it is indeed platinum (very heavy), and I guess they are going to test it when then resize it.

In terms of the pearl, the lady said it is definitely real, and looks like a very nice pearl. She said that she saw no visible blemishes, and that the luster was very good. She recommended not changing the pearl. She said I could probably get a smaller pearl, but that the setting appeared to be made for that size, and there might be some small gaps left by a smaller pearl.

I left the ring there to be resized, and told them to leave the pearl off (they have to remove it to resize it) until I can decide what to do about it.

 

[GemGeek]

It sounds wonderful just the way it is. No one would put a cheap pearl in a platinum ring - quite the contrary! You should give it to her as it is. Later, if the pearl gets knocked around, or worn and scratched, you can have fun shopping for a replacement.

And you got a very good price. Your girlfriend is sure to love it, and she can have bragging rights with her friends because it's unlikely anyone else will have a platinum ring, especially such a heavy and stylish platinum ring.

Good Job. We're waiting on pins and needles to hear about the event!

 

[pearl02]

OK, i am going to keep the pearl as it is for now. That seems to make the most sense.

One last question, how do i tell if the pearl is a freshwater or saltwater pearl? All i could find on this forum was that the freshwater pearl is rarely round. This pearl appears to be perfectly round... so does that mean that it is a saltwater pearl (i guess akoya or SS)?

I really appreciate everyones help!!

 

[Valeria101]

One last question, how do i tell if the pearl is a freshwater or saltwater pearl?

The previous answer is 100% true (I believe): to get a scientifically certain result, you need a gem lab's gear and the expertise that goes with it.

Now... if you are satisfied with a quick guess: it is very probable that a perfectly round pearl that is not man-made is nucleated, and even more probable that a round, unblemished nucleated pearl is a saltwater cultured pearl. You already know from the first jeweler that the pearl is a cultured pearl not fake, and it is perfectly round, so... chances are it is a saltwater cultured pearl.

What kind of saltwater mollusk it came from is another question: for 10mm, akoya might be a bit less likely and more expensive then the other options, and this was a bargain... and while black lip (pinctada margaritifera) makes light colored pearls that's not their strong point; most white ones are pinctada maxima ('South Sea'). So chances are...

Where from? Who knows... The ring is new. The pearl on the small side among 'South Sea'; it could be from anywhere! The un-branded setting and price suggests a recent source of many smaller, attractively priced SS pearls - Indonezia.
____________________
TOTAL: A wild 2c guess based on a picture

A gemologist with the pearl at hand should be able to tell you exactly.


PS: I'm wondering whether this type thing makes much difference: roundness, color (or lack thereof), lustre, size is what make any type more or less valuable... I think.

 

[Valeria101]

A pearl is actually as hard as titanium.

By what measure of hardness?

 

[GemGeek]

By what measure of hardness?

Perfect Pearl doesn't know what he's talking about and was getting on my nerves. A gemologist can't prove a pearl is marine or freshwater unless they have equipment that costs thousands of dollars. Perfect Pearl got his diploma from a correspondence course where overseas students are excused from the practical gemstone identification test.

Honestly, most gemologists don't have enough experience with pearls to tell you much about them. That is why GIA created a separate pearls course, including a lab where you could see and handle the different kinds of pearls. If identification is important, it's best to take it to a lab that has experience with pearl identification.