Advice on golden pearl earrings

[Sapphiregirl84]

Hello all. Trying to find some advice on whether these pearls were a good buy or not. The are golden seawater pearls (not specifically sold as south sea) and are 9-10mm. They are clean and reflect facial features at the front but have a lot of imperfections, fish bites etc at the back. They are on 9ct good posts. I paid 250 AUD. Deciding whether to keep or refund

 

[pearlsngems]

They don't look like golden south sea pearls. They are faintly yellow at best. Pale yellow is the least valuable color for SSP.

Unless you are in love with them, I'd send them back.

Edited to add: People have differing preferences for the color of GSS pearls. The darkest gold isn't necessarily the most flattering to every skin tone. But you were asking about value. IMO they are overpriced for that color and the surface quality.

 

[molinePDG]

To be truthful, at first glance just from the photos they look like Akoya pearls or quite round freshwater to me.

Golden akoya are real, but all of that aside, worth it is a matter of subjectivity - what you think vs. the price you paid.

I do not believe they are golden south sea pearls.

 

[icy_jade]

Return, the color isn’t great and it doesn’t sound like you love them

 

[yssie]

Is one supposed to presume that "seawater" means "salt water"?

In general - you get what you pay for. The colour match isn't great, and the pearls are blemished... But they're large.

Based on how the vendor described them and what I'm seeing, there is no chance whatsoever that those are south sea pearls as reputable vendors define SS (ie. from the Pinctada maxima oyster). In fact - I think the obscure wording is deliberate. I think they're what everyone else just calls "freshwaters" - but calling them that would make comparisons of price and quality too easy.

Take a look at www.pearlparadise.com (prices are in USD) for comparisons.

 

[Sapphiregirl84]

Thank you for all of the advice. Sorry I double checked and they were described as saltwater - but I agree they seem at most to be akoya. They are surprisingly from a large retail jewellery store in Australia - because they weren’t specifically south sea I didn’t expect them to be, but I still thought they would be better quality colour and blemish wise. I’m going to return. Would love some advice on where I can shop for the best deals on genuine south sea pearls somewhere between 8-10mm and of decent colour - something a bit richer. Maybe there are some reputable Etsy sellers?

I miss travel like everyone and cannot wait to get back to Hong Kong in the future sometime....

 

[dk168]

Pearl Paradise, Pearls of Joy and The Pearl Outlet all have Golden SSP earrings for sale.

I have purchased from all three in the past, and have met the owners of PP and POJ in person.

DK

 

[gingercurls]

I do not think that these earrings are worth what you paid for them. Low quality pearls of any variety are going to be inexpensive when compared to high quality pearls. I would like to echo DK's advice and think it would be a great idea for you to check out some of the pearl vendors mentioned. If you have doubts or concerns about any piece of jewelry that you buy, not just pearls, that is a very good indication that the purchase will not make you happy in the long run. Jewelry that you will be happy with longterm will make your heart sing the second you open the box. When I have had a lukewarm or unsure reaction to jewelry, I have always regretted keeping the item.

 

[Sapphiregirl84]

I do not think that these earrings are worth what you paid for them. Low quality pearls of any variety are going to be inexpensive when compared to high quality pearls. I would like to echo DK's advice and think it would be a great idea for you to check out some of the pearl vendors mentioned. If you have doubts or concerns about any piece of jewelry that you buy, not just pearls, that is a very good indication that the purchase will not make you happy in the long run. Jewelry that you will be happy with longterm will make your heart sing the second you open the box. When I have had a lukewarm or unsure reaction to jewelry, I have always regretted keeping the item.

this is such good advice I think. Similar to kon Marie does it spark joy question. I’m sending back. Thanks again

 

[Sapphiregirl84]

Pearl Paradise, Pearls of Joy and The Pearl Outlet all have Golden SSP earrings for sale.

I have purchased from all three in the past, and have met the owners of PP and POJ in person.

DK

Oh thank you! They all have lovely stuff and still very reasonable prices!

 

[katbran]

I think returning is the right move . The colour looks pretty ordinary tbh. There are beautiful pale gold if that's a colour you like but I wouldn't consider these to be worth keeping.

 

[Rare gem lover]

I do not think that these earrings are worth what you paid for them. Low quality pearls of any variety are going to be inexpensive when compared to high quality pearls. I would like to echo DK's advice and think it would be a great idea for you to check out some of the pearl vendors mentioned. If you have doubts or concerns about any piece of jewelry that you buy, not just pearls, that is a very good indication that the purchase will not make you happy in the long run. Jewelry that you will be happy with longterm will make your heart sing the second you open the box. When I have had a lukewarm or unsure reaction to jewelry, I have always regretted keeping the item.

This is off topic but I am very surprised to see you online. You had reached out to me a few months ago on instagram about your pre loved pieces. You offered me a pair of spinels and said you will get back to me the next day with pics. I didn’t hear from you and I tried messaging back many times and emailing because I was keen on your offer. But you have not been replying.

