Antique Pearl Collar

[IzzBuzz]

On Monday, I was given a lovely antique pearl collar by my father. He lives halfway across the world now and I haven't seen him in years (though we do talk every night), and his gift was a complete surprise.

Apparently the pearls belonged to my great-great grandmother, though I've yet to confirm this. I'll ask my grandmother when I see her this weekend. Anyways, they're absolutely gorgeous, even if they're a bit (an inch or two, she must have had a tiny neck!) too small.

I went to a jewelers (my mother swears by them when it comes to pearls) the other day, and I was absolutely not taken seriously. I suppose seeing a sixteen-year-old with a piece of jewelery other than a cheap, costume piece must have been quite surprising to them. Despite the fact that I'd researched pearls for a few days (mostly on this forum) and asked specific questions, including what kind of pearls they were, I got, "Oh, those are pearls". They insisted that they were simply pearls, and that pearls were pearls were pearls were pearls. I think they wanted to get rid of me.

I'll have my mother go back with them, alone, and see what they tell her. Anyways! Here it is, I love it very much.



I think they need to be re-knotted (the knots seem very large to me, although I don't know too much about knot sizes, anyways). My mom suggested having it restrung into four rows so that there would be enough pearls to go around my neck, but she didn't quite see that the clasp has five little loops for a strand. Oh well. I suppose that whenever I find out what kind of pearls they are, I can purchase some extras and have them incorporated in.

This is the first piece of pearl jewelery I've ever owned (hopefully not for long! I've got my eye on some lavender Freshadama earrings), and I've fallen in love with their luster and mystique.

 

[Nerida]

Hi IzzBizz and welcome.

Lucky you! The collar is gorgeous, and yes, most older pieces were indeed quite tiny.

The pearls are akoya pearls (probably Japanese grown), and it would be interesting to see when/where they were originally purchased. They are in quite good condition, and it would be fabulous to see the piece restrung. It wouldn't be possible for you to just purchase more akoya pearls to restring the piece to a longer length - these pearls change their colour over time, and they would have to be very well matched. The other thought, is that they may be good imitations, but judging from the colour variations in your piece, I am thinking this is less likely. Do try the 'tooth test' though! Other clues would be if there are any hallmarks or other stampings on your clasp. Can you post closeup photos of the reverse side of the clasp also?

You could try to email one of our members, Sueki, who no longer actively posts on the forum - she is an expert in antique jewellery in the UK, and her advice would be useful to you. You could find her contact details by searching the 'members' files and email her directly.

Oh, by the way, I don't think I would take the pearls back to the same jewellers. Most jewellers really don't know too much about pearls, and judging by the comments you have had already from them, I would imagine that is the case with this store!

enjoy your pearls - I think your Dad is pretty clever to have passed them on to you! It is a lovely piece - I hope you get to wear it yourself someday. And good luck with the lavender earrings, too!

 

[IzzBuzz]

Oh! I'm from Long Island, New York. I suppose I should have mentioned that earlier. It slipped my mind.

That's actually really interesting that they are Akoyas, I didn't know that those were being cultured back around the time my father tells me the collar is from. He told me it was at least a hundred and fifty years old, but I can't even fathom that. Supposedly it was my great-great-grandmother's wedding gift.

Anyways, thank you so much for helping me out! I can't thank you enough, I've been going nuts all week over this. So I'll say it again, thank you!

 

[pattye]

Izzbuzz,

Welcome! Sounds like you have great taste in pearls, and it is sad to hear of your unfortunate experience at the jewelers. It is also possible you have learned so much here already you know more than the jewelers, who often do not know much about pearls.

What a fortunate young woman you are! That is a lovely necklace! You are wise to find out as much as possible from your Grandmother. It would be great to know approx when they were purchased, perhaps a gift for a special occasion. Perhaps there is even a photo of your Great Grandmother wearing the necklace.

To me, they appear very round and are the rich creamy color of aged akoya pearls. Likely they would have thicker nacre than found on most akoya pearls these days. And how very special that it's a gift from your Father. Did they come in the original box?

In person, do you see slight variation in color as appears in the photo?

