Expectations for Freshadama pearls?

[rinni]

To get right down to the question, how round and well-matched should I expect a Pearl Paradise Freshadama strand to be?

My mom had been hinting to me to get her a strand of pearls for her birthday (in May) + Mother's Day, so I pulled the trigger when Pearl Paradise had it's Mother's Day sale.

The 7.5-8mm Freshadama strand has now arrived and I'm not impressed with the shape of the pearls.

The lustre and shine they show are excellent, but they are just not round enough. They also don't look very well-matched to me.

The issue with roundness seems especially obvious when I compared the pearls in the strand to my 10mm Freshadama earrings I ordered for myself back in 2010.

Am I over expecting things? Or has the quality of Freshadama just droppped over the years? Or are smaller pearls expected to be less round?

Now wondering if I should exchange the necklace and ask for a round and better matched strand, or return and buy from another place entirely.

 

[pearlsngems]

I think you were sent the wrong strand. Freshadamas are rounder than that. Send them back for a rounder strand, is my advice.

 

[NacreLover]

Send them back and tell them to show you photos of three strands for you to consider. Select from them. These can't be freshadama pearls.

 

[cmd2014]

I wouldn't be happy either. I'd be interested to hear whether this was a mistake, or if there really is that much variability in freshadama strands.

 

[dk168]

I too believe the wrong strand has been sent, and would advise returning it to PP and request for another strand.

Ask if they would supply a photo of the actual strand you'd be receiving in advance to avoid disappointment.

DK

 

[rinni]

Thanks for all the replies confirming what I thought. Was worried I was being too picky haha.

Now I'd have to exchange the necklace.

Sigh. I live in Asia and shipping the strand back to the States will cost $$. So gone are the Mother's Day discount savings.

Now hopefully the exchange week go smoothly and pearl paradise will send the new strand to me before my mother's birthday in late May ...

 

[cmd2014]

I'd call them. If the mistake is theirs, they usually pay return shipping and can probably email you a return shipping label.

 

[dk168]

Since PP has made a mistake in sending the wrong strand out to the OP, I would advise the OP to be bold and ask for the Mother's Day discount to be made available to you for the replacement strand on this occasion.

Also, since PP made the mistake that required the incorrect strand to be returned to them, if this happened to me, I would be bold and ask for them to pick up the shipping charges for the return.

DK

 

[BWeaves]

I have Freshadamas from PP and they are very well matched and perfectly round. That strand looks like a regular freshwater strand. I agree that you were sent the wrong strand.

Contact PP. They usually bend over backwards to make things right.

And don't be afraid to ask for shipping and another discount.

 

[Tucs]

Agree with everyone else before -- this looks like a mistake has been made. Call them and explain, they have the best customer service.

 

[pearlsngems]

I fully expect that PP will not only pay for return shipping and the shipping on the new strand but will give you the same discount on the strand you were supposed to have in the first place. Contact them and send them the photo of the strand you received.

 

[Siameseroo]

Rinni - Im sure PP will resolve this for you! Good thing you picked up on the mistake!

 

[Phanie]

I just got a FW AAA strand from PP and it looks like yours if not better. I highly doubt that those are Freshadama.
Mine is too short and they will honor the upgrade to an 18" withthe coupon (if your initial order was with a coupon they will apply it still to your replacement).
Chat with them. they were very helpful.
I am pretty sure that they will also pick up the shipping back price.
Good luck in getting whay you want.

 

[dk168]

Someone somewhere might have received a strand of Freshadamas when he/she had ordered a strand of lesser quality!

I wonder if he/she would fess up to PP and request for it to be exchanged.

DK

 

[innerkitten]

That happened to me too when I got freshadamas. Same kind of thing, the color and shine were great, but they were clearly off round. And I felt that if I were paying more I wanted something REALLY nice. They wound up exchanging it for another very nice necklace.

 

[cmd2014]

I have to admit it's concerning to hear that there have been quality control issues with the freshadama strands. It's nice that they get exchanged (and PP's customer service is truly excellent), but as an international customer, having to deal with customs, paying for shipping both ways, etc., you always hope to get things right the first time.

 

[pearlsngems]

But do we know it is actually a quality control problem? It's possible the wrong kind of strands were sent. Mistakes do happen in orders sometimes.

 

[marymm]

But do we know it is actually a quality control problem? It's possible the wrong kind of strands were sent. Mistakes do happen in orders sometimes.

Isn't one of the goals of quality control/quality assurance processes to ensure the correct item is shipped to the correct customer?

And, while mistakes can and do happen, I would hope any vendor would take particular care (triple-check?) when it comes to international shipments/parcels.

 

[cmd2014]

But do we know it is actually a quality control problem? It's possible the wrong kind of strands were sent. Mistakes do happen in orders sometimes.

I honestly don't mean to cast aspersions on PP. I'm a loyal customer who has always been thrilled with the value and quality they offer and would (and do) recommend them highly to anyone who asks. I was just struck by two people saying the same thing though about their strands being off round. (Plus I've heard behind the scenes of someone else asking PP to re-examine an item because their freshadamas were less round than hoped). I'm wondering if maybe it's getting harder to find the same quality in the quantities needed to keep pace with demand.

 

[pearlsngems]

I'll be interested to see what the OP says about her order, if she comes back to the thread. I can't see Freshadamas being that off-round; it's just not in accordance with the description of the grade on PP's website.

Certainly one would like a zero % error rate in shipping, but I think some errors are likely to happen, employees being human. During sales the volume of orders is higher, and everyone wants their items yesterday.

 

[Siameseroo]

Hmm this isn't the first thread on here about inferior freshadama' pearls from PP. Although PP have a great return policy, the quality control issues are particularly problematic because many first time buyers would not have the knowledge/experience with pearls to determine if they've received the quality they paid for.

My recommendation is to reach out to PP prior to placing an order and requesting that they cherry pick a beautiful strand for you. I've had wonderful experiences working with Erin!

 

[Lovinggems]

PP has great products but shipping is not their strong point. I had shipping issues almost everytime I ordered something. However, one particular item (not inexpensive) didn't scan so not sure if it was lost, they were willing to replace the product no questions asked if it didn't arrive, so they do have great customer service. The shipping issue is frustrating though as I don't particular like spending my time dealing with Customs because of missing paperwork.

 

[Jambalaya]

Just want to say that I've ordered lots of things from PP over the last 18-24 months and all was great. We went back and forth A LOT on the Freshadama strand due to me not knowing what size I wanted. This also involved a strand of metallics that I rejected, and we also went back and forth with the cream strand, shipping me the unstrung pearls so I could approve the color and then shipping me the real thing. I swapped out a pair of studs, too. Other purchases include more studs and getting loose pearls made into earring drops, and sending a non-PP strand to be restrung. So my point is: Lots of shipping going back and forth and it was fine. I just wanted to let you know my experience. My two Freshadama strands were very round, too.

 

[seaurchin]

Well they might have shipped out thousands of them and only actually had a tiny percentage of problems, too. I'm sure they'll make it right. Any progress on that?