Beware Hanadama and non-GIA classified Akoya pearls

[SanDiegoGuy]

I am writing about my experience I had recently with two companies. The focus of my negativity is more on the whole Hanadama classification of pearls rather than a specific retailer, since it seems many places sell Hanadama pearls. I have, in the past, purchased pearls from a local retailer and was always happy with their quality. I decided that for Valentines day I would try looking online for something. I went to a few of the popular websites that appear when you search in Google and browsed their selections. ALL of them promoted Hanadama pearls that they sold as the pinnacle of quality and perfection, and they were also the most expensive. Being a person who lives by the motto "You get what you pay for" I decided Hanadama pearls are what I had to order.

I ended up ordering a pair of Akoya Hanadama studs 8.5-9.5mm from thepearlsource.com and began reading more as I waited for them to arrive. This is when I first began to suspect that I made a mistake. I learned that Pearl Science Laboratories, which certifies Hanadama pearls, is just a small private lab in Japan, and other issues such as the BEST level of imperfection on their certificate is "Very Slightly". Very slightly imperfect is the best??

When I got the earrings I was very disappointed. First of all they came in a cheap jewelry box that I would have been embarrassed to give to my girlfriend. I thought "Ok, I will just buy another box somewhere." But then I looked the pearls, and I am no expert, but they were awful. Both of them had one or two dimples in the surface, as well as other instantly-noticeable surface imperfections that I would even feel with my fingers. I sent them back immediately for a refund.

This is when I really began to read about pearl classification systems and discovered that there is a GIA Cultured Pearl Classification system. Since I have purchased diamonds in the past and I am familiar with the trusted GIA this made me very happy. I searched for an online retailer of GIA classified pearls and found American Pearl.

I explained my issue to them and ordered another pair of studs, the highest quality they sell which is Collection Quality, and they were literally in the mail within an hour. Eddie, the CEO, was the one answering all of my questions and helping me with unheard of promptness, because I explained that after I receive the earrings I have to send them in the mail again and would like them to arrive by Valentines day.

I am writing this before I have received the pearls, and I will write a follow-up when they arrive. Judging from the experiences everyone else has had with American Pearl, I am sure I will not be disappointed.

I am sure the other retailers have qualities too, but just be careful purchasing Hanadama pearls sold online at a discounted rate.

 

[that_someone_special]

So... this isn't eddie himself?

 

[PearlsOfJoy]

Well, let's see. This exact same post was just posted on American Pearl's forum, where Eddie is the only person in the world allowed to post.

So yeah, I think it's pretty obvious. #socialmediasuicide

 

[that_someone_special]

That's what I thought!!!! UGH!!

 

[SanDiegoGuy]

Actually no, this is not Eddie, and yes I did post this on both forums. It is good to be vigilant, but don't jump to conclusions or make assumptions too much.

 

[PearlsOfJoy]

Actually no, this is not Eddie, and yes I did post this on both forums. It is good to be vigilant, but don't jump to conclusions or make assumptions too much.

My apologies SanDiegoGuy, you are the first person in six years that Eddie has allowed to post on his forum? That is quite a feat!

 

[SanDiegoGuy]

Haha! Maybe I should go buy a lotto ticket!

I love these little emoticons.

 

[NacreLover]

Actually, There is only one person besides Eddie (Admin) who has ever written on that forum and it is not San Diego Guy. Every post that has been written has the person's nic when they post. The only post that was ever written by a actual person is poster Stephen. If you look at Stephen it actually has his real name just to the right of his nic. No other post on the forum has a name after the nic., since it was never meant to be a real forum.
http://www.pearl-education.com/ If you look at the bottom of the forum page , it says the forum has 10,363 members, but if you look at the Members in the blue bar at the top of the page the number is 278. Most forum names look made up and most don't ever post. So SanDiegoGuy, you aren't so lucky after all.

 

[SanDiegoGuy]

Here is a copy of my receipt from the pearl source. If this is not sufficient, then I give up

 

[set2374]

Kevin (PearlsofJoy), first of all, why is it that anyone that comes on and posts something positive about American Pearl and/or criticizes Hanadama and JPSL, you accuse that person of either being Eddie or shilling for Eddie? Why not just address the substance of the person's post--if you can?? Then all of your buddies join in and pile on--and they are just as likely shills for you as anyone you accuse of being shills for Eddie. I have yet to see you actually discuss the merits of the claims made by the person that you are personally attacking. I assume if what they are claiming is untrue, you can prove they are wrong. Since you are the President of Pearls of Joy, I would think you, of all people, can certainly shed some light on the issues raised by SanDiego (and me in other posts).

