Daily Deals

[cellentani]

Date: 7/3/2009 9:30:11 PM
Author: brightlight
You lucky duck! I so want one. I love gadgets!

Thanks brightlight! They were actually a Cmas gift from my DH, along with locking tweezers and a lightbox - he got them all online, and they weren''t too expensive. I can''t tell you how many times I''ve used the calipers and tweezers, but I love colored stones and they really come in handy (come hang out with us in the colored stone forum). I was so excited when I got them I even started a thread (how dorky is that!): https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/so-what-does-a-guy-give-his-darling-whos-addicted-to-jewels-and-pricescope.103498/

 

[cellentani]

Date: 7/3/2009 7:44:41 AM
Author: metromom

Glitterata - I would call as soon as you can this morning and ask to speak to a manager. Those pearls are clearly not AAA. I agree that they should not be sending out bad quality pearl as a first impression, why would anyone ever want to come back?

As for mine, YES, the white pearls are bigger than the others. And there are a few visable blemishes on a few of the pearls near the clasp. But other than that, the lustre really is amazing, and the strand as a whole is beautiful. Are they AAAs as advertised - I haven''t counted the flaws, but yes they probably fall within 95% good. They are definitely round and at arms length they are near perfect. My husband saw them on me last night and commented that they were really pretty and asked how many hundreds of dollars I spent on those

So at this point, I will wear them a few more days and make sure I love them.

Glitterata, let us know what happens today.

I just re-read your post, and you know what - the most blemished pearls are closest to the clasp on my necklace too. I don''t think that''s an accident. If those were the only pearls I had available and wanted them strung, it would be clever to put them where they won''t be seen. However, I think they''re out-of-place on an advertised AAA necklace, and it seems like they''re trying to "pad" the nicer pearls with cheaper ones. I''m not outraged or anything, but now I''m afraid I want the Freshadamas even more. And maybe I will send TPO a friendly little FYI email...

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/3/2009 11:42:37 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 7/3/2009 7:44:41 AM
Author: metromom

Glitterata - I would call as soon as you can this morning and ask to speak to a manager. Those pearls are clearly not AAA. I agree that they should not be sending out bad quality pearl as a first impression, why would anyone ever want to come back?

As for mine, YES, the white pearls are bigger than the others. And there are a few visable blemishes on a few of the pearls near the clasp. But other than that, the lustre really is amazing, and the strand as a whole is beautiful. Are they AAAs as advertised - I haven''t counted the flaws, but yes they probably fall within 95% good. They are definitely round and at arms length they are near perfect. My husband saw them on me last night and commented that they were really pretty and asked how many hundreds of dollars I spent on those

So at this point, I will wear them a few more days and make sure I love them.

Glitterata, let us know what happens today.

I just re-read your post, and you know what - the most blemished pearls are closest to the clasp on my necklace too. I don''t think that''s an accident. If those were the only pearls I had available and wanted them strung, it would be clever to put them where they won''t be seen. However, I think they''re out-of-place on an advertised AAA necklace, and it seems like they''re trying to ''pad'' the nicer pearls with cheaper ones. I''m not outraged or anything, but now I''m afraid I want the Freshadamas even more. And maybe I will send TPO a friendly little FYI email...

Are we talking about a few slight scratches/surface markings or huge inclusions? I think slight scratches/surface markings is acceptable on a few pearls in a AAA strand.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/3/2009 11:32:46 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 7/3/2009 9:30:11 PM
Author: brightlight
You lucky duck! I so want one. I love gadgets!

Thanks brightlight! They were actually a Cmas gift from my DH, along with locking tweezers and a lightbox - he got them all online, and they weren't too expensive. I can't tell you how many times I've used the calipers and tweezers, but I love colored stones and they really come in handy (come hang out with us in the colored stone forum). I was so excited when I got them I even started a thread (how dorky is that!): https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/so-what-does-a-guy-give-his-darling-whos-addicted-to-jewels-and-pricescope.103498/

Oh, I'm definitely going to have to get me a set of gadgets like those.

