This post is going to be a bit of a rant. Because there is no such thing as grade AAAA pearls – especially when the pearls are grade A.

The Jewellery Channel says this is grade AAAA

Flicking through the channels I saw that a selling channel was having a pearl day. I happened on this necklace for £30 plus shipping. It is described at grade AAAA and does seem to have reasonable lustre. But even on screen and now with the photo I can see rings and the pearls are no-where near round. The depressing thing is that 500 of these things have sold, and that means that 500 people will believe that these really are top quality pearls.

Close up – not round

I caught another channel a few days ago and the presenter there said freshwater pearls grew because a bit of sand or coral got into the oyster. Also they are selling what must be short grown akoya, because decent akoya cost more trade than their retail. (and I checked with a big buyer, so it isn’t just economy of scale). The nacre must be wafer thin.

Another sells dyed potato pearls as the finest of the harvest (noooooooooooo)

This isn’t business rivalry speaking, it is annoyance at the flood of cack pearls and cack information which these channels spew forth, and since they have huge audiences, this rubbish will be believed as correct and true. That’s simply annoying

And here finally, is a tahitian and platinum ring for £30,

Tahitian black!

Except, of course, it is, I suspect a ‘tahitian black’ freshwater pearl (It certainly looks like a freshwater pearl) and it is platinum plated on silver.

I thought eBay was bad enough for pearls….