Submitted by abdiver12 on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 01:45.
I know pearls are very rare but to me they don't look all that great and don't justify their hefty price tag. You can pick up abalone pieces on the beach that have been molded by the elements that look alot better than the pearls I've seen on eBay in my opinion. It doesn't really matter for me anyway, I've never yet had any luck finding a pearl!
I agree that some pretty cool worn down shells on the beach. Most of the people in the U.S. don't have the appreciation for natural pearls. We have become desensitized with all of the cultured pearls that are on the market for a fraction of the price. Some people would rather save a dollar on a man influenced product rather than something created by nature. Other cultures however, such as those in Asia prize the natural pearl because of its rarity. Abalone pearls are especially rare because they cannot yet be cultured. Most attempts in culturing abalone pearls kill the abalone bleeding them to death. I will agree that those that are on e-bay are not that great, but there are plenty that warrant the proper dough. I once purchased a abalone pearl on e-bay for $15 the size of a kids pinky, and thought it was a pretty good deal; I resold it for $45. Obviously this was no gem. Abalone Pearls do have great potential for being gems as seen in this picture to the right that I have attached within this response. Yes, all those pearls shown here are abalone pearls; but you wouldn’t want to know the price tag on this necklace.
I know pearls are very rare
I know pearls are very rare but to me they don't look all that great and don't justify their hefty price tag. You can pick up abalone pieces on the beach that have been molded by the elements that look alot better than the pearls I've seen on eBay in my opinion. It doesn't really matter for me anyway, I've never yet had any luck finding a pearl!
Pearl bought on E-bay
I mentioned finding a pearl on e-bay.
I bought this for something like $15.
It was a darn good deal.
Gems are out there!