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What do you think about this white round south sea necklace?

Pinkmartini87

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
1,314
Hi all,

Curious what the pearl experts here think of this white south sea strand listed at a local fairly reputable auction house for $2500.

18 inches with 14k white gold clasp. Pearls range from 9 to 11.5 mm.

How would you rate the following:
1. Luster: to me luster is fair. Uneven matching of luster on the pearls (some are more worn than others as well) is probably my biggest hesitation.
2. Complexion: to me minor to moderate blemishing.
3. Shape: looks near round to me.
4. Tone: I like the cool silver tone.
5. Authenticity: to me the pearls have the telltale blemishes of SS. Does not look like freshwater Edison or imitation pearl.
6. Thoughts on price?

I’m usually hesitant to buy second hand pearls due to wear/tear, just curious—has anyone ever bought secondhand?
C6A03FE5-276F-44EC-B2BC-F89C0F53984B.jpeg C7F86CFA-2DEB-46BD-BF91-2A06FA087A9F.jpeg 17E56250-DAFC-49E6-AC11-9C1B25A7B717.jpeg
 

molinePDG

Shiny_Rock
Trade
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Mar 28, 2020
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156
Couple things of just general info...

Be careful if you ever see pearl strands that look like they have more worn pearls on the strand - this could be an indication of thinner nacre. Not saying that's definitely what's happening here by any means - can't really evaluate pearls well when they're not in hand, but just something to be aware of. I'd agree they don't look completely round.

Re: pearl type - they're obviously not imitation, but who is to say what type they are. Again, even reputable places don't always have pearl expertise at equivalent levels to say diamonds and other stones. Freshwater pearls have gotten really good. There's just not a really reliable way besides x-ray to easily test what a pearl type is from looking. Of course, if they are for certain a number of years old, this makes it easier. - Maybe the location that has this strand can offer insight on its age.

Blemishing level and luster evaluation are of course largely subjective - what some may consider "minor" might be another persons "moderate" and likewise with luster one person's "very good" might be another person's "fair" - so I would suggest either evaluating comparatively within a single vendor/location, or simply evaluating holistically from a "do I like it" standpoint, especially if you consider secondhand pearls.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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27,242
The blemishing on those is jumping out at me. I think that strand is quite heavily blemished, to be honest. I really wouldn’t call it “minor”, or even “moderate”.
 

Pinkmartini87

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
1,314
@molinePDG and @yssie Thanks for your thoughts as always!

For me this strand does not make me salivate not even in the least but thought I’d use it to learn re how to “grade” SS.

I see a lot of perhaps “low grade” SS out there. I find pearls the hardest to grade and price.

For me personally I think not worth buying pearls that don’t knock my socks off at any price/bargain.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ :bigsmile:
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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12,492
To me personally, I believe the price is on the high side for a preloved strand of this size and quality.

However, I love the colour as I love silver-toned SSPs.

DK :))
 

MMtwo

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
4,444
I like the tone too, but no...I would keep shopping.
 

Lisa Loves Shiny

Ideal_Rock
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4,686
You asked if anyone buys second hand. I buy second hand and have gotten IMHO really great deals. Most people from my observations rarely wear their pearls here in the states. They are usually special occasion items and arrive in excellent condition. That in itself is a cautionary tale in buying pearls. With rare exception, they won't fetch much if you want or need to sell them. I usually pay 20 to 25% retail. This strand languished on Ebay until I bought it. A golden SS pearl strand with a 14k gold and diamond clasp for $90.

805711

The strand you are considering looks like SS pearls to me. On the plus side the pearls are white (not white with gold or grey edges), the luster is good and the graduation of the strand is not extreme. On the minus side the pearls are relatively small for SS pearls and the pearls have a lot of blemishes. I honestly as someone who buys pre-loved would pass on this strand and I would expect it to sell for under $600 on the markets I browse.
 

Pinkmartini87

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
1,314
You asked if anyone buys second hand. I buy second hand and have gotten IMHO really great deals. Most people from my observations rarely wear their pearls here in the states. They are usually special occasion items and arrive in excellent condition. That in itself is a cautionary tale in buying pearls. With rare exception, they won't fetch much if you want or need to sell them. I usually pay 20 to 25% retail. This strand languished on Ebay until I bought it. A golden SS pearl strand with a 14k gold and diamond clasp for $90.

IMG_7388.jpg

The strand you are considering looks like SS pearls to me. On the plus side the pearls are white (not white with gold or grey edges), the luster is good and the graduation of the strand is not extreme. On the minus side the pearls are relatively small for SS pearls and the pearls have a lot of blemishes. I honestly as someone who buys pre-loved would pass on this strand and I would expect it to sell for under $600 on the markets I browse.

Thanks for sharing your buying experiences, it’s really helpful! Great buy—the clasp alone is worth more than what you paid!
 

MMtwo

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
4,444
You asked if anyone buys second hand. I buy second hand and have gotten IMHO really great deals. Most people from my observations rarely wear their pearls here in the states. They are usually special occasion items and arrive in excellent condition. That in itself is a cautionary tale in buying pearls. With rare exception, they won't fetch much if you want or need to sell them. I usually pay 20 to 25% retail. This strand languished on Ebay until I bought it. A golden SS pearl strand with a 14k gold and diamond clasp for $90.

IMG_7388.jpg

The strand you are considering looks like SS pearls to me. On the plus side the pearls are white (not white with gold or grey edges), the luster is good and the graduation of the strand is not extreme. On the minus side the pearls are relatively small for SS pearls and the pearls have a lot of blemishes. I honestly as someone who buys pre-loved would pass on this strand and I would expect it to sell for under $600 on the markets I browse.

What a great buy!
 

Lisa Loves Shiny

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
4,686
Thanks for sharing your buying experiences, it’s really helpful! Great buy—the clasp alone is worth more than what you paid!

Thank you. I really hate to discourage you in buying this strand. I think the most important thing is to buy what you love. From my experience you can get blemished strands from higher end vendors too- the only difference is you pay more for them and feel bad returning them or replacing pearls.

This vendor has some strands that might be comparable.


 
Last edited:

Daisys and Diamonds

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Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,510
As i don't know jack squat I wouldn't want to buy any pre-loved pearls sight unseen unless it had been ok-ed by one of our very kowledgeable PS princesses

So this is a very informative thread
Thank you @Pinkmartini87
 

Pinkmartini87

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
1,314
Thank you. I really hate to discourage you in buying this strand. I think the most important thing is to buy what you love. From my experience you can get blemished strands from higher end vendors too- the only difference is you pay more for them and feel bad returning them or replacing pearls.

This vendor has some strands that might be comparable.



@Lisa Loves Shiny Thanks! I had actually reached out to Jose but no response. He’s usually very responsive. I hope he’s ok!
 
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