 

[Sapphiregirl84]

This is off topic but I am very surprised to see you online. You had reached out to me a few months ago on instagram about your pre loved pieces. You offered me a pair of spinels and said you will get back to me the next day with pics. I didn’t hear from you and I tried messaging back many times and emailing because I was keen on your offer. But you have not been replying.

Is this directed at me? Because I have not sold any pre lived pieces or had anything to do with spinals or messaged you??

 

[Rare gem lover]

Is this directed at me? Because I have not sold any pre lived pieces or had anything to do with spinals or messaged you??

Apologies no, it was not for you. I have directed that again to @gingercurls. I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation, I thought she may see this and message me on Insta/email because I’m on a logistical deadline. I have tried everything else I can think of to reach her

 

[yssie]

Oh thank you! They all have lovely stuff and still very reasonable prices!

@Sapphiregirl84 If you reach out to pearl paradise - definitely call or chat in and ask a rep to preselect two or three pairs for you to choose from! They have a huge inventory, and they’re always happy to take comparison photos for customers

Your rep can pull pairs that match what you’re looking for most closely - a specific colour, a specific size range, etc. I usually ask my rep for her recommendation and just go with that and I’ve yet to be disappointed

 

[Sapphiregirl84]

@Sapphiregirl84 If you reach out to pearl paradise - definitely call or chat in and ask a rep to preselect two or three pairs for you to choose from! They have a huge inventory, and they’re always happy to take comparison photos for customers

Your rep can pull pairs that match what you’re looking for most closely - a specific colour, a specific size range, etc. I usually ask my rep for her recommendation and just go with that and I’ve yet to be disappointed

Thank you for this advice. Any advice on choosing golden pearls?!

 

[pearlsngems]

Assuming you're referring to the color of the golden pearls, Pure Pearls website has a page about pearl overtones that may help you decide what tone might best suit you.

Gold pearls can also be a lighter or darker gold color. Medium gold is probably the most common color studs kept in stock, as it is flattering to so many. You should just let your vendor know what you are looking for. I would ask for photos of several pairs before deciding.

 

[Pearlescence]

The colour will choose you rather than you choose the colour. Because most people's skin is base yellow some shades of gold will just be completely boring while others will sing. It's very much a matter of hold pearls next to your skin. Plus some gold south sea pearls have a green tint or overtone, while others have a hint of pink.
Be aware there are floods of deep dyed freshwaters in the market too. If the pearl has a slight hint of brown it may be a dyed freshwater.
Going back to your original question...yes, pale gold akoya (once again lots of dyed gold akoya out there)
You could also see if you can find a home grown supplier as I believe Australia has recently put up its import tax regime and lowered the threshold.

 

[yssie]

I think @Pearlescence is right about the colour finding you

I don’t have many south sea pieces. These are my shades of gold - from bottom to top “deep” with neutral overtone (sourced by Hisano at Pearl Paradise), “medium” with slight green overtone (also from Pearl Paradise), “light” with moderately strong pink overtone (from Andrew Moline), and white south seas with pink overtone (more Pearl Paradise) for a baseline.




And here they are against skin - Indian and German I love the deep golds on me, but I think the light yellow sings against his colouring!

 

[lissyflo]

I think @Pearlescence is right about the colour finding you

I don’t have many south sea pieces. These are my shades of gold - from bottom to top “deep” with neutral overtone (sourced by Hisano at Pearl Paradise), “medium” with slight green overtone (also from Pearl Paradise), “light” with moderately strong pink overtone (from Andrew Moline), and white south seas with pink overtone (more Pearl Paradise) for a baseline.




And here they are against skin - Indian and German I love the deep golds on me, but I think the light yellow sings against his colouring!

That’s a great visual to show impact on different colourings! The deep golds look amazing on you. The light yellow is absolutely beautiful and looks equally glorious on you both!

 

[pearlsngems]

This photo of my GSS necklace in a white bowl shows the overtones. One of the large center pearls has a green overtone, while the ones to the right and left of it have a rose overtone. The overtones show up in certain light conditions, but otherwise they are not particularly obvious.



This is the color of my studs, which I think is good for my skin tone:


Here are the stud pearls next to the necklace, for color comparison -- and as you see, the green and rose overtones are not so apparent here.

 

[katbran]

The colours for GSS are quite varied.. from the palest Champagne to deep deep gold. The golds can have pink or green overtones. So it really depends on what looks best on you . Never worry about what is considered 'the best' colour because the 'best' colour is what suits your skin tone.

Personally the darkest golds don't really appeal to me - just like Tahitians I tend to like the brighter mid tones .

I'm glad you are returning those pearls. 'Sea Pearls' could refer to either Akoya or South Sea but I find it a bit confusing to use when selling and think that retailers should be more precise.