Frequently Asked Questions
PRODUCT
Pearls are the only precious gems that are produced by a living creature. Most pearls on the market today are cultured, which means they are made at an oyster farm by inserting a small piece of shell into an oyster. The oyster then secretes a silky coating around the irritant — layer by layer — until a pearl is formed.
The Tooth Test: (This only works with real teeth, not veneers or dental implants)
To find out if a pearl is real, lightly rub it against the front of your tooth — not against the edge, which can scratch the pearl. If natural or cultured, rather than simulated, the pearl should feel gritty. Do this gently and do not chew on the pearl.
Pearls come in different sizes, shapes and colours, can have a deep, inner glow, bright, mirror-like Luster or a satinier look. They may have thin nacre that will eventually peel, and chalky appearance, spots or blemishes that reduce their value. Other factors considered are the symmetry of shape and matching quality. In a nutshell, the bigger they are and the cleaner and shinier the surface, the higher the value – but it’s not that simple.
Determining value of a pearl takes skill and experience. Each pearl we sell is handpicked and checked for the finest quality by VAYO experts who are certified by The Cultured Pearl Association of America
South Sea Pearls
South Sea pearls are considered the most valuable. They are bigger than other types of pearls, generally 10 mm to 15 mm. Some are even bigger – over 20 mm – and some, called baby pearls, are smaller than 10 mm. These pearls, created by South Sea saltwater oysters, take two to four years to form, and have beautiful, unique Luster and gorgeous colours, from white, silver, blue or aqua to cream, champagne and deep gold. Only about 30 percent of all South Sea pearls are round so they have more value than the drop-shape or baroque.
Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearls are sometimes called “black pearls” but they are not black at all. The main colour is deep blue, purple, green, reddish-brown, charcoal or silver. The most valuable are dark green with peacock overtones. A small percentage of harvested pearls is round, and the rest are near round or baroque. Tahitian pearls have a soft, satin Luster.
Akoya Pearls
Saltwater Akoya pearls are cultured on pearl farms and traditionally used in necklaces and other types of classic jewellery. They are the smallest of all the cultured pearls, 7 mm on average, and usually round. Most of them are white or silver, with pink, green, or silver overtones. Akoya pearls are not as valuable as South Sea or Tahitian type but more expensive than freshwater pearls.
Pearls are highly valued for their beauty. They need some tender loving care as they can get easily damaged and may lose their Luster or get scratched if not protected. All you need to do is to take a few simple steps.
Wipe your Pearls with a Soft Cloth after wearing them
Cosmetics, including skin creams, lotions, and perfumes, are the pearls worst enemy. They contain many ingredients than can damage the pearl nacre. Some of these ingredients are not that good for our skin either.
Never spray fragrance on your skin while you’re wearing your pearls.
Wiping the pearls every time you take them will clean the chemicals, sweat and dirt. The cloth should be soft and slightly wet to clean the pearls without scratching them.
Do Not Use Commercial Cleaning Products on Your Pearls
Never clean your pearls using chemicals like bleach, ammonia, dishwashing liquid, bicarbonate of soda, commercial cleaning pads, and toothbrushes – no matter how soft. Avoid commercial jewellery cleaners often advertised on TV and never steam-clean your pearls. Ultrasonic cleaning is not a good idea either as the pearls are porous and quite delicate.
Store Your Pearls Separately
Always keep your pearls in a soft pouch or box, away from your jewellery like rings and bracelets. A pouch made of suede or fabrics like velvet are a better choice than plastic bags, and slightly padded silk bags are perfect.
Do Wear Your Pearls Pearl wants to be worn.
They are organic, and they’ll dehydrate and dry out if you keep them in a safe all the time. If you wear them, they will keep their beautiful Luster – as long as you look after them properly.
Never Ever Wear Your Pearls in Shower
Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? Yet some women wear jeweler in shower and even to bed. Removing your pearl bracelet before swimming, going to gym or sauna, and a pearl ring before washing dishes is also a good idea.
