Real south sea keshi?

[Ana0203]

Hello, dear forum members!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4511638212/south-sea-white-keshi-pearl-necklace

I’d really appreciate your opinions. Could you please tell me if these could be genuine South Sea keshi pearls?
Thank you!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'd say yes.

 

[jshepherd]

I agree. They look like the real deal.

 

[MintyFresh]

Late reply but I actually bought SSK from this seller and then immediately returned them. While they were in fact the real deal, they were poor quality. The nacre and luster was very uneven with some pearls being quite dull. After returning them, the seller told me they were going to talk to their overseas supplier about “inconsistent quality.” Will never purchase from them again. They canceled the transaction after I returned the pearls (and got a refund) so I think my review was deleted. It’s like the Wild West out there buying pearls.

 

[Ana0203]

Late reply but I actually bought SSK from this seller and then immediately returned them. While they were in fact the real deal, they were poor quality. The nacre and luster was very uneven with some pearls being quite dull. After returning them, the seller told me they were going to talk to their overseas supplier about “inconsistent quality.” Will never purchase from them again. They canceled the transaction after I returned the pearls (and got a refund) so I think my review was deleted. It’s like the Wild West out there buying pearls.

Hi,I really appreciate your reply!
I decided not to buy from this seller. After trying pearls in a store, I realized that pearls should really be chosen in person.
Although the Keshi pearls from this seller looked nice, I still had some doubts about them. Even when choosing pearls in person, you have to carefully sort through different strands to find the best ones.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts! Thanks to you my doubts were confirmed.

 

[MintyFresh]

Buying pearls in person is the best way. Especially when you know what you are looking at/for. Otherwise, of course, you go with trusted sellers. Somewhere floating around this site is a list of such sellers. For example, I just ordered a new strand of Tahitians from a seller with only one photo and a rather short description but, hey, it’s Pearlescence run by Wendy Graham. So I trust when she says the luster is very, very good and the strand is color rich and the pearls were purchased from Robert Wan directly, lol.

 

[Ana0203]

You know, even when choosing pearls in person, I think it's difficult to make a decision you won't regret.
I bought these South Sea keshi pearls in a store. Initially, I specifically wanted a smaller size so I could wear them with anything. But after purchasing them and trying them on at home, I realized that they look more like freshwater pearls than saltwater pearls. I think South Sea keshi should be a bit larger and more baroque; otherwise, they can look like ordinary keshi pearls.

It seems to me that this strand doesn't really do much for me, and I need something larger.

Would you have guessed these were South Sea pearls if I hadn't told you?

 

[ennui]

It seems to me that this strand doesn't really do much for me, and I need something larger.

Wow, I didn't know if PSS (Pearl Shrinkage Syndrome) could set in so quickly.

I don't know if I could identify SS keshi from afar. I highly recommend buying pearls for yourself -- you know what they are and that's all that matters. I do agree that you can wear smaller pearls with everything, including t-shirts, so now you can start looking for larger pearls for more specific clothing.

 

[Ana0203]

I bought it from a famous pearl store, and it's a genuine South Sea keshi strand. However, I've realized that the beauty and unique character of South Sea pearls are much more noticeable in larger pearls.

The most frustrating and disappointing part is that I actually tried on a strand of larger South Sea keshi pearls, approximately 10 mm wide, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy them, even though they were less expensive!! Instead, I bought this minimalist strand, which was actually more expensive. Now I realize that because of their smaller size, these pearls look more like freshwater pearls, and their distinctive South Sea character doesn’t really stand out.

 

[MintyFresh]

You know, even when choosing pearls in person, I think it's difficult to make a decision you won't regret.
I bought these South Sea keshi pearls in a store. Initially, I specifically wanted a smaller size so I could wear them with anything. But after purchasing them and trying them on at home, I realized that they look more like freshwater pearls than saltwater pearls. I think South Sea keshi should be a bit larger and more baroque; otherwise, they can look like ordinary keshi pearls.

It seems to me that this strand doesn't really do much for me, and I need something larger.

Would you have guessed these were South Sea pearls if I hadn't told you?

Absolutely I would have known those were SS pearls. The surface and luster are distinctive. Those are very beautiful! And as you probably know, SSK are uncommon.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

FW keshi are usually not so white-white, but I see what you mean about size. They are beautiful regardless.
The larger ones that cost less-- were they less lustrous? Less well matched? Shapes less pleasing? There had to be some reason why the larger pearls were priced lower.