As far as SanDiegoGuy's post on Pearl Education is concerned, my guess is that he didn't actually post that himself, but sent an email to Eddie about his experience--and Eddie posted it to the forum. I should know since I am the "Stephen" that "posted" on eddie's blog/forum and that's how my post ended up on Pearl Education. After I made my purchase, I was really happy with the product and sent him a email to thank him and to tell him about my experience. He asked my permission to post it to Pearl Education, which gave him. What's the big deal with that?? He certainly didn't make my post up. I am sure SanDiego sent Eddie and email and Eddie asked if he could post it.

In terms of my experience though, in the past, I have purchased from a lot of different ecommerce sites, including Pearl Paradise, The Pearl Outlet and American Pearl. I have never had a problem with any of the products that I purchased. Quality, price and everything was good. My experience with Hanadama was through a Hanadama strand that I purchased from American Pearl and found that it was not nearly on the same level as the AA strand that I also purchased from American Pearl as a replacement. My guess is that American Pearl is selling Hanadama strands that just meet the requirements for Hanadama certification with (0.4 mm of nacre, very slight blemishing, good matching, good luster etc.) probably to prove a point. For American Pearl this means they are likely submitting their strong A+ and weak AA strands (based on their grading system) for certification by JPSL and are getting these strands certified--this also explains why AP is pricing their Hanadama strands a point between their A+ and AA strands. AP is trying to prove that Hanadama Certification alone at best guarantees you an ok, decent looking strand of pearls--but no more than that. Can you have a truly stellar Hanadama strand that is truly equal to a Mikimoto AAA--absolutely (if you submit a true Mikimoto AAA quality strand)!!! Does Hanadama Certification by the JPSL assure that you're getting a stellar strand of pearls (or pair)---not a chance!

 

[that_someone_special]

set- you have no clue what you are talking about.

I'm surprised that you hardly post at all, but a few hours after this "eddie-ish" post you pop up again!

Ah-may-zing.

 

[that_someone_special]

Here is a copy of my receipt from the pearl source. If this is not sufficient, then I give up

If this is for reelz, my bad.

I am truly sorry if you are not Eddie.

However, I wouldn't put it past him. Which is why some people are quite hesitant.

But by all means, enjoy your purchase and please post here when you get them.

Do you have any pictures from the original set you bought?

 

[SanDiegoGuy]

Ha ha! Well, I didn't go make up a fake google receipt if that's what you mean. That is a screen shot from my google wallet account so I think it is real.

I actually didn't think to take a picture of the original set unfortunately, but I will certainly take a picture of the new ones when they arrive, and post here!

 

[SanDiegoGuy]

set- you have no clue what you are talking about.

I'm surprised that you hardly post at all, but a few hours after this "eddie-ish" post you pop up again!

Ah-may-zing.

For some reason, your post annoys me. Why don't you, as set said, address the substance of the post then? If he has no idea what he is talking about, would you care to enlighten us? What part of his post is incorrect? I also want to learn. It will benefit all of us to hear the truth so please tell us what he said that is incorrect.

 

[set2374]

by bean » 02 Feb 2012 20:33
set- you have no clue what you are talking about.

I'm surprised that you hardly post at all, but a few hours after this "eddie-ish" post you pop up again!

Ah-may-zing.

This is exactly what I am talking about. I happen to pop to the site and see this back and forth and I say something you don't like Bean and then I must be working for Eddie. I would like to know who you're working for? What do you have against Eddie? Obviously, you, Kevin and Jeremy (who happen to actually admire) have your views on Hanadama and Eddie (who I also happen to like) has his views--which, on this issue, I happen to agree with him on. The fact is tons of ecommerce pearl sites are using Hanadama certification as proof of quality. I am not knocking any one site's products (since I only bought Hanadama from American Pearl), but I am saying it's not that Handama certification is not good device for proving quality because the JPSL standards for "Hanadama" just aren't that high and you can get a wide range of quality pearls (some mediocre to less than mediocre and some that are really outstanding) all carrying Hanadama Certification by the JPSL. Hanadama Certification--as it currently stands--doesn't give consumers assurance of the quality suggested by many sites (relative to what's available in the market). Kevin's Hanadama strands may be be equal to or better than Mikimoto AA or AAA strands (which we all would agree are outstand), but consumers should not rely on Hanadama certification for proof of this. Have I said anything this is false or misleading? If so, explain to me why my statement is false or misleading.

