Frequently Asked Questions about OrientalPearls.net Answered Here
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How long is a temporary strand? How many pearls are on a strand?
Our temporary strands are approximately 15-15.5 inches long. The number of pearls on a strand depends completely on the size of the pearls. Tiny pearls can have as many as 180 pearls on a strand, where as very large 20mm pearls can have around 20 pearls on a strand.
What does that mean if a pearl is cultured?
Natural pearls form when a foreign object appears in a mollusk. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk forms a beautiful pearl. Cultured pearls are in many ways the same. The only difference is that a tiny material is physically placed into the mollusk in order to speed up the pearl making process.
How can i tell if the pearls are genuine or fake?
The most basic method is what we like to call “the tooth test”. Take the necklace and run one of the beads against the biting edge of one of your front teeth. If there is a gritty feeling it is possibly a real pearl. Compare the texture to that of a smooth bead, or a piece of plastic. Pearls are made up of concentric layers of nacre so they have a scaly texture that you can feel with your teeth.
Besides the tooth test, another way to tell the difference is the luster test. Fake pearls only have a surface shine, but cultured pearls have a deep luster or glow that comes from within the pearl.
A last resort would be to take it to a jewelry store and compare it to a strand of genuine pearls.
Are your pearls tissue nucleated or bead nucleated?
All our pearls are tissue nucleated, excluding mabe, coin, biwa which are bead nucleated. Keshi pearls are generation pearls made from coin pearls.
What is the largest size you can provide for freshwater pearls?
14-15mm. If interested, please email us at [email protected] for price quote.
Are your necklaces and bracelets knotted? What is a temporary pearl strand?
Each pearl on the finished jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets are individually and professionally hand knotted according to high end jewelry stores’ standards and strung on double thread to ensure that they are fastened as securely as possible.
Temporary strands are strands of pearls that are strung without knots and clasps. They are usually prepared for wholesalers or jewelry designers so they can take them out and then knot them with different combinations of pearls and their preferable clasps to create their own design.
Freshwater pearls have their own measurement for pearl size; can you elaborate more?
All X mm-Y mm measuremeants are taken from two undrilled dimensions and then applied based on a standard pearl measuring practice. So for instance a 7-8mm strand of pearls is actually made up of pearls that are 6.8-7.8mm varying no more than a 1mm variance between the smallest and largest pearl.
What kind of gems and beads do you offer?
We offer jade beads, turquoise, agate, coral, tigers eye and crystal beads.
All of our beads are genuine, except for the seashell and the turquoise beads that are reconstructed. The turquoise beads are enhanced and made of ground up turquoise dust that is pressurized back into beads with a little dye added. Click here to learn more about south sea shell pearl beads.
Can the south seashell pearls, jade beads, agate beads etc be drilled with holes larger than 0.7mm?
We can drill larger sized holes only on genuine freshwater pearls. The other beads such as sea shell pearls, jade beads, agate beads etc will be easily damaged due to their own textures.
What kind of thread you use for making the jewelry? Is it silk thread? How many colors do you have?
We use high quality Japanese polyester thread. It only has three standard colors which are white, black and red.
If you would like to know how to place an order with OrientalPearls.net, then you can either watch this tutorial video or read the step-by-step process below:
1. Not only are online orders secure, but they also ensures accuracy. Click on the picture of the product that you are interested. It will take you to the product page with all different colored pearls pictures. Use “Add to Cart” button to add items you like to your cart.
2. You can “View Cart” with the button on the top right corner of the web page.When you are ready, you can choose either “Would Like to Shop as a Guest” or “Would Like to Shop as a Member”.
If you choose to “Would Like to Shop as a Guest”, you can:
Get your shopping done in a hurry
None of your user information will be kept in our records.
However you will loose the order list in your shopping cart. If you cannot complete the order and have to come back later, you might have to start over again by adding items to your shopping cart.
If you choose “Would Like to Shop as a Member”, you will need to either Register (first time) or Log in (returning customer) on our secured server. By using your email address as your user ID, you can:
Retrieve your forgotten password at any time, as long as you remember your userID.
Will not need to fill out your address info again in the future although you still need to fill out your payment info since we DO NOT STORE credit card info.
Be able to review your order history for all the items that you had purchased before.
