Recent content by A Breaker

Mely... One thing that works really well, in person is to look at drill holes of pearls. I have had dirty faux pearls be gritty. So I always look at drill holes. In fact, I put one in my restringing pile without looking at drill holes, just checked grit.... but when I pulled it out to...

It also helps to know that Mexico & India regularly make silver clasps & Bella Findings has Box Clasp bases that top decorations can be soldered on. So really the skies the limit for artists to make box clasps, like yours. I saw a recent custom box clasp with a carved coral piece prong set on...

That helps!!!! With the loupe there are scratch marks, instead of smooth. Mystery solved! Faux..but good faux.

Please give my your best guess...Akoya or Faux??? I think they are akoyas, but they only have grit on my teeth, not when I rub them together. I have this same problem on tiny akoyas near the clasp in those graduated 13 oz vintage akoyas. (So it isn't helping!) They have the look of akoyas...

Pretty...I would restring!. The 830 is often European. My guess would be 1950's-1970's. That type of clasp sort of echoed the Japanese pearl clasp & the more American flower with pearl in the middle... It is also possible that it was Mexico 830 silver...only because Mexico was doing similar...

With bead cups... the top one would be pretty easy. (At one time...most people could restring beads, they sold restringing kits in department stores even.) On a double thread, you would make a knot & put it thru the bead cup hole... then pull one pearl at a time off the strand & put it on the...

Great idea! That was my concern!

Neat!!! Do they wear the nacre?

I have seen these clasps several times on photos of older akoyas. Pattye, can you please post a photo of how they work... specifically how they look when you leave the strand long? On these I am trying to decide how many vintage blue grey akoyas does one girl need???? My heart says ALL of...

Yes, Pattye, It was starting to sound like a "hole in the bucket" song or the cat & the hat with the pink paint! I will probably stick to the soap... but I might try it on one for curiosity...we will see... I will report back if I do try it.

She didn't want magnet. She actually ended up choosing a toggle clasp with a heart. It actually is Not difficult to restring yourself. Most people here restring their own! People that do it as a service, often charge by the inch...I looked at some on eBay & Etsy...it seems $100 starting is...

I remember watching at Chrsitmas, my grandmother take foundation off her face with a cream & toilet paper! (My mother never wore foundation). Years later I lived with her & there was a tiny bit left of her old foundation that wasn't used when she switched, it was greasy!!! That was why she...

Yes!!! In person is so much better than photos! See if you can "live with them" for a couple days and see which one really calls to you!

I have some early Chinese bead nucleated freshwater that look like they stuck the beads near the shell...they have that concentric rings on the bottom & more pearl look at the top. I put them away, as I didn't like them. When I run across them again... I pop in a photo.

That would be great. Also see if you can take a photo "for a friend" and post it! I have a necklace with cultured large ones...my gemstone necklaces are a lot heavier. I guess if I was wearing a bunch of large necklaces.... maybe I would want plastic? Well...not me, I either want real gems...