 

[NacreLover]

I personally have purchased many pearl strands, earrings, pendants and loose pearls from The Pearl Source. None of the Hanadama items, only Tahitian pearls. The packaging is always beautiful and the pearls better than expected. I did contact Leon Rebibo to show him ths post. I am sure he will be interested in reading everything the OP has to say about his product line.

 

[that_someone_special]

set- you have no clue what you are talking about.

I'm surprised that you hardly post at all, but a few hours after this "eddie-ish" post you pop up again!

Ah-may-zing.

For some reason, your post annoys me. Why don't you, as set said, address the substance of the post then? If he has no idea what he is talking about, would you care to enlighten us? What part of his post is incorrect? I also want to learn. It will benefit all of us to hear the truth so please tell us what he said that is incorrect.

For starters, I'm not a shill for anyone. That was completely rude and not appropriate.

Whatever, Set had a thread that was long and drawn out (and deleted) but we can't get into that now.

Let's see, set has not post since December 30th yet now, today, he is online to defend eddie?

I'M JUST SAYING IT'S WEIRD.

 

[that_someone_special]

by bean » 02 Feb 2012 20:33
set- you have no clue what you are talking about.

I'm surprised that you hardly post at all, but a few hours after this "eddie-ish" post you pop up again!

Ah-may-zing.

This is exactly what I am talking about. I happen to pop to the site and see this back and forth and I say something you don't like Bean and then I must be working for Eddie. I would like to know who you're working for? What do you have against Eddie? Obviously, you, Kevin and Jeremy (who happen to actually admire) have your views on Hanadama and Eddie (who I also happen to like) has his views--which, on this issue, I happen to agree with him on. The fact is tons of ecommerce pearl sites are using Hanadama certification as proof of quality. I am not knocking any one site's products (since I only bought Hanadama from American Pearl), but I am saying it's not that Handama certification is not good device for proving quality because the JPSL standards for "Hanadama" just aren't that high and you can get a wide range of quality pearls (some mediocre to less than mediocre and some that are really outstanding) all carrying Hanadama Certification by the JPSL. Hanadama Certification--as it currently stands--doesn't give consumers assurance of the quality suggested by many sites (relative to what's available in the market). Kevin's Hanadama strands may be be equal to or better than Mikimoto AA or AAA strands (which we all would agree are outstand), but consumers should not rely on Hanadama certification for proof of this. Have I said anything this is false or misleading? If so, explain to me why my statement is false or misleading.

Oh yes, you've got me. I have 5000 posts. I started posting here in 2008 before there was ever a pearl forum and have just been WAITING for PS to open this section so I could shill for the respectable guys. So, I suppose my engagement, marriage, and other personal stuff in my other 5000 posts was just to "fluff" my account so I didn't look like a shill.
Please!


These guys have outstanding service which is WHY we stand behind them. I gain absolutely nothing by posting here, but I do enjoy helping others find gorgeous pearls at a great price. In fact, Jeremy and Kevin have no clue who I am. I am just a random girl that knew nothing about pearls up until a few years ago.

 

[PearlsOfJoy]

Stephen,


My intention is not to bash anyone personally, I came to this forum not to sell but to help shed some light on the pearl industry as there is a lot of poor information out there. I believe you run a political forum, right? Then you know posts aren’t always what they seem. I'm sure you've encountered imposters before online. Never have I started a thread bashing American pearl, my posts have always been in defense to his attacks.

If you read SanDiegoGuy’s post above, he states that he did indeed post on Pearl-Education.com. That would make him the first, as even you admitted that you didn’t post your review there personally. The simple fact that Eddie would post using someones name beside his own is a red flag, to me it crosses an ethics line - regardless of the content of the post. If Eddie is willing to post under his customer's name on his own forum, what would stop him from doing the same thing on this forum? Compound that with the fact this thread and the one on Pearl-education.com were posted within hours of each other, it tends to look like a targeted attack versus a genuine customer review.

