Pearl Experts, Please Help!

[piaffe73]

Hello,
I'm new to posting on this forum and am looking for some sage advice from some pearl pros. My mom loves pearls (she already has one strand of saltwater pearls) and has always had her eye on the multicolored south sea strands. I really want to surprise her with a necklace for Christmas, but when I did some hunting online I realized they're all quite out of my price range (the ones at the American Pearl website were $2,000 plus). So I turned to old faithful... Ebay. The only thing is that you can be taken for a ride so easily and because I know nothing about pearls I'm turning to you guys! Are there any sellers you would reccomend? What 'danger signs' should I look out for? I'm looking to spend under $1,000, is that unreasonable? What do you think of these:

(just listing the item numbers)

8921817455

130020578211

8925299700

 

[mikehrz]

Welcome to the forum.

First off, I'm not sure what you mean by "south sea." South Sea pearls are usually white or golden in color; none of the links you provided are "true" south sea. This is a multicolored south sea:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=642
As you've seen, SS pearls don't come cheap.

The first and third links are most likely freshwater pearls. If this is the sort of style you are looking for, your best bet is to get some Freshadamas from pearlparadise.com, like this one:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=750
You will not find better FW pearls anywhere, period. They offer unbeatable bang for the buck. I'd go so far as to say that you won't be able to find anything anywhere near as nice as these for $310. Pearl Paradise is the only company that offers FW pearls in this quality.

Link #2 is Tahitian pearls, which have a very different kind of look from SS and the typical multicolored FW. They are also not cheap. You may want to consider baroque (that is, not perfectly round) Tahitians or SS, as they are usually less expensive than the perfectly round ones. For instance:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=716

As far as buying from eBay is concerned, my reflexive reply would be "don't bother." There are far more reliable places to buy from; for instance, pretty much any of the companies whose owners post here. Aside from the price, you also want to consider the return policy. Pearl Paradise and a few others offer a 90-day return policy, which is far more generous than you're likely to find on eBay. The 3 merchants you linked offer 3-day, 20-day, and 30-day return policies. Although you can find good deals on eBay, you're probably better off avoiding the potential hassle by buying from an established, non-eBay merchant with a good reputation.

If you have a hard ceiling of $1000, my advice would be to get some freshadamas. If you think your mother would be satisfied with the necklaces found in the first and 3rd links, then she'll be quite happy with a multi-colored freshadama necklace. And you'll be happy too when you think about how much you paid for them.

FYI, I am not affiliated with Pearl Paradise. I am, however, a very satisfied customer of theirs and would recommend them to anyone without hesitation. And I have seen the freshadamas in person, and yes, they really are that beautiful.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Any and all of the pearl pros (or experts), most of whom know far more than I, will be happy to help.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi,

Your first item # 8921817455 seems to be quite fine quality but at 6-7mm you rather need the loupe to see the pearls than find inclusions. In short, if she has South Sea sizes in mind, these may be too small.

Your second item # 130020578211 also seems to be fine quality and they are actual, substantial South Sea pearls. However, you are unlikely to get these for much less than the Buy-It-Now price. Please note that this is a reserve auction.

Your third item # 8925299700 looks like medium-luster offround pearls that may or may not be of natural luster and color. Considering that the term "bang for your buck" has two main components, i.e. "wow factor" and "cash outlay," these may strike the best balance. However, they are doing this balance striking at the bottom-end of the market.

What really is the best deal is also a matter of your budget and the recipient's expectations. I have seen women being very impressed with cheap low-luster pearls because they were big and saw them ignore very high-luster ones that they thought were too small. For the ultimate gift-giving experience you would probably do well to first understand the recipient's expectations and then consult your account balance for some reality checking.

Zeide

 

[piaffe73]

Thank you both for your advice, I looked at the Freshadamas from pearlparadise.com and was quite impressed (they are so luminous!), the baroque Tahitians were lovely as well. I think perhaps buying from them, a reputable seller is the better option then trying ebay, you never know exactly what you're going to get... I really appreciate your help, I now have a better understanding of what my options are. Thank you!