Frequently Asked Questions

A South Sea pearl is produced by the Pinctada maxima - the largest of the pearl-producing oysters. The pearls from this species are the largest and most valuable of all pearls and come in a wide range of shapes and tones. Australia,  Indonesia and the Philippines are the largest producers of South Sea pearls. Australian South Sea pearls are produced predominantly with wild-caught oysters. Other regions use hatchery-reared oysters.

A cultured pearl is one that forms as a result of an irritant that is manually introduced into the oyster.  The oyster then produces nacre that coats the irritant to produce a pearl.

Most pearls on this website are cultured pearls.

If you are interested in learning more about cultured pearls, you can find out how they are produced here.

Natural Pearls: the weight of natural pearls is traditionally expressed in grains or carats.

Cultured Pearls: the weight of cultured pearls is traditionally expressed in momme (mo). Momme is a traditional Japanese unit of weight measurement for pearls.

Some useful weight conversions:

• 1 momme = 3.75 grams
• 1 momme = 57.8 grains
• 1 momme = 18.75 carats
• 1,000 momme = 1 kan = 3.75 kilograms
• 100 grains = 1.73 momme,
• ¼ of one carat = 0.05 gram/50 milligrams

Measurements are expressed in millimetres. The rounding of any measurement, if needed, is downwards and not upwards.

Single pearls and pairs

The dimensions of pearls listed on this site are measured as follows:

• Roundish pearls: undrilled - widest diameter, drilled – measurement is the widest diameter perpendicular to the drill hole.
• Droppish pearls whose largest length is the axis of the pearl – measurement is the maximum diameter perpendicular to the axis
• Buttonish pearls whose largest length is perpendicular to the drill hole – measurement is the maximum diameter perpendicular to the axis.

Strands

The measurements used to describe a graduated strand of natural and/or cultured pearls shall include the maximum diameter, measured perpendicular to the drill hole, of the largest pearl in the strand and the maximum diameter of the smallest pearl in the strand. The rounding of any measurement, if needed, shall be downwards and not upwards.

Yes. Each item purchased on the portal comes with a certificate of authenticity describing the item and guaranteeing that the pearls are Australian South Sea pearls with natural colour and lustre.

We welcome applications from any person or business in the Jewellery Industry including Jewellery wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and designers.

As this is a Business to Business platform, registration is not available to the general public. The registration process asks for the following information:

• Entity Name (eg, your name or your company name)
• Type of entity (eg sole trade, company)
• Country
• Business Reference Number (eg ABN, VAT)
• Evidence of trade participation (website, social media platforms or references)

To register, simply complete our Wholesale Registration Form.

Once we have received your application, our Approvals team will review your details and setup your account.  This approval and setup process may take up to 48 hours.

Yes. The website allows items to be reserved for up to 48 hours.

To put items on hold, you must select the item(s) and add them to your tray. You will complete the checkout process and at that time, you can choose to put the items on hold. You will then be asked to confirm this order, but no payment will be required. 

When we have received your order for these on-hold items, we will keep them aside for up to 48 hours.

If you decide to purchase the items within the 48 hour period, please contact us and we will process the order.

If you need more time, please contact us and we will try to help.

All items are individually priced depending on their quality. For some items, a degree of subjectivity is required to take into account factors such as subtle differences in shape or overtone.

Helpful hint: If you are interested in two items that appear similar, feel free to contact us and one or our experts would be happy to review and explain their characteristics.

You can describe the pearls and other pearl products as Australian South Sea Pearls. 

It would be inappropriate, however, to describe them as ‘Paspaley’ pearls. 

It is a condition of sale of products to you that you do not describe them as ‘Paspaley’ pearls or products.  Moreover, ‘Paspaley’ is a registered trade name, owned by Paspaley Pearl Sales Pty Ltd. You cannot use it unless licenced to do so. Your purchase of any product from this website does not constitute such a licence.

Simply add as many items as you wish to your shopping cart while browsing our store. When you want to proceed with the order – do so by going to the cart and clicking “checkout”. Follow the instructions by providing us with delivery information and choosing a payment method – we will ship your package typically within 1 business day.

Our support team is always happy to guide you at any step!

Prices for products on the website are quoted in US Dollars and do not include any shipping, taxes, customs, duties and clearance fees.

For orders shipped to an Australian address, we will add 10% GST at the checkout.  For more information, please refer to our Conditions of Sale.

Shipping destinations:·       

• We ship worldwide. 

Shipping times:

• Orders will generally be dispatched within 1 business day.
• Order placed for delivery in Australia typically take 5 business days to be delivered to you
• International orders will be shipped via FedEx or DHL.
• Shipping time might vary depending on location, shipment method and other factors. 

• Orders of USD $4,000 or more include free shipping.
• Orders under USD $4,000 will be charged a flat rate of US$15 to anywhere in Australia and US$70 outside of Australia. Any applicable local taxes, customs, duties and clearance fees are not included and are the responsibility of the receiver.

Tracking:

• When we ship the goods to you, a confirmation email will be sent with tracking information. 

For more information, please refer to our Conditions of Sale.

We aim to please, so if you are unhappy with your purchase, items can be returned for a full refund within 14 days of delivery, subject to the returns policy outlined in our Conditions of Sale found on this website.

You must contact our team before returning any product to us.  Please refer to the Contact us page for more information.

All loose pearls, pairs and sets are undrilled. Some strands are drilled and temporarily strung on wire for transportation purposes. The details page for each strand states whether a particular strand is drilled or undrilled.