Edit: Btw, Eddie is reading this and must have seen Nacrelover's post, because the member list view has now been disabled on Pearl-Education.

For an example of what typical customer feedback looks like view this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-8-9mm-presidential-freshwaters.171199/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-8-9mm-presidential-freshwaters.171199/[/URL]

Notice there is no attack on other companies or agenda attached, just an honest unsolicited review of a purchase - its hard to explain but there is just a different feel to an honest testimonial.

As for Hanadama Pearls:

It is true that there is a range in Hanadama. You will always find a pearl better than another, no matter how high the quality is. That is the beauty of an organic object. But the term hanadama is very specific in Japan. It is the term used to denote the highest grade of pearl, separated from harvests, and sold in individual lots. You can collaborate that with Strack’s book.


Why does the hanadama certificate only allow for a grade of very, very slightly blemished? You have heard elsewhere that Mikimoto AAA are described as perfectly clean, so why isn't hanadama. If you go to the Mikimoto Website and look carefully at the description of AAA, you'll see that the comment Blemish-Free Surface has an asterisk next to it. At the bottom of the same grading scale the asterisk is explained - Tiny marks are part of the pearl's natural texture.


These tiny marks are also known as blemishes. Mikimoto's AAA quality pearls aren't perfectly clean as some would have you believe. In fact, according to the FTC, it is considered unfair or deceptive to use the terms "flawless" when describing pearls.


§ 23.26 Misuse of the words "flawless," "perfect," etc.

(a) It is unfair or deceptive to use the word "flawless" as a quality description of any gemstone that discloses blemishes, inclusions, or clarity faults of any sort when examined under a corrected magnifier at 10-power, with adequate illumination, by a person skilled in gemstone grading.

The Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan recognizes the need to accurately and honestly describe pearls within the legal descriptions described by the FTC, and as such, will never describe a strand of pearls or a single pearl that appears to be perfect in all respects as "flawless," or "blemish free." Pearls are composed of aragonite platelets that stack like bricks, one on top of the other. If examined under a 10x loop, even if not a single visible blemish is on a pearl, the surface texture will be visible - that is why when one runs a genuine pearl over one's teeth it's possible to feel a grittiness coming from the surface of the pearl.

As even Mikimoto clearly explains on their Website here, hanadama, or 'flower pearls', denotes the highest quality pearls. Anyone selling anything less than their finest akoya as hanadama will certainly have ulterior motives.


As For the Hanadama Earrings From Pearl Source:
The earrings should have been eye-clean. I’ve never seen a pair of earrings certified as true hanadama with defects as described. There are two options in this case:
A. There was a mistake packaging the order, this will happen on occasion - but the vendor should fix the problem.
B. The pearls weren't true Hanadama pearls

I know nothing of pearl source so really that is an issue you should take up with them before coming to an online forum.


If Stephen and SanDiegoGuy are just simple consumers with no alterior motives then I apologize but given the long history with this topic you can't blame any of us for being skeptical.

Just have to ask yourself one question, why does Eddie not allow anybody to post to his forum?

 

[that_someone_special]

I honestly don't care about the hanadama debate. Seriously, I don't.
You can believe whatever you want...

However, I do have a problem with this eddie guy who HAS come here before and dogged other companies just to make his look better.

That's my issue.

 

[SanDiegoGuy]

I am not talking about their entire product line by any means. But Hanadama does not always mean the best possible quality.

 

[Ella]

Just a reminder that pearls were originally banned from PS because of fighting between pearl vendors.

If you wish to have pearls banned again, starting fights between vendors is the best way to achieve that.

Please remember that anyone discovered to be a shill will be permanently banned.

