Recent content by A Breaker

My favorite: Blue Akoyas!!! But the dye is a little strange. I have some well dyed & uniform (1950's-60's) and some undyed with variations. I also have one strand that is a bit of a mess like these (with more pitting & issues & weird dye). I am guessing that these are lower quality that...

Lovely!!!! Natural pearls are "as found", while cultured involve humans. Most natural pearls are Not round. Akoyas are cultured.

Black is a lovely background to wear pearls...horrible to ID....sucks all the light and color away form pearls!!! New photos as Pattye suggests. But the best way to guess price or get an idea is to look on Ebay sold or use google lens or both. Then if you have a jeweler or an appraiser look...

My limit experience is that I want an Etsy shop that sells me the EXACT necklace that I am getting (In my case it was 3 pearls..so much cheaper!) I got those pearls and they were IMO NOTHING like the photo! So if the shop numbers the necklaces or strands & has good feedback..order earrings or...

That helps!

Maybe a lab knows...but I would trust a pearl expert over a lab or jeweler. (I had faux pearls mis-Identified as real by a jeweler, while all I had to do was pick the pearls up...way too light & paint coming off!!!!) Hoping someone can help you here. Personally I have sent pearls for...

Yes! It is also important to know that at one time when this shape or color was new...they were more expensive and a 14k clasp was more fitting to the cost. With a restring you can have an easier clasp to work or more decorative or whatever. Or just wear and enjoy!

I am getting fairly strong Chinese Freshwater vibes..Hopefully others will give better opinions. The coloring & shape aren't quite right for saltwater. But I still have one strand that isn't quite right for freshwater nor quite right for Tahitian, as I learn more I will figure it out.

Hard to tell..I can't zoom in enough. But I have several "rice shaped" pearl necklaces some smooth, some bumpy...all freshwater. I do have 2 that are faux pearls which makes me laugh as they are so cheap now...but one is even branded...so when Rice Shaped pearls were new...it was probably...

@BWeaves what is the era or date on your BL pearls?

I love, love those kind of pearls!!! Tons of character.. The only problem with the magentic clasps is that heavy pearls still can cause them to come apart. I have a HSN or QVC Honora necklace with that same clasp... I need to restring on a more secure clasp. But those a really helpful for...

There were a ton of Akoya pearl necklaces sold to military post WWII...so it is most likely that it is unbranded. What often happens is that during a restringing in the 60's or earlier (10 years is a long time for silk to last)...a 14k clasp was put on a previously plain sterling clasp. Even...

While there is a huge level change in designing vs restringing...just for collecting pearls to restring...get Vintage on EBay or Etsy in Canada if possible (That over the boarder from US is so $$ & difficult). You will need to ID from photos (sometimes really bad) including telling if they are...

Pattye, thanks!!! Somehow I never thought of that!!! Did I miss this in Pearls as One or is that your vast restringing experience talking??

Love it! And love Pattye's example! I made a similar one to Pattye's example with left over pearls in a very random order. I loved it..for some reason it made all the variations shine. I need to make another and get photos.