Vacuum packed oyster opening parties on Facebook

[BlackPearlDudeDC]

Sounds like an internet Troll...

 

[cmd2014]

After watching several different "pearl party" openings on Facebook, I began digging and ultimately landed here. Admittedly, I had no real interest in pearls until now, but the whole "surprise inside" thing is embarrassingly enticing. But before I sent money off, I decided to search for the oysters in shell myself, and of course, found them on Aliexpress. Now... I know a lot of the pearl connoisseurs here are going to judge me (secretly or openly) but I ordered 50 for my daughters and I to do ourselves. I was already suspicious, but it looked like fun. They arrived today, along with our "plated" little cages ... hey... at less then $5 each, it's still worth the fun imo, but I'm not asking about that. ( the little pearls inside are pretty... slightly mishappen, but my teen daughters love them and can't wait to invite friends over to open the rest... do not worry, I will be completely honest with them about how they were made, and the lack of monetary value... AND we will be wearing gloves. ) But after doing a lot of research, and reading several threads here, I have gotten quite the pearl education! I'm also kind of excited about buying pearls of real value in the future! So... my question is about this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Who...2416489346.html?spm=2114.40010208.4.41.6lKnJe Based on all that I have learned, these seem to be actual cultured fresh water pearls in their original oyster... amiright? Curious. I'm not going to invest more money in these anytime soon, but the thrill of opening them ourselves is hard to pass up. Thoughts? ( I know, I know... you will likely look down on this too, but real value aside, the excitement lies in "discovering" them yourself, ya know?) Are these at least legit?

Um, have you not read anything here? These are cheap pearls inserted into already dead oysters (NOT the original oyster that the pearl was grown in) that have been grown and harvested in the cheapest and least ethical means possible, preserved in questionable chemicals that are likely hazardous to your health, the health of your children, the health of your pets, and the health of the environment, and sold under fraudulent information to people who don't know any better. There is no such thing as "legit" here. And this is fun, why?

 

[CathyKeshi]

Hebejoy, in regard to the vendor link you posted: Please, please scroll down past the photos, to the "Discription". Two points especially catch my eye:

1. Among the possible colors you might receive is "dark"; that indicates to me these pearls are not grown in this shell, as the dark pearls are dyed. Likely just a new "jumbo" version of the fraud we've been seeing.

2. Farther down, under the confusing and scary advice about keeping the shells in a volatile alcohol mix in an aquarium (from which one chooses in one of the FB "shows"???), they've added a disclaimer noting that if shipped to the USA, US Customs can hold for proof you have a US Fish and Wildlife permit to import ... $100.00 per year plus documentation. If you are in US, and your shipment gets inspected and you don't have that permit, you are out your money and your pearls. Shipper not responsible, as they alerted you in advance ... albeit in very fine print. Many of our international members here have reported similar and even more strict regulations in their countries.

I do understand the allure of pearls, and the mystery, but the risks and fraud outweigh the curiosity and costs. I would suggest engaging your girls in the real scientific wonders of reputable pearl farming and history ... the Pearls As One course would be a fabulous place to engage their curiosity! Then order a mixed lot of genuine, responsibly produced freshwater pearls from an honest vendor, at a fair price. Put the pearls in a pretty bag or bags, gather your girls, and experience that same surprise and joy of admiring their beauty, without the risks of fraud, not to mention hazardous chemicals.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Are these at least legit?

The link provided states "1. Each real natural round pearl about 7-8mm in an oyster was packed by vacuum-packed without liquid."

Anyone quoting this to their customers when reselling, commits fraud. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Now that the cat's out of the bag on this sham, it's just the next round in an evolving circle of deceptive marketing and illegal shipping and handling of toxic substances. Chemical and biological. Until they're shipped with material safety data sheets, they're hazardous materials and forbidden by occupational health and safety standards in most countries, especially in the absence of precautions.

In a year or two, when the toxic effects of these start causing illnesses to the party hosts, they'll be screaming from the rooftops how nobody did anything to warn against exploiting single mothers working at home while poisoning mothers, unborn infants, children and teens. In reality, the opposite is true. Many refuse to hear it. China does not care until the supply exceeds the demand and little else.

Several mothers who have posted here, were apprised of the dangers yet still do it and will have no recourse even if class action law suits brought against the American, British etc. distributors come to light. Sadly though, many will lose their cases because they were warned of the hazards by those other than their distributors.

There will also be shills for marketers, claiming this is fun and not a business. There will also be those researching on their own, erroneously believing there's reasonable alternatives available. In this forum group, we have no way of sorting that out other than standing moderation policies and stern warnings from it's contributors.

For that reason alone, no less all of the other dubious aspects of this sham, I personally have a zero tolerance for this product and will never make an exception, under any guise or circumstance.

