I got these from my great aunt in 1980, I believe she bought them 50 years before than. The only marking on the clasp says Japan. They have a slight grit to them. They are 54 inches long. Any idea or help would be appreciated. I see no flaking, or anything that would give me a clue they were fake, for as old as they are. Thanks for the great site!
Can you help real or fake?
- Thread starter Skgroom
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Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
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- Sep 24, 2007
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Grime can also make a pearl seem a bit gritty. They look extremely uniform to me, in size, color, shape. At first glance I thought they looked imitation. The apparently base metal clasp also argues for imitation, as does the way the clasp is attached.
I suggest wiping them clean carefully with a damp soft cloth, then trying again to rub one gently against another.
You can also visit a jeweler and ask to use their loupe to look close up at the surface. Real nacre is very smooth at 10x magnification, while imitation coating is coarser looking. If in doubt, compare by looking with the loupe at a strand of known-real pearls the jeweler is selling-- or with another, known-imitation strand.
I suggest wiping them clean carefully with a damp soft cloth, then trying again to rub one gently against another.
You can also visit a jeweler and ask to use their loupe to look close up at the surface. Real nacre is very smooth at 10x magnification, while imitation coating is coarser looking. If in doubt, compare by looking with the loupe at a strand of known-real pearls the jeweler is selling-- or with another, known-imitation strand.
