Recent content by A Breaker

Merrily...report back!!! I have some old dyed Akoyas that have faded...looked into dyeing them. Seems Rit, and several other dyes are options. But so is Sharpie thinned by acetone. I was going to try on a few trash pearls...but my to do list is really long..so it will be a while before I try.

I looks in good condition! What a fun thing to wear!!!

Me too! ...I love a good mystery and there have been several fun ones here!!!

The dye does Not seem to come off more with rubbing. It seems to be a chemical reaction. It might be my body chemistry with the soap and dye all reacting. I had this happen with laundry detergent and the lettering on my washing machine...so Not fun! (I used a label maker and made labels.)

Pearl Dreams....I was shocked too!!!! I had not looked at jewelry in stores for about 4 years (before I knew anything about pearls)..so when my husband and I went on a date..we stopped at jewelry stores....all of them were clearly potato freshwater and all around $300-500!!!! Crazy!!!

Hey Wendy!!!! Nice to see you!. You might edit and add that you are in Australia. BWeaves is in the USA and I think so is Pearl Dreams. There is also a thread under pearls for "freshwater pearls." Ask for vendors in Australia. Also feel free to private message me.

I have a strand that looks very much like these...I am so on the fence between bigger Akoyas and freshwater. I might try the LED light trick...Akoyas always get a blue spot with LED..often freshwater doesn't. Mine has no clasp...so I think a gold clasp was clipped off by the owner to sell it.

I am so sorry that no one replied! Yes, those are real Japanese Saltwater Akoyas. Tasaki is very high end..like Mikimoto and those are very pretty!!! You can tell by the shape of the end one, some natural pitting too

Not yet.

Bweaves!!! That is a great idea! I might just figure out how to add something to the back. If not...I'll just use it on a 2 strand.

Ideas of thoughts on how to keep clasps from flipping "face down" on a single strand? (Besides using a lighter more balanced clasp?) It is heavy enough that it chokes me in back.... and flips if put at the front. (I'll try to get photos soon.) Adding more pearls to reduce choking?

Pearl Dreams has pointed out that the surface of real and fake pearls looks very different. Use you phone or loupe 10X and you will see what looks like spray paint on faux...real show minor blemish variations. The drill holes also show paint build up of loss on faux, while real have layers and...

I will bet that the stone in the white gold clasp is a diamond...may jewelers have diamond testers. The necklace looks recently restrung...but a little too tight. If it is not hanging right and If that is polyester thread (Usually used now) or cotton (matte).... Yours looks polyester to...

Those Faux...would be perfect if you want to try restringing!!! They have bead cups and you knot on the outside of the bead cup..then into the pearl and keep going..finish at the beadcup with a knot. Attach the bead cups to the clasp. Pattye has restringing kits. (You can even switch tthe...

Things happen. In the store...people rearranging things...set a necklace in an empty box temporarily. People forget to minor set aside. Close outs happen. I posted a story of someone buying a MIkimoto necklace in the 50's...but lost the clasp (They had to be kept out of the box) and now the...