 

[hebejoy]

Hebejoy, in regard to the vendor link you posted: Please, please scroll down past the photos, to the "Discription". Two points especially catch my eye:

1. Among the possible colors you might receive is "dark"; that indicates to me these pearls are not grown in this shell, as the dark pearls are dyed. Likely just a new "jumbo" version of the fraud we've been seeing.

Thank you... had I seen that, I would have known that they were "planted" and not cultivated.

2. Farther down, under the confusing and scary advice about keeping the shells in a volatile alcohol mix in an aquarium (from which one chooses in one of the FB "shows"???), they've added a disclaimer noting that if shipped to the USA, US Customs can hold for proof you have a US Fish and Wildlife permit to import ... $100.00 per year plus documentation. If you are in US, and your shipment gets inspected and you don't have that permit, you are out your money and your pearls. Shipper not responsible, as they alerted you in advance ... albeit in very fine print. Many of our international members here have reported similar and even more strict regulations in their countries.

I do understand the allure of pearls, and the mystery, but the risks and fraud outweigh the curiosity and costs. I would suggest engaging your girls in the real scientific wonders of reputable pearl farming and history ... the Pearls As One course would be a fabulous place to engage their curiosity! Then order a mixed lot of genuine, responsibly produced freshwater pearls from an honest vendor, at a fair price. Put the pearls in a pretty bag or bags, gather your girls, and experience that same surprise and joy of admiring their beauty, without the risks of fraud, not to mention hazardous chemicals.

THank you for your sincere response.

Also... FYI, I wasn't aware that they were preserved in formaldehyde until we received them.

 

[hebejoy]

the "fun" isn't in revealing the color of the pearl... at least not for me personally. I am a geeky person who likes to explore. As a kid, I used to open every freshwater oyster I could find in my backyard creek (oysters? mussels?) I just knew that someday I would find a pearl. Pearl hunting is treasure hunting, and that is fun. So until I knew this was a sham, it seemed to be at least a fun little treasure hunt. I respect the disdain for this practice, I feel that now too. It's gross, it's wasteful, and it's silly. But you have to understand that the public at large has no knowledge of pearl culture. It's not like it's taught in schools. For myself, I'm actually grateful that watching a dumb pearl party led me to do research and find out that the ACTUAL cultivation of pearls is quite fascinating... and yes, if we have the opportunity, you bet we will be visiting a legit pearl farm someday. There's a bright side to all of this in that you have a large group of people taking an interest in the hobby or profession you all hold so dear and sacred. This is an opportunity to increase sales and interest in pearls if people are educated properly... and there are a lot of people out there like me, that "see the shiny thing first, and then begin digging" For the record, ( because I don't want to be seen as a total idiot...) I was immediately turned off by the people opening the multicolored pearls... blue, burgundy, etc... what I THOUGHT was that THEY were the frauds, but that there were real Akoya pearls available in the shell. Which is why I started googling to begin with. You can't fault people for being duped by something completely foreign to them. Instead of shaming and insulting people, spend your energy spreading knowledge about the pearl industry... good AND bad.

 

[moneymeister]

Formaldehyde MSDS ...nothing I would want to touch daily without gloves.

Potential Chronic Health Effects:
Hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Classified A2 (Suspected for human.) by ACGIH,
2A (Probable for human.) by IARC [Formaldehyde]. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenic for mammalian somatic cells.
[Formaldehyde]. Mutagenic for bacteria and/or yeast. [Formaldehyde]. Mutagenic for mammalian somatic cells. [Methyl
p. 2
alcohol]. Mutagenic for bacteria and/or yeast. [Methyl alcohol]. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Classified POSSIBLE for human
[Methyl alcohol]. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available The substance may be toxic to kidneys, liver, skin, central
nervous system (CNS). Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. Repeated
exposure to a highly toxic material may produce general deterioration of health by an accumulation in one or many human
organs.


https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924095

This could be a sad ending for people who thought the oyster "juice" was not that dangerous. Think Radium Girls.

 

[BlackPearlDudeDC]

I am going to keep saying this if it offends not my intent but so be it. Though I suspect pearl party people are starting to Troll here, for those genuinely curious or want to understand it is very simple:

It is unfair to those practicing responsible and sustainable pearl farming, it is unnecessarily cruel to the molluscs/oysters, and it is particularly wasteful. Lastly who knows what harm it is doing to the environment (people have a choice...the environment does not) and as Dave has stated the health hazards to people yet to be discovered.

Pretty words, fancy packaging and savvy marketing does not change the facts of what this actually is...FRAUD in the shape of a pyramid built on cheap pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

There is a lot of good information on this website...we spend lots of energy educating the general public. Just keep reading!

