Could these be something special?

Emmamae

Community member
Joined
Nov 13, 2018
Messages
25
Hi Everyone,
I purchased these 1950s earrings and as I looked them over I wondered why would someone put such blemished pearls into a heavy well made 14k gold settings? I wounded, Could these pearls be something special?
what are your thoughts?
best,
Amelia
ps. The hole blemish is usually hidden by the backing, I had to rotate the Pearl to show it.
 

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Here are some better color pics from a video I shot of them. For whatever reason my iPhone video captures their color better.
 

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Off-hand - and please, anyone correct me! - I am thinking blue Akoya. I have a friend who showed me a few blue Akoya pearls she had from way before anyone paid any attention to them and hers had blemishes too. I am also pretty that gold was much cheaper back then. I even have a ring that looks like the design is from the 1980s and it is incredibly heavy. No one would use that much gold today.

- Karin
 
Interesting find :)
But looking at the pearl they look like baroque Akoya, actually...part of the bluish color there is due to protein deposits under the outer nacre layer. What I find fascinating is that one of the pearls has a large dark protein deposit that I am almost sure it is the original mantle tissue (saibo) that was introduced to form the pearl sac, sometimes that part becomes over-enveloped by the sac and ends up trapped.
 
Thanks for the detailed answer, I truly appreciate it! It’s interesting to look at the pearls from that perspective and learn how these colors are formed.
best,
Amelia
 
It is...and pearls like to "tell their story" if we take the time to "hear them" :)
 
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