Curious about late 1960 strand of pearls- unusual clasp

[Guy]

Hello everyone...so I bought this strand of pearls off of Ebay. Fun to look at vintage strands and every now and then come upon a decent strand to restring.
Sonewhat knowledgeable on pearls, but this strand has me curiously puzzeled. The marking on the unusual spring clasp is simply a patent number from 1967. So I can date them,but beyond that I am,uncertain.
They've a nice narcre..a few are dull..but the lions share glimmer beautifully. They shade is deep creamy with under tones of yellow/gold. They are all irregular and measure 5mm. Knotted in between, so whomever strung them felt them worthy of taking the time to keep them separate.
I've attached pictures, difficult to capture their hue as they change depending on the lighting.
Any thoughts would be aporeciated. Many of you are far more knowledgeable than I am.
Thanks Guy

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Guy! What you have is a strand of baroque cultured akoya pearls.

They tend to have thin nacre, so when you restring them, you may want to omit the ones that are dull, and also any that may have chipped nacre where the bead underneath is visible.

These can be fun pearls to get creative with, but they do not tend to be durable because of the thin nacre.

Here is what I did with a similar strand:

 

[pattye]

Guy, welcome!

Nice find and great clasp! Strand looks long enough that culling out a few dull pearls won't make much difference in length. Your pretty akoyas will look amazing after restringing.

 

[BWeaves]

I agree, they are baroque akoyas. However, what I want to talk about is the clasp. I have that exact clasp on a bunch of gold necklaces from one particular custom jeweler. She did not make your necklace, but she's the only person I've ever seen use that clasp. Last time I saw her she said she couldn't find that clasp anymore.

It's a neat clasp in that you don't have to open it with your fingers or fingernails. You just press the non-spring side of the clasp down against the outside of little thingie and the two parts snap together. To undo, you just press the non-spring side of the clasp down against the inside of little thingie and they unsnap. No fingernails needed. Once you get the hang of it, it's super easy and secure. I hope all that made sense.

 

[Guy]

Thank you ladies for sharing your expertise on this string of pearls. Yes I will subtract those dullards that distract from the other shimmering pearls. Appreciate the compliments on the pearls. They turned out to be quite the little jewels; the pictures the seller provided did not do them justice. If it had not been for the unusual clasp I might well have not purchased the string.

Speaking of the clasp, agreed it is quite the conversation point unto itself. Very pleased with the tidy operating mechanism; simplistic elegance.

Great image of the creatively reworked baroque akoyas. We pearl fanciers are a creative group. Once again my thanks. I've followed pearl guide over the years and knew coming to the site would solve the mystery.

Enjoy the beauty of the day.. Guy