 

[ThePearlSource]

This is Leon Rebibo from The Pearl Source. We have been in business a long time and I almost never post online. Frankly, I am not fond of "online wars" between competitors. We try to run an honest business and we let our pearls speak from themselves. Like our other competitors, if you are not happy, you can return our pearls for a refund.
However this post was brought to my attention by an old friend and customer of mine. They were extremely suspicious that there are dirty tricks that were involved and frankly I am suspicious myself. When I spoke to this customer I was suspicious instantly.
For our company, at least, it is rare to have complaints about the quality of Hanadama. The customer spoke to me on the phone and unequivocally trashed the pearl quality, which I found shocking. I received them back the next day and inspected them. One of the pearl earrings were FLAWLESS. Not one blemish, or two blemishes, FLAWLESS. The other pearl earring had one tiny (and I mean tiny) blemish at the bottom of the pearl near the post. The luster was high as well, and I will provide photos if necessary. I have seen some Hanadamas that are less than perfect but these weren't even close to that. The gap between what I see and how badly he is describing the pearls is suspicious, and as everyone knows, the fact that he posted on Pearl Education is miraculously in itself.
I will be researching this further, and keep everyone posted....

 

[that_someone_special]

If it wouldn't be too much trouble- I wouldn't mind seeing the pictures.
Not, because I don't believe you, but because I want to see what he refers to as unacceptable (to him).

Thank you for coming on here and giving us a bit more information!

 

[ThePearlSource]

I've been trying to get the photos to come out clear but its not clear enough to see the blemish by the post. I'll have to get my professional camera to get a clearer photo. Here are the photos I have so far. Just to be clear, in Photo 1 you'll see one"dot on the center of each pearl, those are reflections, not imperfections. I'll be back later on, if not tomorrow, to post better pics....

Leon

 

[set2374]

Kevin,

If Eddie is looking at this thread, I guess he can chime in and post his own responses. Businesses can get competitive and although I find the sniping amusing, it doesn't put money in my pocket so I'll leave that to you guys. As you weren't trying to bash anyone, I am not trying to direct traffic to anyone's site (unless they want to pay me--my wife will except pearls as in kind payment Kevin --so I am going to leave that part of the story to you guys. As for issues of shilling, it happens all the time on every forum and site that has reviews or allows discussion. Some forms of shilling are worse than others. Unfortunately, I would love to rid the earth of shilling, but I think we both know that's not going to happen any time soon. I just wanted to talk about your substantive points because--when push comes to shove (as I suspected--we are actually not that far apart).

My specific comments to your post are in bold:

As for Hanadama Pearls:

It is true that there is a range in Hanadama. You will always find a pearl better than another, no matter how high the quality is. That is the beauty of an organic object. But the term hanadama is very specific in Japan. It is the term used to denote the highest grade of pearl, separated from harvests, and sold in individual lots. You can collaborate that with Strack’s book.

Actually, the term Hanadama is misused as much in Japan as it is here. Hanadama means "Pearl Flower" (literal translation) and was first used as an adjective by Mikimoto to describe all of the pearls his company sells. The marketing people for mikimoto picked on the use of the word and put in their materials. Clever competitors started to use the word to describe their products and the race was on. Then some competitors (to mikimoto) came up with the idea of providing certifications to prove that their pearls were "Hanadama"--so we had a cottage industry spring up of labs all claiming to certify pearls as Hanadama. Most of these certs aren't worth the paper the are printed on.

One of the few reputable labs is JPSL. They actually do have an objective criteria and testing regiment to determine the qualities of a strand. The problem with JPSL's standard, in my opinion, is that it's broad enough to cover many different qualities of pearls--some some noticeably weaker than others. A strand with an average nacre thickness of 0.6mm isn't the same at all as strand that hits the minimum (for Hanadama Cert) of 0.4mm. Given that average jewelry grade strand is probably around 0.3 mm (give or take), I am not saying Hanadama is a low standard--but it's low enough to ensure that merchants that can probably squeak through quite a few middle of the road strands and get a Hanadama Cert--which substantially increases the value, but not the quality of that strand. If they made the standard higher 0.45mm or 0.5mm (which they could just as easily do), the Hanadama cert would mean more (to me) and would probably assure that buyers are purchasers a truly splendid product. Of course, JPSL would lose revenue since a lot of their clients wouldn't submit strands and pay their ~$70 fee if they thought their strands would fail.

Why does the hanadama certificate only allow for a grade of very, very slightly blemished? You have heard elsewhere that Mikimoto AAA are described as perfectly clean, so why isn't hanadama. If you go to the Mikimoto Website and look carefully at the description of AAA, you'll see that the comment Blemish-Free Surface has an asterisk next to it. At the bottom of the same grading scale the asterisk is explained - Tiny marks are part of the pearl's natural texture.