Be up to date on your orders status, and keep track of the orders you have previously made.
Your order list will be kept in your cart forever, just click on the “My Cart” on the top right side of the page after logging in, you can pick it up where you left off, at any time.
3. Fill out the billing and shipping information, and select a shipping method with low flat shipping rates based on how fast you need the order. It does not matter how many items you buy, be it one item or 100 items, you will pay for the same for the shipping.
Please note if your billing and shipping information is different, our advanced technology on our secured server will put your transaction on hold for review. In that case, we will have to verify the information by checking your ip address and might even call you or your card company to verify the information to protect your credit card from unauthorized uses, which might prolong the processing time. So if your order is time sensitive or a gifting item, please give us a call or leave us the most accessible phone number to speed up the verification process.
4. If you have any specific preference for pearls overtone, please let us know in the comment field.
Because pearls are made in nature, they will come in with different shades. For instance, pink colored pearls can have different overtones such as peach or purple, and black colored pearls will also come in with dark black or lighter black, peacock green or blue shades. Although the variation is very small, but if you have a strong preference, and do not have a very strict time line (just in the event when we do not have the shade in stock), please make note in the comment field. In this way, you will be sure to get the exact shade that you want. If you prefer pouches instead of boxes, or would like to lengthen or shorten your necklace, you can specify it here as well.
5. Choose any one of the three convenient ways to make your payment when you are checking out:
You can use any one of major credit cards, including Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover, as well as Paypal and Google Checkout. All of the transactions will be processed on secured servers and protected and tested by “Hacker Safe” in real time. Of course you can also place your orders by phone, by fax, check and money orders etc. off-line as well. See below for more details
6. Receive your email receipt after your order is placed.
You will be able to view a printable receipt as soon as your order is placed. If not, please check the error message on the top of the page. In most cases, you probably entered wrong credit card numbers or expiration date.
7. Receive an email from us after the order is shipped, with a tracking number if it is shipped via Express or prority shipping method. Please note, sometimes email will get blocked or filtered out by your email provider, in which case you can also come back to the site and grab us from the live support or log in to check your order status.
8. Send us your feedback after your package is received. If there is anything that you think we should improve, please do not hesitate to tell us, (including comments from our previous customers who told us that our price is too low, and yes we do receive that type of email as people are amazed how we could provide the products at such low price, which was the cause for us to write out all the reasons why we could do it and posted on the website).
We want to make sure everything went right with your order. We would really appreciate any input that you can give us. Thank you.
Since we are located in California, all California customers (with billing address in California) are subject to a sales tax that is required by state law.
We accept credit cards (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express), checks, and money orders. You can also pay by using Paypal (preferred for international orders) or Google Checkout.
Can I change what I have ordered to something different after placing an online order?
If you would like to change your existing order, it is best to do so right away. We try to get all orders shipped out within 48 hours, so an alteration can only be processed if requested in a timely manner. The best way to reach us is through e-mail or over the phone at (619)405-3938.
You can register when you go to check out from your shopping cart. Before asking for your billing information, the site will take you to a page to either Shop as a Guest or Shop as a Member. Click on Shop as a Member and fill out your information. You will not be asked to save any personal information. The only stored information will be your e-mail, username, and password.
If I leave the site and come back, will the items in my shopping cart be saved?
Your shopping cart items will be saved if you are a registered customer. Guests will lose their shipping cart as soon as the site page is closed.
I do not have a credit card, can I still place an order with you?
Yes, you can send us the payment by either West Union or bank wire. If you are US customer, we also accept cashier’s checks and personal checks. Pease send the check along with the detailed order and shipping information to.
C.D. Plus, Inc.
P.O. Box 710760
Santee, CA 92072
If you would like to pay by West Union or bank wire, please copy and paste the items in your shopping cart and send them to [email protected]. We will get back to you with an invoice and a detailed bank information statement within 12 hours.
How large are the holes that are drilled through your pearls?
The standard size of the hole drilled through our pearls is 0.7mm. However we are able to drill holes larger than 0.7mm as a special order. Please specify your request in the comment field when checking out. We will get back to you with the price by email. Usually, the larger the hole is, the more expensive the extra fee will be.
I forgot my password. What can I do?
If you need to recover your password, right under the sign in area to the right, there will be a button that says Forgot Password? Click here. Once you click the button, it will ask you for your e-mail address. The site will automatically send your password to your e-mail address.