 

[metromom]

Date: 7/3/2009 11:42:37 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 7/3/2009 7:44:41 AM
Author: metromom

Glitterata - I would call as soon as you can this morning and ask to speak to a manager. Those pearls are clearly not AAA. I agree that they should not be sending out bad quality pearl as a first impression, why would anyone ever want to come back?

As for mine, YES, the white pearls are bigger than the others. And there are a few visable blemishes on a few of the pearls near the clasp. But other than that, the lustre really is amazing, and the strand as a whole is beautiful. Are they AAAs as advertised - I haven''t counted the flaws, but yes they probably fall within 95% good. They are definitely round and at arms length they are near perfect. My husband saw them on me last night and commented that they were really pretty and asked how many hundreds of dollars I spent on those

So at this point, I will wear them a few more days and make sure I love them.

Glitterata, let us know what happens today.

I just re-read your post, and you know what - the most blemished pearls are closest to the clasp on my necklace too. I don''t think that''s an accident. If those were the only pearls I had available and wanted them strung, it would be clever to put them where they won''t be seen. However, I think they''re out-of-place on an advertised AAA necklace, and it seems like they''re trying to ''pad'' the nicer pearls with cheaper ones. I''m not outraged or anything, but now I''m afraid I want the Freshadamas even more. And maybe I will send TPO a friendly little FYI email...

This will be an interesting experiement. When I called TPO to ask about these pearls easlier this week, I had a great conversation about pearls in general, their deals, etc. and he told me they had some "beautiful, gem fresh white pearls" similar in quality to Freshadamas. So I ordered a strand, and they will be here next week. He assured I would love them and if I didn''t there would be no restocking fee, even though technically, they weren''t an advertised special. So I will surely be inspecting those babies when they come and give a thorough review of how they compare to the AAA multi color strand. This is sorta my "last" chance for TPO.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/4/2009 11:28:14 AM
Author: metromom

Date: 7/3/2009 11:42:37 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 7/3/2009 7:44:41 AM
Author: metromom

Glitterata - I would call as soon as you can this morning and ask to speak to a manager. Those pearls are clearly not AAA. I agree that they should not be sending out bad quality pearl as a first impression, why would anyone ever want to come back?

As for mine, YES, the white pearls are bigger than the others. And there are a few visable blemishes on a few of the pearls near the clasp. But other than that, the lustre really is amazing, and the strand as a whole is beautiful. Are they AAAs as advertised - I haven''t counted the flaws, but yes they probably fall within 95% good. They are definitely round and at arms length they are near perfect. My husband saw them on me last night and commented that they were really pretty and asked how many hundreds of dollars I spent on those

So at this point, I will wear them a few more days and make sure I love them.

Glitterata, let us know what happens today.

I just re-read your post, and you know what - the most blemished pearls are closest to the clasp on my necklace too. I don''t think that''s an accident. If those were the only pearls I had available and wanted them strung, it would be clever to put them where they won''t be seen. However, I think they''re out-of-place on an advertised AAA necklace, and it seems like they''re trying to ''pad'' the nicer pearls with cheaper ones. I''m not outraged or anything, but now I''m afraid I want the Freshadamas even more. And maybe I will send TPO a friendly little FYI email...

This will be an interesting experiement. When I called TPO to ask about these pearls easlier this week, I had a great conversation about pearls in general, their deals, etc. and he told me they had some ''beautiful, gem fresh white pearls'' similar in quality to Freshadamas. So I ordered a strand, and they will be here next week. He assured I would love them and if I didn''t there would be no restocking fee, even though technically, they weren''t an advertised special. So I will surely be inspecting those babies when they come and give a thorough review of how they compare to the AAA multi color strand. This is sorta my ''last'' chance for TPO.

It almost seems to me that if you actually speak to someone or they know you have some knowledge of pearls, they''ll take the time to pick you out a nice strand. Otherwise, it seems like they assume you won''t know the difference if they send you subpar merchandise.

I think the roundness will be noticeably better than your multicolor strand. Luster is anyone''s guess.

