Pearl opening/wish pearl/pick a pearl

[pearlescence]

Hope Peter will allow this post - it's a general warning about something which has gushed through the internet internationally over the last couple of months - online pearl opening events. The idea is that you 'buy' this pearl oyster and a hostess opens it and inside is -wow- a pearl worth £££.
The reality is that the pickled pearls for this cost 80c to $1.50 wholesale in china and the pearls, always described as akoya, are always low quality freshwater. I've seen companies selling individual vacuum packed shells for £35. It's a pyramid scam on the bods lured into setting up their own 'little' home business and buying the pearls and findings from a parent company which rakes it in and of course the individual punters who are paying more for one fairly ho-hum pearl than many a full strand from a proper supplier.
I've reported it to trading standards and watchdog, CBC in Canada is investigating, and also comsumer people in the USA. It is all over facebook, ebay, youtube and etsy. Please do not be fooled or drawn in. If you hear of an operation please challenge it or at minimum let me know the website. I do not object to anyone setting up to sell pearls if they do it honestly, but this is not honest anywhere along the line.

[ps_bond]

Reminiscent of a tourist thing I saw in Hawaii years ago - you'd buy an oyster in a plastic tub with a guaranteed pearl inside. Entertaining gift, and worthwhile at $1.50 IIRC (packaging and distribution made up most of the cost!).

Thanks for the warning.

[pearlescence]

If you poke around some of these things are going for £35 in the UK. Someone is making a lot of money out of this, while selling absolute rubbish. There is also some concern that the pickle liquid may be toxic - certainly those I've seen doing this on the net in various websites seem careless with knives, chemicals and health and safety - one even commenting that the fumes were making her dizzy...(!)
(Yes, those touristy set ups have been going for years - there's one place in america they dive off a pier and bring them up to add to the overall theatre)

[LydiaNiz]

Blimey! I saw one of these on Facebook recently and wondered about it. Thanks for the clarification.

[Faith]

Ta for the warning!

Are the online ones 'worse' than the touristy ones then? I always figured the touristy ones were an expensive way to buy a pearl but I've only seen the lil oysters in goldfish bowls and fish tanks, there didn't seem to be chemicals. Are the chemicals to enable more convenient shipping or something?

Faith

[pearlescence]

Hi Faith. The chemicals are to preserve the body of the oyster to make it look like it was that oyster in that shell which grew the pearl. Like the chemicals preserving specimens in a museum.
Probably toxic to some degree

[Faith]

Oh I see, so the pearl may not actually have come from that oyster at all! that's really quite dreadful

[pearlescence]

It isn't a matter of may. It never does. The oyster comes from the sea and the pearl is freshwater. There is nothing honest about any of it

[Maree Hart]

I stumbled across this one about a week ago

https://www.facebook.com/plymouthpea...?hc_ref=SEARCH

It looked decidedly dodgy even to my untrained eye.

I then did a quick google and saw the wholesale prices. The entire set up is ridiculous.

[pearlescence]

Thanks for that. I may get rocks through my windows but someone asked what the oysters were, the company answered truthfully but economically with the truthfully akoya (which they are) but I added that the pearls are freshwater and cost $1-2 wholesale
Judging by the increasingly frantic discounting over the last couple of weeks not doing so well. oh dear what a pity...
Do feel free to add comments too if you see this load of rubbish anywhere. I'm told it is also now in Etsy