All Vayo products are certified by Vayo experts certified by Cultured Pearls Association Of America (CPAA). We at Vayo provide a Certificate Of Authenticity with every product you purchase which guarantees, your Vayo Pearl Jewellery are 100% authentic South Sea Pearls (Vayo Guarantee™) directly sourced from the pearl farms. These pearls have never been dyed in any way, shape or form.
Vayo Guarantees all cultured South Sea Pearls we use represents finest in selection, handpicked by our experts for its Luster, Nacre, Colour, Surface, Size and Shape
ORDER AND SHIPPING
Vayo provides you end to end visibility of your order, once order is shipped Vayo will send you a confirmation email with unique tracking number. You can track your order using highly sophisticated system and find out status your Vayo jewellery.
We typically ship the your order on the same day of receipt, you can change the order as long as its not shipped.
f you have change your mind and would want to cancel the order prior to shipping please simply send us an email on hi@vayo.com.au and we will cancel your order.
In case if the jewellery is out of stock and we are unable to process your order, we will give you option of refund or new estimated ship date of your jewellery
In the instance when order is undelivered for reasons including but not limited to,
- Incorrect Shipping address provided by customer
- Customer refuses to accept the order shipment
- Customer failed to pick up order shipment from AUS
- Post/Courier Depot when pick up card left in letterbox
- The courier has exhausted all attempts to deliver yet the customer remains unavailable to accept the order shipment.
Item will be returned to Vayo and customer will be charged flat $20 for domestic orders and $40 for International orders. Remaining amount will be credited to customer’s account once we receive undelivered order in full. Customer can reorder jewellery at any time.
An estimated delivery time will be provided to you once your order is placed. Delivery times are estimates and commence from the date of shipping, rather than the date of order. Delivery times are to be used as a guide only and are subject to the acceptance and approval of your order.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, we make every effort to fulfill your order within 1-3 business days of the date of your order if you are in Australia and 5-10 days for international orders. Business day mean Monday to Friday, except holidays.
Date of delivery may vary due to carrier shipping practices, delivery location, method of delivery, and the items ordered. Products may also be delivered in separate shipments.
RETURNS
Vayo provides 14 day piece of mind for the customers. No questions asked, If the purchased item does not meet your expectations, Vayo will refund 100% of your purchase price. We believe returns should be easier and seamless so we will not ask any questions. However Vayo may charge a one off $10 restocking fees.
Note: Vayo will accept returns in most cases, but cannot accept any returns or exchange if the jewellery is worn, different from its original form due to hygiene issues.
Step 1: Simply write to us at hi@vayo.com.au with your order number and name and we will authorize return within 48 hours.
Step 2: Pack Jewellery in the Vayo Box that comes with your jewellery including all the accessories including any gifts that came with your purchase.
Step 3: We will then provide the courier company details or send you the envelope to send it back to us.
Step 4: Once we receive the jewellery, confirming what was sent to you, we will process the refund within 48 hours of receiving it.
As long as the item is not worn, Vayo allows 14-day exchange.
Step 1: Simply write to us at hi@vayo.com.au with your order number and name and we will authorize return within 48 hours.
Step 2: Pack Jewellery in the Vayo Box that comes with your jewellery including all the accessories including any gifts that came with your purchase.
Step 3: We will then provide the courier company details or send you the envelope to send it back to us.
Step 4: Once we receive the jewellery, confirming what was sent to you, we will process the refund within 48 hours of receiving it.
All Vayo products are certified by Vayo experts certified by Cultured Pearls Association Of America (CPAA). We at Vayo provide a Certificate Of Authenticity with every product you purchase which guarantees, your Vayo Pearl Jewellery are 100% authentic South Sea Pearls (Vayo Guarantee™) directly sourced from the pearl farms. These pearls have never been dyed in any way, shape or form.
Vayo Guarantees all cultured South Sea Pearls we use represents finest in selection, handpicked by our experts for its Luster, Nacre, Colour, Surface, Size and Shape