Clueless on inherited pearls - Post 1

[jayce]

What a wonderful forum to find! My 91 year old aunt died and being the only woman among the heirs I was handed two sets of pearls. I know NOTHING about pearls and am uncertain if they have no value or some value and how to proceed with them.

See Photos and see if anyone has any input or whether there is any more info I can provide. This is set 1, they are about 17" long and the pearls are decreasing in size with the largest in the center being approximately 7mm.

Thank you in advance!

 

[jayce]

Clueless on inherited pearls - Post 2

Clueless on inherited pearls - Post 2

From post 1, I inherited 2 sets of pearls upon the death of my 91 year old aunt. I know nothing and am uncertain if they have no value or some value and how to proceed with them.

The second set is approximately 22" long and the pearls are all approximately 6 mm.

Again, thank you in advance!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi jayce and welcome to Pearl-Guide!

I'm going to copy and paste some of the questions from the sticky at the top of this forum.

1. Do the pearls feel slightly gritty or smooth when rubbed gently against another pearl (or against the edge of your tooth, if there is only one pearl?) Please rub gently!
If they are gritty, they are likely to be real nacre (genuine pearls.) If they feel smooth, they are likely imitation pearls.

2. Please provide clear, in-focus photos without flash against a white background (a paper towel works nicely.)
Include close-ups of the clasp (front and back) and a few of the pearls. If there are flaws, include a photo of those. Also the box they came in, and tags if you have them.

4. Describe any marks on the clasp. These may be numbers (14K, 585, 750, 925 etc.) or brand names or even pictures. If the clasp has stones, have you had them tested, or do you have documentation about what they are?

Pearls are harder to evaluate when against a non-white background, so please take some new photos.

 

[jayce]

You can say, "hey dummy follow the directions (which I obviously didn't read!), I won't be offended".

I will post better pictures tomorrow, on a white back ground. It just started to storm here in Michigan and my house is very dark to try to get them without a flash now.

I will do the same for my second post and second set. Thank you.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I merged your two threads so all discussion on these pearls can be on one thread.

Also if you happen to have a loupe (10x magnifier) look closely at the surface of the pearls. Real nacre looks very smooth, while imitation pearls look coarse on 10x magnification. However it is important to give the pearls a bath or wipe them clean before looking at the surface as grime can affect how they look-- or feel.

 

[BWeaves]

Clamshell box on the first necklace is adorable.

These both look like akoya pearls with a very generic fishhook clasp.

The graduated strand has been very well worn given the barrel shapes of some of the pearls near the clasp. The whole strand looks like it's been worn alot and could use a nice gentle bath and a restringing.

The second strand looks newer and in better condition.

Neither strand will bring you much money if you want to sell them as pearls do not have a high resale value. I would restring them and enjoy wearing them.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

I would say the first to be from the 50's, maybe a bit earlier, and second later maybe 60's
First look like really worn akoya, the smallest barrel shaped seem to show the nuclei here and there.
second look like cheap akoya, with typical akoya defect making some extra thickness here and there.
The first could be enhanced, restringed removing damaged pearls sdly it would shorten it a bit and 17" is already quite short for a pearl necklace.
However, small pearls are easy to find, if you want to keep it for sentimental value, it's still possible to find a used small sized pearl necklace and make a new one from 2 different necklaces.
You can also make a 15", depending on how many pearls to remove and make a still wearable necklace.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

You could also make a bracelet using the best of the pearls.

 

[jayce]

Thank you all for the input. I think you are spot on about the dates. I noticed the barrel shaped pearls and wondered why they were like that.

Both clasps say 14K with a C after them.

I am not a pearl kind of girl but I have two lovely daughter-in-laws that might like them so I will look at having the first set restrung