11mm PEARLS - WHAT ARE THEY?

[Bodecia]

Hi All,

I have been asked to identify these pearls. They were sold as one thing to the owner and I don't want to guess so I am hoping the experts will jump in and give their best opinions. I know you guys will know for sure.

They are around 11 mm in size and one photo is of a necklace. The other pearls came from the same strand but the pearls on the necklace were cherry picked so naturally are a little better. Naturally some blemishes etc.

But please can you let the owner know what type of pearls they are. I think the photos are good enough to tell.

Thanks All. Have been off line again but am trying to find time to get back on. Really need help on this one.

Bye, Dawn

 

[jshepherd]

Hi Dawn,

They are freshwater pearls.

 

[Bodecia]

Thanks Jeremy,

Knew you were going to say that but was hoping for the owner's sake that you weren't. I didn't want to influence anyone who was lurking so didn't say what I thought. That was very fast. I didn't expect an answer for a few hours. It must be mid-afternoon in America or are you jetting around the world at the moment?

Thanks so much. My friend really needed expert advise and you are surely that.

Dawn

 

[pearlescence]

I am nothing like as expert as JS but I would agree..freshwaters. Very similar to some I got in recently and have both strung up as strand necklaces and made into tincups
good lustre and rose overglow on the majority

 

[Bodecia]

Thanks pearlescence, glad you got some nice pearls. I am thinking of doing some tin cups soon. I have been working on a commission piece and need to use gold wire and although it won't be tin cup it will be big stations. If that is the right way to put it. Also plan to do some tin cups very soon. Does anyone know where the expression Tin Cups came from?

Dawn

 

[Caitlin]

Maybe 2-3 opinions are better. In that case, I would say that the off-round shapes could not be duplicated with a bead nucleus.

Therefore no nucleus used. No nucleus used, therefore it has to be cultured freshwater pearls-

which happen to be my favorite cultured pearls. Look at the natural shapes, lovely luster --neither akoyas or south sea pearls have that kind of luster, ever. They each have their own recognizable kind of luster.

 

[Bodecia]

Thanks for that Tin Cup reference Jeremy. I wondered about it and actually did see that movie years ago.

Caitlin thanks. Yes the shape on some was a give away. I just didn't want to be the one who said 100% that they were FW .. Yes, we know you love your Klonks I have some really big chocolate FW klonks but I don't like the colour. I will have to list them. I love Greys and Blues but not Chocolate in pearls. The other SS pearls I asked about a week ago arrived and I have already started working with them. They are SS and not bad at all. Must find time to start listing again and reading the posts. I must have missed a ton of good information.

Funny Chinese Lady ) I will email soon. When I get up this afternoon. Once again I haven't been to bed .. will catch up very soon.

Dawn

 

[KAC]

Caitlin thanks. Yes the shape on some was a give away

Exactly, a couple are postive give aways!

 

[Nerida]

Hi Dawn - I came in late to this - what are you doing staying up all night!! Definitely FW's, but what I really wanted to say was how pretty the necklace is - did you make it? If so - fantastic - it looks lovely!

 

[jerin]

Hi everyone,

I haven?t had time to read the forum yesterday so I am very late to the party but I thought that several of the pearls look round to the eye. A possible way to recognize them might be the fact that every drillhole does look clean, no peeling anywhere, if this had been Akoyas, they would have had real thick nacre around the nucleus to look so good!

Darn it, it is only now that I realize that they are 11 mm so they would supposedly be South Seas! Well they don?t show the "satiny" look of South Seas and if they are that round, the price might be very steep!

 

[pattye]

Hi Dawn,

I'm guessing your customer was hoping these pearls were South Sea? Very unlikely to be Akoya at that size. Looks like a very pretty necklace with sapphires interspersed too!

Pattye
so many pearls,so little time

 

[airdancer]

I noticed that the camera captures a lot of differences between FW show up differently from SSP. Sometimes I can't tell from sight but a picture launch a thousand slips.