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I am a geeky person who likes to explore. As a kid, I used to open every freshwater oyster I could find in my backyard creek (oysters? mussels?) I just knew that someday I would find a pearl. Pearl hunting is treasure hunting, and that is fun. So until I knew this was a sham, it seemed to be at least a fun little treasure hunt.

As a geek like you and me, what's to be learned from a faked oyster? Certainly nothing scientific. I too as a kid opened freshwater mussels and my curiosity or tenacity didn't accept the secrecy which was designed to prevent me from higher learning and development. So I resolved to learn on my own and my lifetime of work of more than five decades is an open book. I have no compassion for scams, disinformation or waste.

The thrill of the hunt is part of the allure being exploited. In real life, trophy hunting at the expense of life is frowned upon. Especially those who pay grand sums of money to kill rare or exotic animals. Most legal, savvy, compassionate hunters enjoy the sport because it's an experience outdoors, a hobby collecting the tools and paraphernalia and a challenge to one's senses for outwitting often clever or elusive creatures. The reward is a cache of nutritious food, a holiday, rigorous exercise and many other meaningful things.

Pearl parties are staged trophy hunts for profit. Nothing more. Those who pay exorbitant amounts of money, needlessly kill animals, failing to utilize every part... insomuch as causing a second oyster to die solely for vanity. Even non knowledgeable folks view the practice of trophy hunting as reprehensible.

Honest pearl farmers are guardians and monitors of our global environment. Through responsible stewardship of aquatic resources, they're often the first user group to discover climate changes, pollution and rare species or events. Many farmers harvest pearls from their oysters then re-graft them in anticipation of harvesting a bigger pearl later. When an oyster is sacrificed or otherwise dies, it's returned to local waters. This contributes to reducing their carbon footprint. The shells of party pearls go to the dump. Ones that are saved, dry out, crack and fade because they are inferior to begin with. The lakes where these mussels are reared are polluted, acidic cesspools unfit for drinking, swimming or fishing.

 

[Sam]

Hi all,

First time poster here.

I have had a number of questions regarding these pearl openings. I was presented with a number of pearls from someone who thought he was going to make a fortune from these 'Tahitian' pearls his girlfriend had won in a raffle on facebook. In reality they were freshwater dyed 6mm pearls worth a few £.

I have made all friends aware on my own facebook page not to believe this nonsense but it really is concerning that people are being taken in by these lies!

 

[Karman]

Thank you for all the information you've all posted here and on the Facebook page. I've liked it and follow it!
Unethical practices and damage to the sustainable pearl farming operations aside surrounding these horrible "pearl parties", I steer clear from ANY business that operates in a pyramid scheme/multi-level marketing fashion. They're sketchy, unethical, and the entire business is built on a foundation of lies.

 

[Keldes42]

I'm sorry but I thought this was a legit business! I don't know a whole lot about the oysters but this fb group just really had me all excited!! I thought this would be a great investment for a stay at home mom! Glad I know better now! How do people do this & profess to be Christians & pray after a fb party, unbelievable!!

 

[pearlescence]

Welcome Sam. You might find posting this link to any pages in facebook works well
https://www.facebook.com/PearlPartyEducation/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf - though I'm expecting a few rocks through my windows too for doing it!

 

[pearlescence]

Welcome Keldes-42
They are as duped by the top of the pyramid as the punters, in many cases. They believe the stuff spun by the wholesaler who came up with this pearl opening on facebook nonsense - if it were genuine it would be great marketing, but as it is it is a great scam with snake oil as the product.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Dead, poisonous oyster snake oil.

 

[cfingram]

I went at it with a chick online that does those online parties, she absolutely refused to believe her oysters were filled with Freshwater pearls. ..and she claimed them to be Akoya Oysters with Akoya Pearls, and that the oysters did indeed create those black pearls inside, it was "treated" before......she absolutely believes she is NOT selling a scam, she is not fooling her customers, blah blah blah....her supplier reassured her many of times that they were indeed akoya pearls, and she said she even visited her supplier....wait what!?! Lol oh it's bad folks...really bad!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

"There are none so blind as those who will not see."
--John Heywood, 1546

 

[moneymeister]

Well, when you know someone is lying and they deny the lies, probably best to wave goodbye and leave them to their karma.

 

[lizzie86]

the good stuff...

the good stuff...

Hi,

I have read the posts on here and researched pearl parties.

I would like to do pearl parties but with actual quality cultured pearls, not dyed repackaged potentially dangerous pearls!

I appreciate these will be expensive especially compared to the "quality" listings on sites like alibaba!

Is it even possible to do pearl parties without these cheap vacummed dead oysters?
The site I have been reading about pearl farming says oysters are opened, not all have pearls, ones with pearls are then treated with light chemicals and a vat of crushed walnuts to give them a soft shine without damaging the pearl. Once treated they go to be matched for jewellery.

Can anyone offer any advice?