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The full article shared by Kari Anderson, which discusses the process and sale of these 'Pearls'... Buddha Blister Pearls The following information is from a 1908 publication. They used several forms of matrices or nuclei, but principally spheres of nacre and bits of flat metal or molded...

Thank you all for your comments. It is set in Gold but I've not been able to test the carat as shortly after I bought this last week I tripped and broke my patella, so am sofa bound. I believe it dates to around 1900. The CW mark, i believe is the workshop/artisan mark for Cumwo, Queens Road...

Hello Pearly peeps! I thought some of you might like to see my latest find... I'm not sure how old it is and I've not tested the carat of the metal yet, but it is Gold and marked to the reverse 'CW'... these were probably made in some numbers, but I'm pretty pleased with it :-)

Thank you, i did first assume they were CFWP from a broken necklace... and then learned they weren't drilled and it caught my interest enough to post here. But you're right...too many same size and shape to be anything else.

Thank you Pearl Dreams! I certainly thought it was a curious find, especially as they're all roughly the same size... 'wishing pearls' they could well be...

Hello there Pearl People! I've been away from the forum for quite a while but I thought I'd share a find which a friend of mine made in a French river... they are undrilled and had collected against the riverbank. I've not seen them other than in this photo but considered this perhaps a rare...

They HAVE got some awesome pieces!! Oh wow! Thank you for that :D

Thank you so much for your thoughts, Orient... it's such fun being a Pearl detective! I think this is the natural state of the Pearls as it covers the entire surface, even that guarded by the mount. It may be entirely irrelevant but on a Google search I found a GIA article discusses that some...

Hello there fellow Pearlers! I've a new vintage find which has some curious features and is beyond my knowledge of Pearls, so I'm wondering if any of you clever peeps can tell anything from these pics? The Pearls are rather bulbous in their setting and the two end ones are pear shaped with...

Hi MSC! Thank you, yes it's very true that this information would be difficult to verify without the shell to confirm. I've only used small labs in the UK before, and they usually state Salt or FW but very little else. I've just googled, and it appears IGL labs state mollusk, shape, size, body...

Hello there Pearlfriends! This may well have been asked a few times before, but does anyone know which of the labs now show species ID on their certificates? I was assuming the Swiss lab did, but apparently not now..... Thank you in anticipation.

Yes, they seem to have sheen but little depth of lustre.

I'm really chuffed Andrea, I've been wanting to find a piece with Scottish freshwater Pearls for a good while but with other Scottish pieces I've seen I've not been sure. It's lovely that it has such a good provenance.

Hello Pearllovers! I've not posted in quite a while, but thought to share my latest find. From a seller who was directed to the shop as 'the lady over the alley likes Pearls', this unassuming little Victorian three Pearl ring. The seller was Scottish and said it was her G-Grandmother's and her...

What a treat! Thanks for sharing these. Such wonderful variation in colour!

It's been a while since I've posted, but I think the mystery is solved... and it does have an aquatic origin. Whilst visiting the jewellery collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, I spied this old amulet which bears a remarkable resemblance to my pendant. It's a dolphin bone...

Swit-swoo!! They ARE lovely together, and bring out each other's uniqueness. What a beautifully mismatched combo! So, the earrings are California mussel pearls?

My thanks, Dave this is so helpful. I have some to test it on so I'll try it on my next free day and let you know how I get on. It could take some time tho' as it was a two row necklace that had been put together. One row is natural, the other is a real mixed selection, some definitely lower...

Thank you Dave, you always give such pertinent comments. I've spent hours minutely examining these strands, comparing them and trying to learn their secrets, but an input from your scientific mind can instantly give a perspective and context it's all too easy to forget in the rush to have an...