18" Japanese Cultured Pearl Necklace

[jeffh4]

Just found this 18" strand of Japanese cultured pearls. They are consistently around 7.8 mm in size ( +/- about .1 mm). The company Daigo Boeki was founded in 1952 and from the Typeface, I'm thinking this necklace was made in the late 50's.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Interesting! I had never heard of Daigo Boeki but found their website: http://www.daigo-boeki.com/Home-Top.htm

It looks like nowadays they major in imitation pearls and beads, but they also seem to still have a cultured pearl section of the business.

 

[jeffh4]

I saw the same site and wrorte them a note. They've been in business since 1952, so this wouldn't quite be a "occupied Japan" product (the US signed a treaty to give the country back 1n 1951). I asked if they could put a date range on when this was made. I'll let everyone know if I get a response.

Another cool aspect is that my dad took his then new bride to Japan in the early 60's and I even have some 8mm film of them visiting a pearl shop, with my mom trying on necklaces. Man the hairdos back then! The sight of a tall Scandanavian blonde in their shop must have been a memorable event back then! To think that she could have seen a necklace much like this one is pretty neat!

 

[jeffh4]

I got a response back from DAIGO Boeki, Inc.

-----

I investigated it internally in our company.
I've been working here for 25 years but, I've never seen this kind of certificate nor a pearl necklace in the box.
My boss also is here to work for more than 35 years but, he does not know them either.

There are no other people working here older than us so, as our company, Daigo Boeki does not have any record about this kind of necklace nor certificate of guarantee, unfortunately.

Sorry for that I could not give you any historical records on it as we really do not know it.

Thank you and best regards
Daigo Boeki
Yuki Miyamoto

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This response makes me suspect the strand consists of fake pearls rather than cultured pearls. Either that or this strand is very old (early 50's).

How can I determine if these are genuine or not? If needed, I can take these to a jeweler.

Thanks,

 

[Pearl Dreams]

You could take the strand to a jeweler if you don't have a 10x loupe (magnifier.) If you ask to use their loupe to look at the pearls, I can't imagine they would object. The surface of real pearls is much smoother than the surface of imitations. If you have a known real pearl for comparison, or a known imitation, it helps. In any case the jeweler should have some real cultured pearls on hand to compare with.

Many people rub two of the pearls gently together to see if they are rough (real) or smooth (fake) but I hate doing this myself; I'm afraid of damaging the pearls. Same goes for the tooth test (real pearls feel rough against the tooth.)

I have to admit when I first saw the photo of the strand I thought it might not be real, because the pearls are so very uniform in shape, size and luster and there are no overtones in your photo.

 

[jeffh4]

Got some more info from Daigo Boeki

----

Dear Sir,

I investigated it internally in our company.
I've been working here for 25 years but, I've never seen this kind of certificate nor a pearl necklace in the box.
My boss also is here to work for more than 35 years but, he does not know them either.

There are no other people working here older than us so, as our company, Daigo Boeki does not have any record about this kind of necklace nor certificate of guarantee, unfortunately.

Sorry for that I could not give you any historical records on it as we really do not know it.

Thank you and best regards
Daigo Boeki
Yuki Miyamoto

 

[jeffh4]

So I got out my 10x loupe and took a good look at the pearls in the necklace. Does it have characteristics that are more likely for a necklace of faux or cultured pearls?

- Visible grain on the surface (vote for faux)
- No crazing or banding on pearls (faux)
- No variation in color between pearls (faux)
- Where worn off, there is a hard, round interior that appears to be plastic (faux)
- Coating is very thin (faux)
- Knots between every pearl (cultured)
- Pearl beads are dented inwards at the drill holes, indicating that the plastic beads were pre-drilled before the iredescent coating was applied (faux)

Comparing the grain to another cultured pearl necklace (from a reputable dealer) confirmed my suspicions. I paid $30 for a faux pearl necklace at a garage sale.

Oh, well. My two little girls will have a blast with it!

One thing surprised me, though. I looked for examples of 10x loupe magnification of faux, natural, and cultured pearls on the web and couldn't find them anywhere. Does anyone know where these might be?

Thanks everyone for your insight.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

It's good that you were able to look at them close-up and come to a conclusion about them. If you visit more garage sales, take the loupe along!

Here's an idea...save them for when your girls are a bit older and need some costume jewelry for school plays they may be in. My daughter has worn some of my fakes in shows.

 

[Marianne]

There are some good comparison tips and a photo of cultured and fake pearls side by side under 10X magnification in Renee Newman's Pearl Buying Guide 5th Edition. The best way to learn the difference is to practice by looking at lots and lots of pearls..... ah such a chore

 

[Caitlin]

That is a great idea! Maybe someone will do it!!