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Aus-Pearls - Pretty Good

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,717
Hi Friends,

Pearls are what got me into gems and jewelry - and recently I started feeling called to track down some stellar akoyas. I came across Aus-Pearl on ebay, and bid on a few pairs of akoya studs under ~$50 each, and won. Shipping is about $36, so I would try to ask for a combined order to save on those costs. I was pleasantly quite surprised by the deal I got and the quality of the pearls - the tl;dr is that this is a solid value vendor that seems to take actual photos of the item you receive.

7.5mm 'Tennyo' akoyas - Aus Pearl on the right, PP AA akoya pearls on the left - Aus Pearl is the pinker set. I was stunned that the Aus Pearls are actually a smidge nicer than my Pearl Paradise, at 1/4 of the price. I'm SHOCKED at how much I love these over the PP. I have been a loyal PP customer for years and years - I have had their AAA akoyas, AA akoyas, Freshadamas, and have bought at least a dozen gifts for friends and family over the years from PP - so to have a random eBay pearl vendor top that was a tiny bit surprising. The Aus Pearl akoyas have sharp reflections, is super smooth, and has that gorgeous akoya depth. These are NOT Tennyos or Madamas; I have seen some AAA's and Madamas live, and these are not it. I'd say that they're a solid AA+ (pearl gradings are all over the place, so I'm going to caveat this with 'my understanding'/personal distinction of what a AA pearl is).

10.5mm 'Aurora' akoya studs - high luster with sharp reflections, wrinkly skins but no pits/bumps/etc. They are gorgeous! Just what I want in akoyas - that sharpness. The nacre seems pretty thin - I have no proof here, but its probably a safe assumption given the price. The posts are 14k or 18k (don't remember) - they're quite thin, but solidly constructed. I looked at the photos carefully, and I do think that they posted an actual photo of the item I received.

I bought these studs on auction, and I wonder if the regular priced studs are substantially nicer - I'm sure they didn't want to send out a pair of actual Tennyo's for $30, though they shouldn't have advertised as such if they weren't actually auctioning Tennyo's. I'm probably splitting hairs a bit as a PS consumer, but I wanted to share all my gloats and my gripes. They came packed in cheap pouches, but I don't buy jewelry for the packaging, so I'm fine with that. Just an FYI if you're gifting these.

I am still on the hunt for my glorious and most perfect Akoyas, but these are quite nice

IMG_4361.jpg IMG_4357.jpg
 
Last edited:

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,023
Wow, so pretty! Just looked at their store, and ummmm are these real??? Is that an actual natural color. If so, wowwwwww I am in love
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,503

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,503
Hi Friends,

Pearls are what got me into gems and jewelry - and recently I started feeling called to track down some stellar akoyas. I came across Aus-Pearl on ebay, and bid on a few pairs of akoya studs under ~$50 each, and won. Shipping is about $36, so I would try to ask for a combined order to save on those costs. I was pleasantly quite surprised by the deal I got and the quality of the pearls - the tl;dr is that this is a solid value vendor that seems to take actual photos of the item you receive.

7.5mm 'Tennyo' akoyas - Aus Pearl on the right, PP AA akoya pearls on the left - Aus Pearl is the pinker set. I was stunned that the Aus Pearls are actually a smidge nicer than my Pearl Paradise, at 1/4 of the price. I'm SHOCKED at how much I love these over the PP. I have been a loyal PP customer for years and years - I have had their AAA akoyas, AA akoyas, Freshadamas, and have bought at least a dozen gifts for friends and family over the years from PP - so to have a random eBay pearl vendor top that was a tiny bit surprising. The Aus Pearl akoyas have sharp reflections, is super smooth, and has that gorgeous akoya depth. These are NOT Tennyos or Madamas; I have seen some AAA's and Madamas live, and these are not it. I'd say that they're a solid AA+ (pearl gradings are all over the place, so I'm going to caveat this with 'my understanding'/personal distinction of what a AA pearl is).

10.5mm 'Aurora' akoya studs - high luster with sharp reflections, wrinkly skins but no pits/bumps/etc. They are gorgeous! Just what I want in akoyas - that sharpness. The nacre seems pretty thin - I have no proof here, but its probably a safe assumption given the price. The posts are 14k or 18k (don't remember) - they're quite thin, but solidly constructed. I looked at the photos carefully, and I do think that they posted an actual photo of the item I received.

I bought these studs on auction, and I wonder if the regular priced studs are substantially nicer - I'm sure they didn't want to send out a pair of actual Tennyo's for $30, though they shouldn't have advertised as such if they weren't actually auctioning Tennyo's. I'm probably splitting hairs a bit as a PS consumer, but I wanted to share all my gloats and my gripes. They came packed in cheap pouches, but I don't buy jewelry for the packaging, so I'm fine with that. Just an FYI if you're gifting these.

I am still on the hunt for my glorious and most perfect Akoyas, but these are quite nice

IMG_4361.jpg IMG_4357.jpg

Wow !
Great to know !
What a great buy you got !
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,503

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,717
I was also checking out the wild akoya colors they have! I have no idea if its natural or not. They do have some super high end strands, a few Tennyo's in the $20k range and a few other huge southseas in the $100k+ range. TBH I am a bit suspicious cause I've never seen pearls in that color - but also, I'd never seen multicolor akoyas from Vietnam until I'd seen them at PP.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,023
I was also checking out the wild akoya colors they have! I have no idea if its natural or not. They do have some super high end strands, a few Tennyo's in the $20k range and a few other huge southseas in the $100k+ range. TBH I am a bit suspicious cause I've never seen pearls in that color - but also, I'd never seen multicolor akoyas from Vietnam until I'd seen them at PP.

That's how I feel too...it seems too good to be true somehow.
 

goldnsilver

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 31, 2020
Messages
250
@Indylady thank you for sharing your review and photos! I haven't been very much of a pearl person but am watching a few of their pendants with interest. Do you think the gold fitting on yours earrings are genuine? I keep worrying that the cheaper listings on eBay have gold filled instead of solid gold fittings...
 

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,717
@goldnsilver - I *think* they’re real simply because they’re super thin and light - definitely the settings/posts are way way more flimsy than my PP posts. For the price, I really don’t care - but might be annoying if their pricier pieces have it.
 

goldnsilver

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 31, 2020
Messages
250
@goldnsilver - I *think* they’re real simply because they’re super thin and light - definitely the settings/posts are way way more flimsy than my PP posts. For the price, I really don’t care - but might be annoying if their pricier pieces have it.

That would make sense, I imagine the drill cap peg ends on the inside could be shorter as well. It was hard to tell from the magnified photos so that's good to know. I've bagged one of their cheap (around 30USD) auction South Sea pendants and may purchase a pair of earrings if they list anything I like over the next few days. Will report back and post photos when these arrive! I'm in need of some decent looking pearl drops for antique brooches that are missing their dangles, so hoping this will work.
 
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