 

[fafa]

Date: 7/4/2009 2:57:23 PM
Author: brightlight

Date: 7/4/2009 11:28:14 AM
Author: metromom

Date: 7/3/2009 11:42:37 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 7/3/2009 7:44:41 AM
Author: metromom

Glitterata - I would call as soon as you can this morning and ask to speak to a manager. Those pearls are clearly not AAA. I agree that they should not be sending out bad quality pearl as a first impression, why would anyone ever want to come back?

As for mine, YES, the white pearls are bigger than the others. And there are a few visable blemishes on a few of the pearls near the clasp. But other than that, the lustre really is amazing, and the strand as a whole is beautiful. Are they AAAs as advertised - I haven''t counted the flaws, but yes they probably fall within 95% good. They are definitely round and at arms length they are near perfect. My husband saw them on me last night and commented that they were really pretty and asked how many hundreds of dollars I spent on those

So at this point, I will wear them a few more days and make sure I love them.

Glitterata, let us know what happens today.

I just re-read your post, and you know what - the most blemished pearls are closest to the clasp on my necklace too. I don''t think that''s an accident. If those were the only pearls I had available and wanted them strung, it would be clever to put them where they won''t be seen. However, I think they''re out-of-place on an advertised AAA necklace, and it seems like they''re trying to ''pad'' the nicer pearls with cheaper ones. I''m not outraged or anything, but now I''m afraid I want the Freshadamas even more. And maybe I will send TPO a friendly little FYI email...

This will be an interesting experiement. When I called TPO to ask about these pearls easlier this week, I had a great conversation about pearls in general, their deals, etc. and he told me they had some ''beautiful, gem fresh white pearls'' similar in quality to Freshadamas. So I ordered a strand, and they will be here next week. He assured I would love them and if I didn''t there would be no restocking fee, even though technically, they weren''t an advertised special. So I will surely be inspecting those babies when they come and give a thorough review of how they compare to the AAA multi color strand. This is sorta my ''last'' chance for TPO.

It almost seems to me that if you actually speak to someone or they know you have some knowledge of pearls, they''ll take the time to pick you out a nice strand. Otherwise, it seems like they assume you won''t know the difference if they send you subpar merchandise.

I think the roundness will be noticeably better than your multicolor strand. Luster is anyone''s guess.

Maybe you''re right. I ordered a strand and a set of earrings online. The AAA earrings have more luster than the gem quality strand. I emailed TPO to ask if gem quality is the same as gem fresh and how does it compare to AAA. I didn''t get a straight answer from them. They just cut and paste a paragraph of the product description from their website which didn''t answer any of my questions. After reading all the comments here, it seems like the quality of their products is very inconsistant and they treat customers differently.

Glitterata, I''m sorry you have such a horrible experience with TPO. I hope they''ll make it right for you.

 

[DiaDiva]

I''m so sorry to hear about the less than lustrous "gem quality" pearls that they''ve been sending out.

I''ve only had one experience with TPO when I bought my 100 inch AA freshwater strand from them. They were very professional and helpful when I gave them an incomplete mailing address (I''d just moved to my new apartment) and they re-sent my necklace within a week. Free shipping both times. Mine were actually on sale as well and so the price was quite discounted.

 

[elle_chris]

Glitt- I posted in the ''show me your pearls thread" but will say it here again. return them and they shouldn''t charge you restocking fee as the peeling is NOT acceptable.

I think you''re right, fafa. the quality is inconsistant. But i don''t think it''s just with TPO, i think it''s with PP as well. (e.g my blue akoyas that are really silver/grey). I have learned one thing though, next time i order from either place, i''m calling first and explaining exactly what i''m looking for.

DiaDiva- I got my 100" strand from TPO (same as yours), I love it! very fun strand.

 

[metromom]

OK, the multicolors are going back. Wore them to a party last night, two seperate people asked if the white ones were much bigger than the rest. Guess it is noticable at more than an arms length away. Guess we will wait to see what the gem fresh whites bring this week . .