These tiny marks are also known as blemishes. Mikimoto's AAA quality pearls aren't perfectly clean as some would have you believe. In fact, according to the FTC, it is considered unfair or deceptive to use the terms "flawless" when describing pearls.

Agreed. No argument from me

§ 23.26 Misuse of the words "flawless," "perfect," etc.

(a) It is unfair or deceptive to use the word "flawless" as a quality description of any gemstone that discloses blemishes, inclusions, or clarity faults of any sort when examined under a corrected magnifier at 10-power, with adequate illumination, by a person skilled in gemstone grading.

Funny, I was just looking at that language myself. For those interested, here's a link to the FTC guidelines: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.shtm#§ 23.12 Misuse of the words flawless, perfect, etc.

The Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan recognizes the need to accurately and honestly describe pearls within the legal descriptions described by the FTC, and as such, will never describe a strand of pearls or a single pearl that appears to be perfect in all respects as "flawless," or "blemish free." Fair enough. I agree Pearls are composed of aragonite platelets that stack like bricks, one on top of the other. If examined under a 10x loop, even if not a single visible blemish is on a pearl, the surface texture will be visible - that is why when one runs a genuine pearl over one's teeth it's possible to feel a grittiness coming from the surface of the pearl. True again--no disagreement here

As even Mikimoto clearly explains on their Website here, hanadama, or 'flower pearls', denotes the highest quality pearl. Anyone selling anything less than their finest akoya as hanadama will certainly have ulterior motives.

Here is where we part ways. Mikimoto is not using "Hanadama" as an objective measurement of quality. It is an adjective used to describe the subjective beauty of their company's pearls. This is not to be confused in any way, shape or form with the use of the word "Hanadama" as certified by the JPSL. JPSL's objective criteria for evaluating pearls has nothing to do with Mikimoto. Mikimoto has its own proprietary grading standard and evaluative system. To be clear, Mikimoto and JPSL have absolutely no association with one another and do not use the term Hanadama to describe the same pearls.

To the extent you are saying a pearl farm or vendor is using the term Hanadama to describe his best pearls--that appears to be a fair and traditional use of the word in Japan.


As For the Hanadama Earrings From Pearl Source:
The earrings should have been eye-clean. I’ve never seen a pair of earrings certified as true hanadama with defects as described. There are two options in this case:
A. There was a mistake packaging the order, this will happen on occasion - but the vendor should fix the problem.
B. The pearls weren't true Hanadama pearls

I know nothing of pearl source so really that is an issue you should take up with them before coming to an online forum.

No comment to this--I never saw the earrings.

If Stephen and SanDiegoGuy are just simple consumers with no alterior motives then I apologize but given the long history with this topic you can't blame any of us for being skeptical.

I am a consumer, but hopefully not a "simple" one.

Just have to ask yourself one question, why does Eddie not allow anybody to post to his forum?

I really haven't spent time looking at Pearl Education, but I did look at it after reading some of the posts here and I get the sense that it is more of a blog than an actual forum. Eddie seems to be posting his thoughts and opinions, with an occasional note or letter he received. That's a blog to me, not really a discussion forum or community like Pricescope. Eddie, if you're reading this--if you want to open Pearl Education up as a forum--I would be happy to post.

 

[set2374]

I've been trying to get the photos to come out clear but its not clear enough to see the blemish by the post. I'll have to get my professional camera to get a clearer photo. Here are the photos I have so far. Just to be clear, in Photo 1 you'll see one"dot on the center of each pearl, those are reflections, not imperfections. I'll be back later on, if not tomorrow, to post better pics....

Leon

I have to say--if those are the earrings he received, they look pretty good to me. If my Hanadama necklace had looked like that (for the $475 I paid), I would have happily kept it. That said, the pictures aren't clear enough to see spotting and blemishes. So, i'll reserve judgment. The fact is, if someone is laying out a lot of money for a luxury item--there are many people who expect the item to be absolutely perfect ($400+ is a lot for a pair of akoya earrings that aren't from Mikimoto or Tiffany) If I was SanDiegoGuy and I saw even light spotting on a pair of $400+ earrings I would also return them too and ask for a clean pair.

