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You have a graduated strand of cultured akoya pearls. These strands were common in the WWII / Korean War era. People involved in the military and stationed in Asia would buy these for their sweethearts back home. They were affordable; being graduated, they weighed less than a straight-size...

"A" are imitations. "B" look like cultured akoya pearls. The imitations are worth nothing in terms of resale value. Unless you are sentimental about them, I'd toss them. The akoyas do not appear to be Mikimoto, based on the clasp, and as I understand it you don't have paperwork stating they...

The luster seems low for akoyas. I'd say freshwaters, if they are real pearls. They appear very uniform; are you certain they are not imitations?

@Pearliewhite, Listen to your gut. Something is wrong there. I would not pay AA prices for scratched pearls. The scratches will always bother you.

Are you buying your pearls directly from Mikimoto or an official Mikimoto seller? The reason I'm asking is that it seems to me the blemishes you are describing should not be visible on a AA strand.

That is a lot of pearls to sort! :D

I have no other information beyond what as already posted on this thread. They appear to be a brand of freshwater pearls from China.

Can you please post more photos-- more of the beads, too--on a white background (a paper towel is good). In focus, no flash, please. Also try rubbing 2 of the same beads together; what do you feel? Smooth, or gritty? Also, beads that are red are either dyed pearls or not pearls.

Adorable shape, and the colors and luster are very pretty. Well done!

They look great! Having smaller pearls at the back of the neck makes the necklace just a bit lighter and, I find, just a bit easier to wear.

But since we have an entire forum for this (i.e. What Kind Of Pearls...), why confine them to a single thread? Some days we have several people asking such a question; if their posts are all on one thread, I could see confusion arising as to which poster we are replying to.

I enjoy replying to posts of folks who have inherited pearls, and I feel we are doing them a real service in helping them to determine what they are, so they can decide what to do with them. Also, at times we have been able to help folks avoid being scammed on eBay or on other sites, and...

If you don't have silver jump rings, use stainless steel ones from a craft store. Or split rings, but I am not a fan of split rings for various reasons.

The easiest thing would be to replace the clasp with another double-strand clasp. But if you like the clasp and want to reuse it, I would use pliers (2 pairs) to remove the little triangular findings that have all the knots in them. I would then use a tarnish-removing cloth to wipe the tarnish...

Those are imitation pearls whose coating is cracked. I would pass on these.

Say, @Relaxedmallard, it occurs to me you may enjoy taking the CPAA's pearl course, Pearls As One. You can take it for free with a code, which I will message you. You will learn a great deal about pearls!

Not exactly, but cultured pearls are usually nucleated in some way. (Exceptions described below.) Nucleated means the pearl was cultured by implanting a nucleus inside the mussel or oyster. Usually it means bead nucleated. Akoyas, SSP, Tahitians, Cortez pearls, Fijian pearls, and increasingly...

Thank you 2thdktr. I only wish more people would ask for a 2nd opinion before buying, as the OP did.

I wish you well in your endeavor!

Gimp is the common word for French wire, which is a tiny tube/coil of flat thin metal. You cut a little piece (about 1/4") off with wire cutters and string it onto the needle and thread just before you attach the clasp. When you back-knot through the end pearls to secure the clasp, the little...