Clueless on this one...

[CharmedOne]

I have had this for a few weeks now and I'm totally stumped on what this could be. I have found some pearls online that look pretty close to it but nothing definitive. I rescued this from a gem jar in a little antique shop. Its 18k and it used to have an old cut diamond bail but it was removed when the pearl was dropped and made into another piece of jewelry. You can see the crack it has in a couple of the photos and where the crack is, I can see a purple layer of nacre with my loupe where the top layer came off. The pearl has some interesting colors, its greyish, off white with some bits of purple and its gets darker grey towards the top. It is hard to photograph but when I turn it the colors seem to be coming from deeper inside the pearl, kinda like 3D. I see a lot of bronze, some purple. Even though it has a crack in it, I had to buy it. I probably paid to much lol. I have worn it everyday since I bought it and I am looking for a nicer bail to put on it since it has none. So what kind of pearl do you think it is? Thanks so much. ~d

 

[pattye]

Wow, Charmed One, that is one lustrous pearl! Clearly from the 18k treatment it was considered relatively valuable when new, although gold wouldn't have been so expensive back then. What is the approx size?

1. No mop bead inside, so likely not cultured

2. From the color and possible age could be American natural (fresh water)


Do you mean it had an old mine cut diamond on the bail?

 

[CharmedOne]

Hi Pattye!

Yes, it used to have one is what I was told. It just has a jump ring as a bail now. It is 18MM by 8MM.

 

[CharmedOne]

I'm not sure what kinda of old cut diamond it was. I was just told it had an old diamond bail. ~d

 

[GemGeek]

It's very, very beautiful. Might be natural, but no one here can prove that. I say you should give it the lovely bail it deserves and continue to enjoy it every day.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That is one really beautiful pearl!

 

[Caitlin]

Are the cracks kind of under the surface? I have a large baroque natural pearl with a crack under the surface.They occur naturally, though I have never seen such on cultured pearls. (Maybe GG has.) Pearls don't crack from being dropped. They just don't. I am inclined to think it is a natural pearl from the Persian Gulf. It really sets my radar off. high carat gold, a diamond. That pearl was given a lot more value than the findings on most old American freshwaters.
Keep wearing it! I would too!

 

[CharmedOne]

Thank you all so much. I will continue to wear it and I am determined to find a nicer bail.

Caitlin, yes it does have a few cracks under the surface. I was wondering if the cracks underneath the nacre were from a fall too. Thank you for the insight on the cracks, I dropped it last night and I thought I caused the cracks underneath the nacre. But then again I drop everything lol. Thanks again ~d

 

[CharmedOne]

Now that I am home, I got a good look at it with the loupe and it has one crack underneath the nacre. The other one I thought was a crack, was a little surface scratch. Since I have been wearing it everyday I was wondering, is it a bad thing to sleep with it on? I have forgotten to take it off a few times, so I thought I would ask about it. Thanks ~d

 

[Naan]

Pendant is very beautiful. This interesting designe is good reason to wear it every day with every kind of dress .

 

[CharmedOne]

Thank you Naan