 

[Streeter1]

Date: 7/5/2009 2:10:12 PM
Author: elle_chris

I think you''re right, fafa. the quality is inconsistant. But i don''t think it''s just with TPO, i think it''s with PP as well. (e.g my blue akoyas that are really silver/grey).

To be fair, color is going to vary. It is also very subjective and a matter of preference. On the PP site for that sale page it does say "...various tones of blue and silver with hints of rose." I imagine if you''d requested a specific tone like more blue, you''d received the like. My preference would certainly be the silver as blue is not flattering to my tone.

Although brothers, from what I''ve seen, TPO and PP do not share inventory and their offerings seem to vary greatly. IMO, the PP pieces are quite consistent and seem to be overall a better quality. I am referring to Tahitian and freshwater as so many examples are pictured online here, on TPF and even a TPO gem strand against a freshadama on the pearl forum. But I''ve not seen a side by side comparison of their akoya.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 7/5/2009 7:35:57 PM
Author: Streeter1

Date: 7/5/2009 2:10:12 PM
Author: elle_chris

I think you''re right, fafa. the quality is inconsistant. But i don''t think it''s just with TPO, i think it''s with PP as well. (e.g my blue akoyas that are really silver/grey).

To be fair, color is going to vary. It is also very subjective and a matter of preference. On the PP site for that sale page it does say ''...various tones of blue and silver with hints of rose.'' I imagine if you''d requested a specific tone like more blue, you''d received the like. My preference would certainly be the silver as blue is not flattering to my tone.

Although brothers, from what I''ve seen, TPO and PP do not share inventory and their offerings seem to vary greatly. IMO, the PP pieces are quite consistent and seem to be overall a better quality. I am referring to Tahitian and freshwater as so many examples are pictured online here, on TPF and even a TPO gem strand against a freshadama on the pearl forum. But I''ve not seen a side by side comparison of their akoya.

Streeter, to be fair i have ordered from them before. It was a baroque tahitian strand and i was nicely surprised that it came exactly as described and the pic on their site was a pretty good representation. So, when I decided to order the silver/blue akoyas, i thought they''d be well, silver/blue. But alas, they''re not even close. To me that says inconsistant. That''s not to say I wouldn''t order from them again, in fact i would. But like i said in my earlier post, i''d call first.

here''s the link to the akoyas: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/got-my-silver-blue-akoyas-from-pp.117930/ If you compare the pic and description on their page, with my pics, they''re worlds apart.

 

[glitterata]

Date: 7/3/2009 3:52:52 PM
Author: jmtomaui

Date: 7/3/2009 7:44:41 AM

Author: metromom


Glitterata - I would call as soon as you can this morning and ask to speak to a manager. Those pearls are clearly not AAA. I agree that they should not be sending out bad quality pearl as a first impression, why would anyone ever want to come back?


[...]


Glitterata, let us know what happens today.

[...]

Glitterata, I do agree with the others that you need to exchange or return the grays. Regardless of the price, those are not a quality that should have been shipped out the door. Let us know how it goes.

This afternoon John, the manager, called me in response to my emails. He gave me a FedEx number to return the pearls and told me I'd get a refund and would not be charged a restocking fee.

He said he was surprised that my gray pearls had been unsatisfactory because all the other customers had been happy with theirs (so Rainwood, maybe you should call them and let them know about your experience!). At first he tried to convince me that the peeling was just wax left over from the stringing. It's true that my pearls were all gunked up with wax, but they were also peeling underneath the wax, as the photo shows. I told him to look for my email with the photo, and when he found it, he agreed that it did in fact show a peeling pearl. He asked me to put a piece of tape on the peeling pearl so he find it easily and figure out why they'd sent out such a bad strand. I put tape on five peeling pearls and then got tired of inspecting the necklace--but there are a bunch more of the bad ones.

He told me if I ever wanted to give them another chance and order something else, I should call him and he would personally pick me out a good strand and offer me a reduced price.

