Are these real vintage Tahitian pearls?

[cc811]

I was browsing Etsy a while back and saw a listing for a vintage strand of Tahitian pearls that I was tempted to purchase, but was afraid they might not be real Tahitians. I did message the seller and she said they are real and the previous owner had them stored in a safe box. The strand was sold soon after I found the listing. However I am still quite curious as to what pearl experts on this forum think of them. Thanks!

Here is the link to the listing

https://www.etsy.com/listing/205321390/vintage-tahitian-pearl-art-deco-necklace

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Tahitians weren't being cultured in the 1920s.
From the shape and color I think they're dyed freshwater pearls.

 

[jshepherd]

Spot on! They aren't Tahitians and they certainly aren't from the 1920s. They are dyed Chinese freshwater.

 

[kchronister]

On top of what Pearl Dreams says about the pearls (and I agree), the clasp looks modern.

10K Yellow Gold would not have been typical for the period, nor is it stylistically 1920's looking. What it -does- look like is a standard 'filigree' style clasp that's put on thousands of modern strands...

Just as an aside... Whether they're legit or not, the stringing is clearly recent... and who uses white string on black pearls? Bleah.

 

[pearlescence]

All wrong. The pearls are dyed Chinese freshwater - and not even well dyed to resemble Tahtians - the clasp is modern and the stringing has been done in white silk.
What was the price?

 

[cc811]

They looked like freshwater pearls to me too. I did ask the seller if these are dyed freshwater and she said no. That she had sold dyed freshwater before and this strand did not look like it. I also found the colors too saturated to be Tahitians.

I remember the strand cost $400. Which I think is overpriced for freshwater but certainly under priced if they are real Tahitians.

Thanks a lot for all of your inputs.

 

[lisa c]

Whoa! Is that Highway Robbery?

But now I have a question. Surely there were pearls harvested in Tahiti before culturing started, so what did they look like? Or am I totally wrong? Do you think they showed the distinct double colors/halos of today?

or maybe they just looked like mud, or the ones rejected today?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

You mean naturals?

According to Strack's book (page 526), black mother of pearl was being fished in the 1800s-- so it wouldn't seem impossible that an occasional natural pearl might be found in the process (although this isn't mentioned at all; just my conjecture.) Actual culturing began in 1961.

 

[lisa c]

Thank you! Does she mention appearance? Putting it all together, there also must've been a few gorgeous ones showing up, or nobody would've been inspired to farm them. Doh! Sometimes the little connections pass me by, have to circle my brain for a while before they register.

Also, Mary of Scotland had a black pearl necklace. I doubt royalty would wear muddy boring pearls...still feeling grateful we live in sumptuous pearl-times.

 

[whicker]

Remember that the Sea of Cortez pearls were found on both sides of the Americas in the beginning, so Mary's black pearls may have been those varieties.

 

[lisa c]

Yeah, I remember that from Douglas's talk at the Ruckus - the Sea of Cortez pearls were the original South Sea pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Lisa, not pearls but mother of pearl-- that is, the insides of the shells was what was valued and harvested in the 1800s.

 

[lisa c]

Oops! Thank you.