Hi,
Am very new to this, but my uncle wanted to have a brooch left behind by my grandmother assessed. Would appreciate the help!
1. Do the pearls feel slightly gritty or smooth when rubbed gently against your tooth or against another pearl?
If they are gritty, they are likely to be real nacre (genuine pearls.) If they feel smooth, they are likely imitation pearls.
gritty
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.
3. Any history you can give us about the pearls. Where/when you or your relative got them, any documentation you have (receipts, appraisals), their price range if you know it, etc.
Believed to have been acquired by my grandparents in the 1950s in the Southern Philippines, from the deep sea divers through Sulu merchants, made by local artisans. Some info I’ve found about the Sulu pearl divers :
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ag122e/AG122E04.htm
https://books.google.com.ph/books?i...X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=sulu pearls&f=false
4. Describe any marks on the clasp. These may be numbers (14K, 585, 750, 925 etc.) or brand names or even pictures.
None, except the BEC initials that are engraved. These are my grandmother’s initials.
5. Measure the pearls, with a millimeter ruler if possible. If they are graduated, measure the largest and smallest pearls.
width : 38mm
length : 58mm
thickness : 19mm
Am very new to this, but my uncle wanted to have a brooch left behind by my grandmother assessed. Would appreciate the help!
1. Do the pearls feel slightly gritty or smooth when rubbed gently against your tooth or against another pearl?
If they are gritty, they are likely to be real nacre (genuine pearls.) If they feel smooth, they are likely imitation pearls.
gritty
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.
3. Any history you can give us about the pearls. Where/when you or your relative got them, any documentation you have (receipts, appraisals), their price range if you know it, etc.
Believed to have been acquired by my grandparents in the 1950s in the Southern Philippines, from the deep sea divers through Sulu merchants, made by local artisans. Some info I’ve found about the Sulu pearl divers :
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ag122e/AG122E04.htm
https://books.google.com.ph/books?i...X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=sulu pearls&f=false
4. Describe any marks on the clasp. These may be numbers (14K, 585, 750, 925 etc.) or brand names or even pictures.
None, except the BEC initials that are engraved. These are my grandmother’s initials.
5. Measure the pearls, with a millimeter ruler if possible. If they are graduated, measure the largest and smallest pearls.
width : 38mm
length : 58mm
thickness : 19mm