John was polite and pleasant, and I'm glad they're taking responsibility for the poor quality pearls they sent me, and giving me a full refund. I'm not sure I'll buy from them again, but I can imagine changing my mind.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/6/2009 2:31:09 PM
Author: glitterata


This afternoon John, the manager, called me in response to my emails. He gave me a FedEx number to return the pearls and told me I''d get a refund and would not be charged a restocking fee.

He said he was surprised that my gray pearls had been unsatisfactory because all the other customers had been happy with theirs (so Rainwood, maybe you should call them and let them know about your experience!). At first he tried to convince me that the peeling was just wax left over from the stringing. It''s true that my pearls were all gunked up with wax, but they were also peeling underneath the wax, as the photo shows. I told him to look for my email with the photo, and when he found it, he agreed that it did in fact show a peeling pearl. He asked me to put a piece of tape on the peeling pearl so he find it easily and figure out why they''d sent out such a bad strand. I put tape on five peeling pearls and then got tired of inspecting the necklace--but there are a bunch more of the bad ones.

He told me if I ever wanted to give them another chance and order something else, I should call him and he would personally pick me out a good strand and offer me a reduced price.

John was polite and pleasant, and I''m glad they''re taking responsibility for the poor quality pearls they sent me, and giving me a full refund. I''m not sure I''ll buy from them again, but I can imagine changing my mind.

Like goopy pearls would be ok? They should have cleaned up the extra wax too. Clearly, they were careless. I''m glad you''re getting your money back and they''re paying for return shipping. Still, it''s been a hassle for you to have to straighten this out.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/2/2009 6:08:41 PM
Author: glitterata


Well, my Spring Blowout sale 7.5 mm AAA pearls and stud earrings finally arrived, and it was NOT worth the looooong wait. I''m quite disappointed. They don''t match, they don''t shine, they don''t even look like pearls--more like flat gray beads. They''re reasonably round, I guess, and most of them don''t have very many blemishes, but that''s the best I can say about them. Some of them are noticeably lighter than others--it really stands out.

I probably will keep them because my husband likes them, they were pretty cheap, and I don''t want the hassle of returning them or paying the restocking fee. But I definitely will not be shopping at The Pearl Outlet again.

This just goes to show you that there are some instances when you can''t trust your husband.

My husband''s like that too. I came home from the hair salon with a truly horrid haircut, and my husband told me how great it looked. Dude, I knew how jacked up it looked. It was cut so crooked that even if bent my head completely over to one side, it still didn''t look even.

 

[rainwood]

Glitterata -

Glad you got the refund. TPO would have known I wasn''t satisfied with the gray pearls because you have to give the reasons for the return which I did! I know I could and probably should pursue it with them, but I just don''t want to. I don''t know, I just don''t get a good feeling about TPO. Some have gotten beautiful pearls but it really is hit or miss, and the daily deals seem like more of a miss. And I''m kind of troubled if I have to call them up and prove my pearl knowledge so they send me a better strand. It would be in my self interest, but I''m bothered by the fact that otherwise they send out the stuff like you and I received. That just seems wrong.

If I get a chance, I''ll take photos of the double strand of white freshwaterw I got from American Pearl in April. I know some other poster said that someone on another forum didn''t like them, but I''ve purchased from them 3 times and the experience was a lot better than with TPO. They were my first freshwaters and I was delighted.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 7/6/2009 3:12:42 PM
Author: rainwood
Glitterata -


Glad you got the refund. TPO would have known I wasn''t satisfied with the gray pearls because you have to give the reasons for the return which I did! I know I could and probably should pursue it with them, but I just don''t want to. I don''t know, I just don''t get a good feeling about TPO. Some have gotten beautiful pearls but it really is hit or miss, and the daily deals seem like more of a miss. And I''m kind of troubled if I have to call them up and prove my pearl knowledge so they send me a better strand. It would be in my self interest, but I''m bothered by the fact that otherwise they send out the stuff like you and I received. That just seems wrong.


If I get a chance, I''ll take photos of the double strand of white freshwaterw I got from American Pearl in April. I know some other poster said that someone on another forum didn''t like them, but I''ve purchased from them 3 times and the experience was a lot better than with TPO. They were my first freshwaters and I was delighted.

