Freddie, you are absolutely right in that this bracelet is not antique. It’s a piece of contemporary jewelry, and you have to be crazy to pay 900 EUR for it!
Melany, if you want to get such a bracelet at a “normal” price, check out egemdiamond and gemsporium on eBay. It’s actually one and the same seller with two profiles. They have these cobra bangles for sale from time to time. They come in different designs – with rubies only, with emeralds only, and with mixed gemstones.
I hope this helps.

Sincerely, Anna

Hi!

You are absolutely right, there has been a lot of fuss. Much more than it would be reasonable. I believe Edison pearls do not deserve that much attention. It’s all about marketing. Quite often sellers describe Edison pearls as something very special and expensive. As a matter of fact, they are not. Edison pearls are the same old freshwater pearls.
The difference is that traditionally freshwater pearls are tissue-nucleated. The problem with this approach is that oftentimes it leads to off-round and oval pearls. Edison pearls are bead-nucleated (just like South Sea and Tahitian pearls are). It means, they are nucleated with a perfectly round bead nucleus. This leads to round pearls. And round pearls, of course, are much more desirable in the jewelry industry than off-round and oval pearls.
However, it does not mean that Edison pearls are as desirable and expensive as South Sea or Tahitian pearls. They are not. Freshwater pearls, no matter how round and nice, are no match for South Sea and Tahitian pearls. I have seen Edison pearl necklaces with price tags as hefty as $1000. Like I said before, it is just marketing. A strand of really good-quality Edison pearls (round, 12-13 mm) costs around $150.

Regards, Anna

Dear HVZ,
It really depends on what you mean by fake or legit. They are not fake in the sense that no one really forges these GGL certificates of authenticity. So, in that sense they are perfectly legit.
However, they are fake in the sense that they provide misleading, fake information. For example, the certificate you have here states it’s a natural, heated ruby. In reality, it’s a worthless composite ruby. I have seen numerous GGL certificates of authenticity where it’s said “natural emerald”, whereas it’s a fracture-filled, dyed quartz (fake emerald) in reality.
Thus, in this sense these GGL certificates are as fake as a three-dollar bill. They are happy to print anything on these certificates as long as it helps to sell their stuff.

Dear Emmy,

This necklace is not worth EUR 221. This is another example of eBay merchandise ending up on Catawiki’s shelves. It is not ruby. In the best-case scenario, this is composite ruby, known also as lead glass filled ruby. In the worst-case scenario, this is dyed beryl. I’m pretty sure this is dyed beryl (just like in the discussion that you refer to). Here is an identical necklace I found on eBay at a fraction of Catawiki’s price – only $19.90. Even with a free shipping 🙂
https://www.ebay.com/itm/EXCLUSIVE-902-00-CTS-EARTH-MINED-3-LINE-ROUND-FACETED-RED-RUBY-BEADS-NECKLACE/193272311982

It is very much right what you noted about simulated diamonds. No reasonable person would set a real emerald and simulated diamonds in the same setting. This is definitely not an emerald. That’s for sure. It is a bit difficult to tell from the images whether it is a dyed beryl or a dyed quartz. Looks like beryl to me (quartz is usually lighter in color and the color-concentration zones are more pronounced).
As far as GGL “certificates” are concerned, if you see a gemstone with a GGL certificate, it is a red flag by itself. Every single “gemstone” I have seen with a GGL certificate so far has been a fake. So, it is no real certificate.
So, I would say that a Thai or Indian-made silver ring with a dyed beryl and simulated diamonds would cost around $15 – $30 on eBay (ok, maybe $40 if it’s supernice).