Can I customize an order? Can the necklace be lengthened or shortened?
We do accept any request for orders. Most requests can be processed for a particular color, length, or size. We can also process some personal jewelry designs as well. Special orders and requests for lengthening necklaces and bracelets do have additional costs that will be confirmed being charged to the account. The additional cost can be added to the same credit card, but will only show up as a reliable transaction since we do not store your credit card information.
How can I get a volume discount?
OrientalPearls.net does not offer volume discount. However, we will price (not including sites such as ebay, etc) that are more than 10% lower than ours. If you have a reseller permit number and are looking to order in large quantities, our wholesale member site provides all of our items at wholesale price. All wholesale orders will be sent to you directly from our pearl farm. Wholesale orders must be a minimum of $1000. In this case, you will be paying for the actual shipping cost instead of flat-rate shipping. To be an Oriental Pearls wholesale member, please sign up through the following link https://www.orientalpearls.net/wholesale-membership-application/. As soon as we receive the payment, we will send you an e-mail with the username and password for our wholesale site.
How do I track my airmail parcel with the number you gave out?
For every airmail package, we do always include an identification number, for example: RR541485259CN. It cannot be used like a tracking number to check the status of your package online. If for any reason there are any issues though you can use this number to start an investigation with your local post office into the whereabouts of your order.
How and when does your charge appear on my credit card statement?
It will appear on your credit card statement as Oriental Pearls.
How long does it take to deliver?
The amount of time it takes for your order to be delivered depends upon the shipping method you choose to pay when checking out.
For our USA customers we offer:
Airmail First Class (takes 4-10 days) for $4.99
Priority Mail with Insurance (takes 3-5 days) for $6.97
Priority Mail, Over 2 LBS with Insurance (for large purchases, takes 3-5 days) for $10.45
Express Mail (takes 1-3 days) for $24.97
For our International Customers we offer:
First Class Airmail (takes 10-15 days) for $8.97
Insured Air Parcel (takes 7-10 days) for $17.97
Global Express (takes 3-5 days) for $29.95
Free samples are not available from our store. If you are interested in sampling an item, it is best to order only a small amount of the item in your desired shape, color, and grade as a regular order directly online. If the sample does not match your particular specifications, you can simply send the items back for a full refund within 90 days after receiving the package.
Yes, we do. You can place the order by your credit card directly on line. When you are checking out, you can fill your customer’s shipping address in the comment field where you can leave us with detailed instructions. We will ship the package to any place you request. We will send the jewelry in unmarked gift boxes or pouches. We can provide certificate for you but just as a reminder that our certificate has our company’s name printed on it, (although some people do not pay attention to it) so it will be up to you. If you do not need it, please let us know.
We do offer a 110% price match guarantee, however, this is only available to be used against American incorporated companies. So unfortunately we cannot price match an Ebay or any Chinese seller, as they can operate very differently from us.
I would like to send you a sample, which address should I address it to?
If you do not want to deal with the hassle of customs forms and other items necessary to ship your sample internationally, you can send your necklace to our California headquarters and we can then package and resend it to our manufacturing unit. The address for our corporate headquarters is:
C.D. Plus, Inc
P.O. Box 710760
Santee, CA 92071, USA
If you choose this option there will be a fee for the extra postage required for us to send your necklace out. It will cost $7.99 if we send it first class airmail and $22.95 if we rush your sample to them via international priority mail.
How much will I pay for my shipping?
We use flat rate shipping. This means that no matter how many items you purchase, the shipping price will never change. There is no special handing fee either. The difference in cost is only depending upon how fast you need them. Please check out our shipping and payment information for details.
What kind of payments do you accept?
We accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), check, or money order. Also, if you prefer, you can also pay by using Paypal (preferred for international orders) or Google Checkout.
Most orders are shipped out within 24-48 hours after we receive the order receipt, excluding weekends and holidays. On the rare occasion that we are temporarily out of stock on a particular item, due to our shipping company delays or unforeseen instances, we will have to wait about a week to receive a backorder shipment from our manufacturer. The backorder will be sent to you right away including a free gift to compensate for the inconvenience.
Can I send my credit card information by fax or over the phone?
