the pearl i ordered arrived today.
the shipping was surprisingly fast and well-packed.
the pearl itself is decent.
honestly, the pearl listed as "AAA" here would be "A" or "B" at most places.
most of them have cracks or shell bark on the back side.
but, it's priced reasonably and seems very workable.
the "B" grade pearl listed here are probably only useful for practicing your pearl working techniques.
there are lots of cracks, holes, fissures and shell bark just below the surface, so it'll take a lot to work around it all successfully.
the fire and depth is pretty average on all of them.
also included free of charge was a small piece (1 1/2" x 3/4") of black pearl with some cracks and shell bark, but very bright, colorful fire.
a couple of free pieces of red coral (1/2" x 1 3/8") were also included.
i'm sure i'll find a use for them somewhere.
overall, i think i got my money's worth, but i think i'll continue to pay a little extra to my vietnamese source for the really high quality stuff.