Btw, you take great photos! I can't quite tell what the stones in the gorgeous clasp are, diamonds? Are there any markings on the back of the clasp? Or on the insert? If so, a photo would be great. And perhaps a few more close up photos of the pearls themselves.

As for the knots, it's possible the holes are slightly larger than they would be drilled today, so knotted on heavier silk. Can you estimate the size of the pearls? They seem to me about 5-5.5 mm.

Are you in the US? It may not be easy to find matching pearls, but others here on the forum know much more about antique jewelry than I do. It might be possible to incorporate some gemstones if matching pearls cannot be found, yes, I agree, it might not hang right with only 4 strands. Another option would be to use smaller pearls toward the clasp especially if you would be wearing it in the back, although I suspect this necklace would be worn with the clasp in front.

Be sure you have really good photos of your necklace and know how many pearls are on it before you leave it for restringing anywhere. Might also consider if you do have it restrung and lengthened, saving a couple of pearls to have earrings made.

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

 

[pattye]

Nerida, that's great, we were both posting at the same time and pretty much the same conclusions!

Where were your relatives living about the time the pearls were purchased?

I actually prefer rubbing two pearls gently against each other, I can feel the slight gritty-ness through my fingers better than rubbing on my tooth! (So much for old teeth.)

 

[balipearl]

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[pattye]

Just another thought--estimating when your Great-Great Grandmother might have been born, maybe late 1800's or early 1900's, so the necklace is probably a bit less than 150 years old.

 

[GemGeek]

Good commentary and gorgeous pearls. Also consider that the clasp may be older than the pearls. I'd love to see them restrung into a double-strand or a rope that you could wear doubled, or down to your waist. Putting those pearls into a style that you would wear more frequently would be the best thank-you that you could give your Dad. And if you love the clasp, you can have a jeweler convert it into a brooch. Just some thoughts....

Thanks for sharing!

 

[IzzBuzz]

I went to visit my grandmother this weekend, and she had quite a bit of information about them! However, she's become very senile. She was sprouting off random bits of information that were so random, nobody quite knew what to say to her. So, this is what I found out, although she may not be correct, since her memory has been failing her.

The pearls were her mother in law's engagement present, most likely purchased in 1911, in either New York City or Paris. She wasn't quite sure, she couldn't remember. Since my great-grandmother (I thought she was my great-great grandmother, but it seems much more likely she was my great-grandmother) was born in the 1880s, this seems pretty likely. My grandmother was born in 1917, and I'm unsure of when my grandfather (the son of the woman who owned these pearls) was born.

She claims that they are South Sea peals, but from what I've read, it seems very unlikely. They don't quite look like South Seas, nor are they the distinctive size.

She's not too sure if the clasp was replaced or not. If it had been, it would have been in the 1940s. From what she remembered, one strand of her mother-in-law's broke around the 1940s and all the pearls fell off, but I personally doubt it was this strand. The knots would have prevented that, I believe. I would think that if a strand was unknotted, there would be wear around the drill-holes, and there isn't, at least not that I can see.

She did claim that there were diamonds in the clasp. This surprised me. Then she claimed that the clasp might be platinum (which would explain why it is so shiny. That's partly why I don't think the clasp was the original - it looks so bright).

I honestly have no idea if her claims are true. Like I mentioned, her memory hasn't been too great lately. My mom says I'll have to go back to that jewelry store, which I really don't want to do.

I can get more pictures later today, and I will. Thank you so much for all of your help, I greatly appreciate it!

 

[lisa c]

It's beautiful! and for a 16yr-old you're quite on the ball! I hope I don't sound condescending, I'm filled with admiration - for any age, you're quite on the ball, first for your researching on P-G, next for your logical examination of the drill holes, clasp, etc.

I have a feeling we've just been introduced to a budding enthusiast, a future Pearl-Guider, guys.

 

[lisa c]

"...if you love the clasp, you can have a jeweler convert it into a brooch."

Ooooh, what about converting it into a shortener if you make the choker into a long necklace, or an enhancer? and don't forget bracelets! If you have a bracelet, you can gaze at the changing colors as frequently as you like.