Ditto. it seems like they have some quality control problems. I like the freshwater strand I got - for the price I paid, it''s really nice, and the quality is good (though the color is not exactly what I wanted). But reading all these negative reviews makes me wonder.... I think I''ll stick with PP from now on.

 

[metromom]

I got my white "gem fresh" pearls from Pearl Outlet today and they are GORGEOUS. The lustre is amazing, there is a visable orient, and the overtone is exactly what I asked for. Not to mention, the amazing price I paid. I will start a new thread tonight with pictures and my review, as this wasn''t a Daily Deal. Just wanted some people to hear about a pleasant TPO experience too.

 

[cellentani]

I finally got some pics, and I don''t think the pearls are too bad. The white pearls aren''t as noticeably bigger - let me know if you think otherwise. This is taken in incandescent light.

 

[cellentani]

And this is taken in a window - filtered sunlight. Funny thing is, the white pearls look slightly bigger in this pic to me, but it must just be an optical thing.

 

[neatfreak]

Cell Sorry but the white ones do look bigger to me in both pictures...but the colors look gorgeous on your skin!

 

[fafa]

Date: 7/7/2009 4:45:36 PM
Author: cellentani
And this is taken in a window - filtered sunlight. Funny thing is, the white pearls look slightly bigger in this pic to me, but it must just be an optical thing.

The white pearls do look bigger in your pictures. They have great luster though.

 

[Kelli]

I think the whites look bigger too, in both pics, but it''s hard to tell if it''s just because they''re brighter. Regardless, they do look beautiful!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 7/7/2009 10:56:25 PM
Author: fafa

Date: 7/7/2009 4:45:36 PM
Author: cellentani
And this is taken in a window - filtered sunlight. Funny thing is, the white pearls look slightly bigger in this pic to me, but it must just be an optical thing.

The white pearls do look bigger in your pictures. They have great luster though.

HI:

Ditto. Lovely nonetheless.

cheers--Sharon

 

[metromom]

Date: 7/7/2009 4:45:36 PM
Author: cellentani
And this is taken in a window - filtered sunlight. Funny thing is, the white pearls look slightly bigger in this pic to me, but it must just be an optical thing.

Cell: Sorry, maybe it is because I know where to look, but the white pearls look significantly bigger to me in both pics. The colors look gorgeous on you though!!

 

[Indylady]

Jt- The pearls look absolutely gorgeous on you! But I do think the white ones look bigger; one stands out in particular, its on the left hand side of the picture towards the very middle of the necklace. Does anyone else see it?

 

[cellentani]

Okay, thanks for chiming in everyone. I just sent TPO an email with my pic of the bigger white pearls. I also mentioned the blemished pearl near the clasp and the non-graduated sizes. We''ll see what they say.

 

[elle_chris]

I love ''em on you. I think the bigger white ones make the strand look unique and interesting. I''d totally wear it.

 

[Kelli]

Anyone get the multicolors from today? I''d love to have them, but I have yet to find an occasion to wear my graduated strand! I don''t think I''m much of a pearl strand person. But I LOVE my bracelet and dangle earrings, I wear them all the time! I wish they''d put some bracelets on the daily deals!

 

[cellentani]

Date: 7/8/2009 2:59:18 PM
Author: cellentani
Okay, thanks for chiming in everyone. I just sent TPO an email with my pic of the bigger white pearls. I also mentioned the blemished pearl near the clasp and the non-graduated sizes. We''ll see what they say.

UPDATE: I just got a call from John, the general manager at TPO, to follow-up on the email I sent. He was very concerned about the quality of the necklace, and offered to have one re-made and sent FedEx. He seemed very interested in making things right, and assured me that if I just wanted to return the necklace, the restocking fee would be waived. He also offered the option of sending a postage-paid return pack with the new strand so that I could even return both of them, if I wished. So I just wanted to say that althought I wasn''t impressed by my first necklace, I was impressed by their customer service. Now I just have to figure out what to do...