 

[MintyFresh]

FW keshi are usually not so white-white, but I see what you mean about size. They are beautiful regardless.
The larger ones that cost less-- were they less lustrous? Less well matched? Shapes less pleasing? There had to be some reason why the larger pearls were priced lower.

Such an excellent question. Ana0203, you very probably purchased the higher quality SSK necklace even though the pearls are smaller.

 

[MintyFresh]

A suggestion - buy a second strand of SSK in white around the same size and restring everything into one long necklace. I have one like that (see pics - these are maybe 5-8 mm) and it is fun to wear. Also, a longer strand is more noticeable than a shorter strand and can be doubled up or worn as a bracelet.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

@MintyFresh -- That is a good idea. I combined 2 strands of FW keshi into a long rope that I can wear doubled.

 

[MintyFresh]

@MintyFresh -- That is a good idea. I combined 2 strands of FW keshi into a long rope that I can wear doubled.

View attachment 481234

Those are big ones, Pearl Dreams! Bellisima!!

 

[Ana0203]

FW keshi are usually not so white-white, but I see what you mean about size. They are beautiful regardless.
The larger ones that cost less-- were they less lustrous? Less well matched? Shapes less pleasing? There had to be some reason why the larger pearls were priced lower.

Thank you so much for sharing your opinion! I feel a little less worried now. And yes, you made a very good point about pearl shrinking. At first, you think that larger pearls might make you feel self-conscious, but then you realize that those fuller, rounder baroque shapes actually seem to have more nacre and more luster.
I'm still a little disappointed with my purchase, though, because I've now realized that what I'm really missing is that rounder, fuller shape. The other strand had so much more luster. And I'm not sure about the shape either. In the case of South Sea pearls, this miniature size somehow makes them look more like freshwater pearls.

 

[Ana0203]

FW keshi are usually not so white-white, but I see what you mean about size. They are beautiful regardless.
The larger ones that cost less-- were they less lustrous? Less well matched? Shapes less pleasing? There had to be some reason why the larger pearls were priced lower.

Thank you so much for sharing your opinion! I feel a little less worried now. And yes, you made a very good point about pearl shrinking. At first, you think that larger pearls might make you feel self-conscious, but then you realize that those fuller, rounder baroque shapes actually seem to have more nacre and more luster.
I'm still a little disappointed with my purchase, though, because I've now realized that what I'm really missing is that rounder, fuller shape. The other strand had so much more luster. And I'm not sure about the shape either. In the case of South Sea pearls, this miniature size somehow makes them look more like freshwater pearls.

Such an excellent question. Ana0203, you very probably purchased the higher quality SSK necklace even though the pearls are smaller.

Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts my friend!
For example, this was a South Sea strand that was cheaper because it was on sale, but I couldn't bring myself to buy it because of the large size of the pearls. Only after buying a smaller South Sea necklace I realized that the real beauty was in the larger pearls… But that strand has already been sold, and the larger strand from the new shipment is now out of my budget.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thank you so much for sharing your opinion! I feel a little less worried now. And yes, you made a very good point about pearl shrinking. At first, you think that larger pearls might make you feel self-conscious, but then you realize that those fuller, rounder baroque shapes actually seem to have more nacre and more luster.
I'm still a little disappointed with my purchase, though, because I've now realized that what I'm really missing is that rounder, fuller shape. The other strand had so much more luster. And I'm not sure about the shape either. In the case of South Sea pearls, this miniature size somehow makes them look more like freshwater pearls.



Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts my friend!
For example, this was a South Sea strand that was cheaper because it was on sale, but I couldn't bring myself to buy it because of the large size of the pearls. Only after buying a smaller South Sea necklace I realized that the real beauty was in the larger pearls… But that strand has already been sold, and the larger strand from the new shipment is now out of my budget.

I like your strand more, personally.

 

[Ana0203]

I like your strand more, personally.

You mean a smaller one?
I appreciate you telling me this! It was my first pearl purchase.

 

[MintyFresh]

I like your strand more, personally.

Me too, Pearl Dreams. Better shapes on the smaller strand. And a purer white.