A few months ago I purchased 2 pairs of 7mm Lavender stud earrings (AAA grade as described on their website) and I got a second email asking me to write my review. I wanted to be honest, and I am not sure that they will post what I have written so I thought I would post it here just in case anyone else was interested to know. I wrote:
The earrings were quite nice, although a bit smaller than what I was expecting, more Lavender than Pink, and the luster of one earring in one pair is a bit less than the other. I do have to say that I was a bit dismayed to find that I spent AU$99 on each pair (retail value of AU$183) with only AAA grading, when I found that on Pearl Paradise, for the absolute best "Freshadama" (better than AAAA on Pearl Source), 7.5-8mm Lavender pearl earrings were selling for US$76 (retail value of $380). In fact, all of the stud earrings on Pearl Paradise of at least AAA value (which the descriptive value equates to AAAA on Pearl source) were less expensive.
So just a note to all pearl consumers out there, make sure you read the grading systems carefully on each site - a mistake I won't make again!!!! (I purchased 2 pearl necklaces from Pearl source last year which were marked AAA, unfortunately, when comparing their description of AAA and Pearl Paradise's description of AAA, I realized I actually had two AA+ necklaces for a more expensive price, which would explain all of the blemishes I found, especially on the multicolor one. I won't be buying from Pearl Source again unless they re-evaluate their grading system and prices to match their competitors!
The earrings were quite nice, although a bit smaller than what I was expecting, more Lavender than Pink, and the luster of one earring in one pair is a bit less than the other. I do have to say that I was a bit dismayed to find that I spent AU$99 on each pair (retail value of AU$183) with only AAA grading, when I found that on Pearl Paradise, for the absolute best "Freshadama" (better than AAAA on Pearl Source), 7.5-8mm Lavender pearl earrings were selling for US$76 (retail value of $380). In fact, all of the stud earrings on Pearl Paradise of at least AAA value (which the descriptive value equates to AAAA on Pearl source) were less expensive.
So just a note to all pearl consumers out there, make sure you read the grading systems carefully on each site - a mistake I won't make again!!!! (I purchased 2 pearl necklaces from Pearl source last year which were marked AAA, unfortunately, when comparing their description of AAA and Pearl Paradise's description of AAA, I realized I actually had two AA+ necklaces for a more expensive price, which would explain all of the blemishes I found, especially on the multicolor one. I won't be buying from Pearl Source again unless they re-evaluate their grading system and prices to match their competitors!