We have a very secure website, secured by McAfee in real time, but if you feel more comfortable giving your credit card information over the phone, you can call our USA office in California at (619) 405-3938 and speak with one of our representatives. You can also send a fax to us with your order information, credit card information, and contact information to (866) 486-2591.
The products on your website are priced in US dollars or Australian dollars?
All our products are priced in US dollars, bur you can convert them to whatever currency by clicking:
What is our paypal email account?
Our paypal email account is: [email protected]
What do you do with my personal information?
Personal information collected by OrientalPearls.net is stored in our secured server that is not available to anybody but to a very few at Orientalpearls.net, and that is strictly for the purpose of tracking your order or exchanging/refunding only. Please rest assured that we would never jeopardize your personal information or our business reputation and share your personal information with any third party.
Is it safe to order over the Internet?
We have to be responsible for our customers security and privacy to stay as a long lasting company. For absolute security, we use only the most secure online payment services’ Authorize.net for verified Merchants only. Authorize.net secures and saves your credit card information, but the credit information is not viewable to anyone. No one here at Oriental Pearls or any third party can view your information because of the site’s high security.
How long is a temporary strand? How many pearls are on a strand?
Our temporary strands are approximately 15-15.5 inches long. The number of pearls on a strand depends completely on the size of the pearls. Tiny pearls can have as many as 180 pearls on a strand, where a very large 20mm pearl can have around 20 pearls on a strand.
What happens if one of my items are out-of-stock?
You will be contacted if any of your ordered items are out of stock. This is why we need your contact information. If you give us an unused or erroneous e-mail address, you will not receive the updated information. We will typically send the order to you, not including the items that are out of stock unless you specify otherwise. As soon as the next shipment comes in from our manufacturer, which usually takes about 7-10 days, we will send you the out-of-stock items with no additional shipping cost.
Does the length described for the product on the website include the clasp or not?
The length for the necklace or bracelet we described on the website includes the clasp. If you would like to get a longer one, please email us at [email protected] or write down your special request in the comment field while checking out. For more detail information about necklace lengths, please click here.
It is our policy to send a free gift with orders over $75. The grandiose of the gift is based on the price of your pearl order.
What should I do if the goods arrived damaged?
If your items arrive to you damaged please call (619) 405-3938 or email us right away. Our representatives will have you explain what is wrong with the items and what you would like to do, i.e. refund or exchange. As soon as you send the items back to our USA office at C.D. Plus, Inc., P.O. Box 710760, Santee, CA 92072 with a note inside with you contact information and preference on what to do about the damaged items, we will contact you and/or take care of the issue. Exchanges and refunds are available within the first 90 days after you receive the package.
For 90 days from your purchase, we guarantee your satisfaction by having a “no questions asked” time period. If you need to return something, please send an e-mail to [email protected] within seven days of receiving your order for an authorization on a return. We will accept authorized returns within 90 days as long as the items are in its original condition – without any wear and tear in its original packaging.
Once we’ve received your returned items we will begin processing them right away. During processing your items will be inspected to make sure they are undamaged and have no moderate to strong scents/odors on them.
In shipping items back to us it is solely the customer’s responsibility to package the item securely and if they wish to insure the package on the way back to us.
Customers are responsible for all return shipping charges. The original shipping fee is not refundable. For orders originally shipped out via our “free shipping” option, $4.99 shipping fee will be applied to all returned orders as that was the amount we had to to pay for while shipping your package.
For special ordered items that we are not selling in our store, there will be a restocking fee ranging from between 15-30% depending on both the extent of the customizations and the dollar value of the item returned. Restocking fees are charged due to the difficult nature of re-selling or even reuse the special one-of-a-kind pieces made just for your needs which could be a total loss for us. But we want your complete satisfaction, which is why these items also come with a 6-month warranty.
How long will it take to credit back my account?
If a refund is requested because of damaged or unsatisfactory items, the refund in most instances should appear on your account within 5 days after receiving the returned package, excluding holidays and weekends, even though we usually process refunds right away.
However since we ship worldwide, for a minority of transactions, it can take longer, even up to 4 weeks until you get the refund reported back to your account. Although it happens very rarely, please keep in mind that the time until you see the refund on your credit card statement will depend on the processing time of your bank. In the case of international transactions, it would involve two banks so please allow extra time.