well a little off track here, but I wanted something that qvc no longer stock so I emailed Honora direct and their customer service was fantastic...quick email reply, then Anna from the store rang me to confirm what I wanted, how much it would cost, how much shipping would cost etc. I placed an order, the pearls arrived quicker than through QVC and I had a follow up phone call from Anna to make sure I was completely satisfied.....so when Ralph comes across as " genuine" I truely believe he is, it seems to be the ethos of the company...they care about the customer and know their pearls