 

[set2374]

set- you have no clue what you are talking about.

I'm surprised that you hardly post at all, but a few hours after this "eddie-ish" post you pop up again!

Ah-may-zing.

For some reason, your post annoys me. Why don't you, as set said, address the substance of the post then? If he has no idea what he is talking about, would you care to enlighten us? What part of his post is incorrect? I also want to learn. It will benefit all of us to hear the truth so please tell us what he said that is incorrect.

For starters, I'm not a shill for anyone. That was completely rude and not appropriate.

Whatever, Set had a thread that was long and drawn out (and deleted) but we can't get into that now.

Let's see, set has not post since December 30th yet now, today, he is online to defend eddie?

I'M JUST SAYING IT'S WEIRD.

Bean,

First, I am not sure why you have such strong opinion on this subject--whether in favor of certain vendors or against others. The fact that person posts a lot to a particular forum, doesn't mean that person (member) can't be a shill. I can tell you from experience in other areas, that there there are true professional shills that are paid to post online--with many people using the same handle to keep the posts going and to reach the point that they might get a chance to be moderators and gain some modicum of control over the forum. I am not saying that's what you're doing or anyone else that is posting to this thread (I would be surprised if that were the case), but people shouldn't be so quick to scream shill--unless you have good reason to support that claim (and that was my point earlier in this discussion).

Second, what difference does it make if I just posted today and my last post was a month ago. That's pretty common. I have doing most of my pearl posting in another forum (which you're probably a member of also), but I do check out what's going on here. This is the first time a topic has come up that I felt it warranted a response.

Finally (and this isn't directed to you, Bean), I would really love to know why my thread was removed. Apparently you have a strong opinion about---referring to it as long and drawn out, but at least from my end---there isn't anything in that thread that violated the forum rules (and the one item that may have was deleted by the moderators). I hope that doesn't happen to this thread.

 

[4Ranch Girl]

Stephen,




Edit: Btw, Eddie is reading this and must have seen Nacrelover's post, because the member list view has now been disabled on Pearl-Education.




Just have to ask yourself one question, why does Eddie not allow anybody to post to his forum?

Thank you Pearls of Joy for a wonderful laugh this morning. PearlNacre called me and said I needed to go on line and read the latest "Eddie antics" we had just been talking about Eddie's forum and his number inflation and sudden member number growth when we reached your edit and both of us burst out laughing at Eddie covering his tracks.

You ask a good question. I too wonder why Eddie does not allow anybody to post on his so called forum.

I also wonder how SanDiegoGuy could bash one company's pearls and then the next minute give high reviews to anothers without even seeing the pearls.

Do you hear ducks quacking? I do.

 

[that_someone_special]

Bean,

First, I am not sure why you have such strong opinion on this subject--whether in favor of certain vendors or against others. The fact that person posts a lot to a particular forum, doesn't mean that person (member) can't be a shill. I can tell you from experience in other areas, that there there are true professional shills that are paid to post online--with many people using the same handle to keep the posts going and to reach the point that they might get a chance to be moderators and gain some modicum of control over the forum. I am not saying that's what you're doing or anyone else that is posting to this thread (I would be surprised if that were the case), but people shouldn't be so quick to scream shill--unless you have good reason to support that claim (and that was my point earlier in this discussion).

Second, what difference does it make if I just posted today and my last post was a month ago. That's pretty common. I have doing most of my pearl posting in another forum (which you're probably a member of also), but I do check out what's going on here. This is the first time a topic has come up that I felt it warranted a response.

Finally (and this isn't directed to you, Bean), I would really love to know why my thread was removed. Apparently you have a strong opinion about---referring to it as long and drawn out, but at least from my end---there isn't anything in that thread that violated the forum rules (and the one item that may have was deleted by the moderators). I hope that doesn't happen to this thread.

I have purchased many items from PP. I have given glowing reviews AND I have noted on here when I was not happy.
PP has ALWAYS made things right. Always. My first purchase from them was in 2009.. two pairs of 7-7.5mm exotic metallic studs. Not a big purchase (less than $100) but they have always been awesome and fair.

Anyway, it was probably deleted due to the fighting.