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Dave, thank you so much for taking the time to compose such a thorough explanation. It's really good to hear what you are looking for when trying to learn about a pearl from candling. It did look to me as though it was freshwater as the lustre looks almost thin and not as opaque in natural light...

I'm wondering if I can pick your brains on this 5mm bouton-shaped pearl which was in with a box of loose antique pearls I bought some time ago? It should have some age to it as all the rest were Georgian/Victorian vintage. Dependent on what it is, it may be perfect to sit in the centre of an...

I think I'm guilty of posting dirty old Pearl pics too! These ones have really gorgeous lustre don't they?

That's an amazing piece! I'm with you, Nora...I'd say they're saltwater from India, in what would have been the 'English' colonies. I think also the date is round about right. A little while ago I had to rethread just one row of a four-row necklace similar to this (customer had bought to give...

Ooh, gorgeous!!! Thank you for the pics Andrea, it's good to see the pieces in relation to other objects, really helpful for judging the size. Lucky you, seeing them 'in person'...but don't you just want to grab them and try them on?!

Wow! Love the gorgeous goldy tones. Thank you for sharing them.

Welcome, Icelover! I'm particularly happy to meet a new member who loves natural pearls. Thank you for sharing these wonderful pieces with us. I'm almost speechless with pearl-lust! Are these older pieces, and if so, do you know anything of their provenance?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30042226

I'm aware of the current hallmarking legislation, but this item was made prior to 1975. Gemset pieces were exempt until 1975 ( I would say perhaps 95% of the prior to 1975 gemset rings etc. we sell in our shop have no hallmark, often just a stamp denoting the carat). Amendments were made to the...

Hehe.....Interesting to read your reactions to this piece! To add my 'ten pence worth'....it looks totally genuine to me. Tay pearls did (and still do) exist...and are to be found in jewellery, particularly Victorian period pieces. Is there anyone who can prove that it is a Tay pearl? It...

This rare and lovely pearl is too good not to share..can't seem to put the link in, but anybody interested should be able to find it by searching for Tay Pearl

Oh MY!! They're so lovely...particularly the variation in colour and shape through the last two strands. I know next to nothing about new pearls, but now I'm feeling I need more exposure to these beauties!

It's a snake chain isn't it? The pearls would slide if they weren't fixed somehow....seems quite likely they're glued. If so, one way would be to re-glue...not a very elegant solution, but these station necklaces are usually jointed with a link through the pearl.

Oh wow....they ARE beautiful!!!!! I just want to have them in my hand :-)

Pearlies....thank you all for your responses. Your positive opinions are much appreciated...I feel I'm getting my eye in now!! I'll carry on my search for a suitable clasp, which seems to be the most difficult thing to track down! These were passed to me by the dealer who was selling them...

KiwiPaul, Thank you....I've candled them (tho' I didn't take any pics to show), and they're translucent. Are natural pearls often a mixture of nacreous and non-nacreous do you know? The non-nacreous areas are like 'caps' on either end around the drill hole. It's something I've seen before on...

Hello there fellow pearlers! I'm just looking for opinions on this two-row antique necklace which I bought recently. It looks natural to me, but almost all the pearls have flattened, filed ends, some with non-nacreous elements to them. Are they just very poor quality? When I bought them they...

Glad you enjoyed them... The back is messy, I think it's been repaired.....there's an awful lot of glue in there too!! I just googled 'catgut'...it's quite a process...and animal lovers, rest easy...there don't seem to be any cats involved! The flower rings all have apertures at the back for...

Paul....won't let me post the pics in my PM...so here they are. Helen

Thanks pearlies!! I thought it looked like a nice quality pearl...I've seen so few American FW in person, so to speak, to compare it to, but I'm definitely keeping this one. Its on a super-long chain, which makes it hang midriff...very Edwardian :-)