Misleading pearl labelling?

[mynattk]

I have been going around looking at and touching different pearls from various places to get an idea of what real quality pearls are by feel and sight. Most of the department stores have racks of fake pearls, but I noticed that they have no qualms about labelling these "pearls" even if they are plastic! I even saw some last night with a tag that said "fireball". I know that it is widely accepted with diamonds and gemstones that merchants don't label it as diamond unless it really is a diamond, but there seems to be no standard like that for pearls. What gives??

 

[that_someone_special]

Unlike diamond grading (even though depending on the lab some can vary..) there is no set standard for pearls... people can really make up whatever they want!


So it's best to stick to pearl vendors you trust. It's sad isn't it!?

I roll my eyes when I see AAAAAAAAAAAA PEARLS! or AAA+++! really????

 

[that_someone_special]

Another thing I've seen.. on ebay even... are companies selling SOUTH SEA pearls for lotsa bucks, but still a discount so you think you got a good deal... then you get them and they are "shell pearls"... which are not real pearls

Disclosure on pearls sucks..

 

[RockHugger]

I went to a sales recently and saw some funky looking black pearls (baroque and ringed). I asked what they are and she said they are natural freshwater Tahitian pearls. . I told her Tahitians are salt water and she said there are two types of Tahitians, salt and fresh water. I just said ooook and went on my merry way.

 

[mynattk]

haha! Think how expensive a true Tahitian freshwater pearl would be!

 

[that_someone_special]

I went to a sales recently and saw some funky looking black pearls (baroque and ringed). I asked what they are and she said they are natural freshwater Tahitian pearls. . I told her Tahitians are salt water and she said there are two types of Tahitians, salt and fresh water. I just said ooook and went on my merry way.

I love how people that don't know what they are talking about try to 'educate' you with the wrong information. Sometimes I ask people like that as many questions as possible and laugh on the inside. A few times after doing that DH will ask after we walk away, "Did you have fun?" (as in fun making fun of them)

 

[EchoEcho]

It is SO important for the consumer to be educated before buying pearls. Most brick and mortar jewelry stores are woefully under-educated about pearls or they offer blatantly false information. At least if a consumer knows the basics and what a reasonable price for different types of pearls is they can easily avoid major frauds - like the aforementioned "freshwater Tahitians". Even knowing ballpark figures for what South Sea pearls can sell for can help a person realize that the $50 strand someone is claiming as South Sea cannot possibly be real. That is why sites like this and dealers like PP are so valuable. Just like with other jewelry, when a pearl deal seems to good to be true, it probably is.

 

[iLander]

I went to a sales recently and saw some funky looking black pearls (baroque and ringed). I asked what they are and she said they are natural freshwater Tahitian pearls. . I told her Tahitians are salt water and she said there are two types of Tahitians, salt and fresh water. I just said ooook and went on my merry way.

I love how people that don't know what they are talking about try to 'educate' you with the wrong information. Sometimes I ask people like that as many questions as possible and laugh on the inside. A few times after doing that DH will ask after we walk away, "Did you have fun?" (as in fun making fun of them)

I do the same thing!

I asked a gem dealer if he thought a sphene would be good in a ring and he said "Absolutely!"