My first GSS and silver blue akoya studs…

[Pearlescence]

Good quality pearls were never plentiful. When I started the only freshwater available were rice crispies or deep dyed potatoes. Blinking akoya and Tahitian pearls were heaped high. Pearl quality has improved exponentially year on year as farmers have developed new techniques. For retail customers the internet age has allowed specialist suppliers into their own devices where as before they could deal only with jewellery shops.

 

[kikoko]

Pearls have to be the most difficult gem to buy. Pearls with colour are definitely THE most difficult. As MakingTheGrade pointed out , colours change with the light , overtones, orient , all make it difficult to know exactly what colour you are getting. ( don’t get me started on Blue Akoya!) This is why multiple photos are necessary. I do lots of photos and a video for tricky items . I’ve never had a return.

yssie I understand the specific circumstances you were referring to , and can see your point . However anyone selling pearls will mark up from wholesale and everyone marks up differently depending on their circumstances. And again, decisions on whether to allow returns on custom orders probably depends on the items being ordered and whether or not they are easy to resell. It can be risky . For example I was recently asked to source a gem grade 11mm White South Sea pair for a custom made 5 figure diamond/platinum design by a famous London Jeweler. Sounds easy …it wasn’t. I searched from Paspaley to Japan to America and to Europe. It took almost 2 months.
because … there’s gem grade and there’s gem grade. A term thrown about loosely. Now I had no idea whether or not the end buyer was going to be happy so from the beginning I had determined that I would refund and keep them for myself if they didn’t suit. ( the buyer still sends me notes) But this isn’t a pair that you can just buy from any wholesaler. (Many true high end pearls are preselected for certain dealers or jewelers before the rest go to auction. )

so custom work is tricky , time consuming and often frustrating and I totally understand a no return policy. For many sellers , Restocking fees don’t begin to cover the effort expended and the cost of tying up funds in something that may or may not sell. Large companies can absorb this ..small ones ..not so much.
I feel like I’m babbling lol

Totally agree with that! ! !