Tahitians or not tahitians ?

[Bunny]

These were sold as vintage Thaitians. The lock is gold. What would be the market value ?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They look like dyed freshwater pearls to me, not Tahitians. Dyed FWP have a much lower value than Tahitians.

 

[pearlescence]

I'd also say dyed freshwaters - and badly over -dyed at that. (though that may be the photo)

 

[Pareltje]

They are neither Tahitians nor Thaitians. They are dyed freshwater pearls.

 

[moneymeister]

Agree with dyed freshwater. One of the give-away signs is the one-tone flat color. Looks like they were dipped in wax. Most low quality dyed pearls have that odd monotone waxed look.

If you flip through the "Show us your pearls in action" thread, you will see quite a few of Tahitian strands. You will see most have a varied color tones within the pearl, even when the pearl is gray. They also look glossier.

 

[mrsadm]

Hi everyone, can you please help a newbie here? In the photos I see some reflections of a bit of green (second photo) and purple (3rd photo - out of focus pearls) colors. I would have thought they were Tahitians. What did you see to lead you to the dyed freshwater conclusion? (Just trying to learn, thank you.)

 

[mrsadm]

Thank you, moneymeister, you answered my question just as I posted it!
Linda

 

[moneymeister]

Here are some lower grade Tahitians I just received yesterday. Look at the color difference between the pearls and the shine pattern.

 

[moneymeister]

Here's another in a black round Tahitian pearl. The surface is very hard and sort of mirror like. The colored spots on the OP's pearls look like colored lights reflecting on the surface. Ebay is a hot bed of fake pearls. Prepare to be fleeced.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi everyone, can you please help a newbie here? In the photos I see some reflections of a bit of green (second photo) and purple (3rd photo - out of focus pearls) colors. I would have thought they were Tahitians. What did you see to lead you to the dyed freshwater conclusion? (Just trying to learn, thank you.)

Dyed FWP can have colors other than black, but they still look different from Tahitians. My circled dyed FWP are colorful but there are more purples and blues than I see in my 2 Tahitian strands, and the luster is also lower than my Tahitians. The following are dyed FWP:

 

[JerseyPearl]

Here are some photos of different types of Tahitian pearls...I agree with everyone else, you have dyed freshwaters. Nothing wrong with them, unless you paid Tahitian prices for them!

 

[cmd2014]

The luster and colour would suggest dyed freshwater pearls. The size is a giveaway too. Plus, that's not a vintage clasp. It's an inexpensive modern one IMO.

They are not worth much. Probably in the <$100 range if I had to guess.

You know, if they were sold as Tahitians, you might want to seek a refund. If you got them on eBay, there is a mechanism for seeking refunds if items are not as described. Or if you bought them somewhere else, you should have recourse through consumer protection laws given that this strand is clearly not what you were told it was when you bought it.

 

[Pareltje]

Dyed FWP can have colors other than black, but they still look different from Tahitians. My circled dyed FWP are colorful but there are more purples and blues than I see in my 2 Tahitian strands, and the luster is also lower than my Tahitians. The following are dyed FWP: View attachment 48824

PD, are they really dyed fwps? Wow, they are indistinguishable from real Tahitians.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Yes! I bought the loose strand at the East Coast Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show from a Chinese vendor about 10 years ago. I reserved 2 of the pearls in the strand for dangle earrings. This is how it looks since I restrung it on Serafil bought from Pattye's Etsy shop.

I liked them because the shapes made them look more like ringed Tahitians than most dyed FWP do, at a time when I didn't own Tahitians. But in person, I can tell the difference from my Tahitians easily. My husband still can't. He came up behind me just now, saw the photo and said, "Oh, those are your Tahitians."

Although they are inexpensive FWP they are still my go-to pearls for a few of my tops because of the colors and the shorter length.

 

[Pareltje]

The most fabulous Tahitian doppelganger I've seen, PD. In your picture they look like genuine Tahitian pearls. Maybe IRL they look different, but in this pic I can't tell the difference.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

My H can't tell, even IRL. But I can. My genuine Tahitians have a greener body color.

 

[Katbran]

PD - those are some good look alikes !

I agree with everyone, though better close ups of the strands might help. They look to be dyed Freshwater.

 

[mrsadm]

Dyed FWP can have colors other than black, but they still look different from Tahitians. My circled dyed FWP are colorful but there are more purples and blues than I see in my 2 Tahitian strands, and the luster is also lower than my Tahitians. The following are dyed FWP: View attachment 48824

Oh no! Those are dyed freshwater pearls? I think I'm going to get fleeced!!!!

I have been to my two local jewelry stores looking for Tahitian drop earrings. Did not find them, but they each had a necklace of Tahitian pearls. One was an ugly gray (reminded me of the color of seaweed and at the other shop, a more expensive strand was a silvery gray - not multi-colored. So I guess I need to find someplace better to view the real thing and get to know what it should look like.

I appreciate all the photos and comments everyone has posted; I will study them. This is a great forum, everyone is so helpful!
Linda

 

[BWeaves]

Take a look at the thread: 365 Days of Pearls

Baby Nurse has several strands of truly gorgeous Tahitian pearls, and her photography really shows them well. Her photos will show you what really good Tahitians look like.

 

[Bunny]

Thank you for all the replies. I did not buy the pearls. They were sold at 300$ so for Tahitians it would have been a steal. I do not know much about pearls, but they looked kind of small for Tahitians so I started researching and found this forum. I do not really blame the seller. He inherited a bunch of pearls and is probably as clueless as I am.