Please give me your insight on this strand

[amti]

This is a David Yurman strand of pearls, 9.6-10.85mm that was originally purchased at Neiman Marcus for $3900 in 2010. What kind of pearls do you think these are? I could not find any info on them online. Thank you!

 

[dk168]

I am no expert, however, my hunch is that they are cultured freshwater pearls, as they do not look like white South Seas to me, and a tad on the big side for Akoyas.

However, I could be wrong.

Hopefully, the experts will come along soon to offer their opinions.

DK

 

[ennui]

I believe that all of David Yurman's items are cultured freshwater pearls.

 

[dk168]

It is a lot of money for a strand of so-so CFWPs, even if the clasp is made of gold (can't tell as I cannot see any hallmark on the clasp except brand name in the photos), IMHO!

DK

 

[ennui]

David Yurman items are pricey. Neiman Marcus is currently offered an 18" necklace, freshwater, 8-8.5mm pearls, with a diamond hook clasp, for $1750.

 

[pearlsngems]

They are FWP. Found them by Googling.

David Yurman Pearl Buckle Necklace

$2,100 Sold out DAVIDYURMAN.COM

From the Pearl Collection. Sterling silver and freshwater pearl necklace. Pave diamond buckle clasp; 0.38 total carat weight. 16"L.

Editing to say that I realize the clasp on the necklace I reference is actually a diamond clasp. However, as those pearls are FWP I think it's pretty safe to say that the pearls in the necklace in the OP (which doesn't have a diamond clasp) are also FWP.

 

[cmd2014]

They look like nice quality freshwater pearls to my eye. It's difficult to get ones that are both that round and that size. They have nice luster and seem fairly clean too. So while the price seems high compared to online prices, it's on par with what I've seen in B&M stores here. I'd wear them! (And feel pretty fancy doing so too!)

 

[Pirard]

Yurman does use different types of pearls, but you would pay a significant premium for them...because these are strung with a sterling clasp, I'd say they are FWP. You can call a DY store, or even NM and ask, but I agree with the others.

 

[NacreLover]

Are you buying them used or have them already? That price was more than one would expect to pay for like pearls elsewhere.

 

[Pirard]

I agree that the price seems somewhat high...but then all his stuff generally is pretty pricey for what you're buying. I have a lot of Yurman, bought at sample sales, and in his outlets, or second hand. I am particularly in love with this look: http://www.davidyurman.com/products/women/necklaces-and-chains/beach-chain-necklace-with-pearls-and-diamonds-n09940dsb.html?lpos=IS-1&item=n09940dsbdtgdi&source=search

 

[Bailey1856]

that is nice, Pirard! Great design!

 

[cmd2014]

Are you buying them used or have them already? That price was more than one would expect to pay for like pearls elsewhere.

That's a good point. If you bought them in 2010, or inherited them somehow (like I had assumed you might have), then the original price doesn't matter much. If you are hoping to sell them, then you would need to look at ebay and similar 2nd hand sites to see what similar items are selling for to get an idea of resale value.

Resale value often has little relationship to the original purchase price (as in, don't expect to get anything close to what you would pay retail for resale value). Retail value only matters for insurance purposes, as you insure for 'replacement value' which would be what it would cost to buy the same thing (same brand name too) if something were to happen.

If you are thinking of buying them....I'd suggest carefully looking around to see what other similar items have sold for. And I would agree with 4RG, that you could get new pearls for significantly less from one of the reputable online vendors, although they would not obviously be from this particular designer. It's an individual decision how much a brand name is worth, but you should buy a brand name knowing that there is a serious mark-up for the name alone.

 

[ckrickett]

I agree that the price seems somewhat high...but then all his stuff generally is pretty pricey for what you're buying. I have a lot of Yurman, bought at sample sales, and in his outlets, or second hand. I am particularly in love with this look: http://www.davidyurman.com/products/women/necklaces-and-chains/beach-chain-necklace-with-pearls-and-diamonds-n09940dsb.html?lpos=IS-1&item=n09940dsbdtgdi&source=search

His stuff is pricey, but I do like some of it.


If you are trying to resell it I would greatly hype that it is a signed DY piece, and that he is known for FWP and the like. if you are trying to sell them just as nice pearls you might not get a good of a price for them. But as a signed DY piece people may pay more of a premium because they are paying for the name.

