They are ivory-cream, not chalk white. They are not perfect on close examination. They may be 7-8mm instead of 8-9mm (I have no way to judge.)  But aside from that, these pearls are a steal. They have enough weight to "feel" expensive. They are all uniformly shaped, even if not perfectly round. They are separately knotted. The high-luster designation is accurate --they virtually glow. The string is "tight" which might make them not lie flat at first (one reviewer commented on this), but the string will stretch with time and can be gently "forced" after soaking in warm water. As one reviewer said, don't tell anyone what you paid for these because it looks like a several hundred dollar strand of pearls, and sometimes when people jump to conclusions, you should just let them leap!