 

[amti]

Thanks All! I was thinking that they were FWP for that price, but what threw me off was the roundness of each pearl. I bought these second hand so I did not pay that much for them. I am not a fan of DY jewelry (daughter is and she wanted a Yurman ring instead of a college ring so I was shopping for her when I stumbled upon these pearls). I have not received them yet, but now my concern is whether or not they are real for the following reasons:
* All the DY pearls in strands and necklaces I have seen are not that uniform and much smaller. It is quite obvious by looking at the photos on his website, the pearls on his necklaces are off round.
* I didn't think pearl technology was advanced enough to produce such round, large pearls in 2010 -but someone on another forum said she was able to purchase some fwp in China a few years earlier that were 10mm or so, so it appears to have been possible... but at $3900, it doesn't seem likely from DY.
* I have not been able to find any strand this uniform of this size from DY.
* If the pearls are real, they are a decent size and should have had a nicer clasp (this is more of a personal opinion since DY is known for his chunky silver and not really known for pearls).
* There appear to be fine scratches on some of the pearls and I will have to take photos of some of my older pearls and view them magnified many times over to see if they scratch that way. I've taken photos of my pearls but don't recall seeing any scratches on mine, but have never really looked at them that closely.[/list]


Maybe I'm just having buyer's remorse. I will post photos when I get them. I'm hoping my next post won't be how to spot a fake.

We have a DY store nearby but I am not sure the sales associates would be able to verify it other than say the clasp looks like theirs. They told us they don't verify items when we brought in a Yurman we purchased second hand but did comment it looked like one of theirs and cleaned it for us. I doubt they would clean something that isn't theirs.

 

[amti]

I agree that the price seems somewhat high...but then all his stuff generally is pretty pricey for what you're buying. I have a lot of Yurman, bought at sample sales, and in his outlets, or second hand. I am particularly in love with this look: http://www.davidyurman.com/products/women/necklaces-and-chains/beach-chain-necklace-with-pearls-and-diamonds-n09940dsb.html?lpos=IS-1&item=n09940dsbdtgdi&source=search

I find my eyes drifting toward the longer chain necklaces too. There is a nice appeal about them, isn't there?

 

[ennui]

We have a DY store nearby but I am not sure the sales associates would be able to verify it other than say the clasp looks like theirs. They told us they don't verify items when we brought in a Yurman we purchased second hand but did comment it looked like one of theirs and cleaned it for us. I doubt they would clean something that isn't theirs.

Lots of jewelers clean items that aren't theirs; it's a nice way to build a customer base. You'll come back the next time you're in the neighborhood, and eventually, buy something.

Curious that they won't verify an item. Will Tiffany's verify items?

 

[amti]

[quote="ennui|1433865614|3886927"
Lots of jewelers clean items that aren't theirs; it's a nice way to build a customer base. You'll come back the next time you're in the neighborhood, and eventually, buy something.

Curious that they won't verify an item. Will Tiffany's verify items?[/quote]
I've only stepped into Tiffany's once to look at pearls and haven't been back, so I don't know what they would do. You are right - I've had another jewelry store clean a star sapphire ring that they asked to see. Their jeweler was impressed with it because it was purple and he had never seen that color. I think it was just a way for him to get a closer look and see if it was real or not. I wonder if they don't want to verify unless money is paid because there becomes an issue of liability if the sales person is incorrect.

 

[ckrickett]

[quote="ennui|1433865614|3886927"
Lots of jewelers clean items that aren't theirs; it's a nice way to build a customer base. You'll come back the next time you're in the neighborhood, and eventually, buy something.

Curious that they won't verify an item. Will Tiffany's verify items?
I've only stepped into Tiffany's once to look at pearls and haven't been back, so I don't know what they would do. You are right - I've had another jewelry store clean a star sapphire ring that they asked to see. Their jeweler was impressed with it because it was purple and he had never seen that color. I think it was just a way for him to get a closer look and see if it was real or not. I wonder if they don't want to verify unless money is paid because there becomes an issue of liability if the sales person is incorrect.

That has a lot to do with it.
My grandfather owned an antique shop and sold a lot of incredibly high end jewelry for a long time. I used to help him out at jewelry shows and he taught me a lot. He was also an appraiser, (but for high end antiques and not jewelry) But he could gauge the value of a piece of he was allowed to really look at it.

From what I gathered from him, it's very difficult to completely verify a piece's authenticity, unless you work for that company, and your job is to really notice the small details that a lot of people who copy the work wouldn't necessarily be able to , or know to replicate. Or people might not really know what to look for.

Examples - Could be the stitching of a handle on a bag, the way a jeweler sets prongs, or even the depth and placement of the jewelry marks and where they are located on a clasp or piece.

If you verified it, and in good faith believed you were right, your reputation could and would be on the line, as well as you may face legal recourse as well. He would never appraise pieces for what they were valued at as a signed piece, but he would give an approximation of it's possible value, and what it might be valued at with just the materials and work alone. Some jewelry and appraisers are experts when it comes to certain name brand jewelry or even pieces from specific eras, so if you wanted to authenticate I would search for someone who specializes in those areas. But thats just a general tip.