Deltah Pearls,,,

[Bugsy]

Deltah Pearls
American freshwater pearls
Early 1920s,,,
Any information appreciated,,,

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They are imitation pearls. Cool find, though! 100 years old!

 

[jshepherd]

Here is some of the history - http://jewelers.imperialpearl.com/Imperial/Imperial-Company-history-ext.asp . Deltah is known as Imperial Deltah today. They no longer sell simulated pearls. They are a well-known cultured pearl dealer.

 

[Bugsy]

Thank you for your replies,,, from what I can ascertain, cultured pearls were the specialty until much later with 'imperial' involvement and change to 'simulated' under their control,,, also manufactured ruby's etc,,, I believe the 1920s pearls were cultured,,, additionally, I may have confused the 3 strand with a single strand which is probably original tenant of the Deltah case,,, (which I also have)

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Do post a photo of the other strand!

The card says "produced in Heller laboratories". This indicates imitation pearls. Real pearls are not produced in laboratories, nor are they "indestructible and insoluble".

The color and luster of the pearls in that 3-strand necklace are extremely uniform (typical of imitations) and there are no overtones as one would expect with real pearls.

Try rubbing 2 of the pearls together gently, or rub one against the edge of your front tooth (after wiping them clean with a solf damp cloth!) Real pearl nacre feels gritty when rubbed this way. Imitation pearls glide smoothly.

 

[pearlescence]

Reminds me of the time someone came up to me and told me all about her real pearls. She knew they were real as she had been to the factory which made them...

 

[Bugsy]

Thank you for your helpful replies,,

 

[luckeychemere]

Could someone tell me how old these Deltah pearls are? I realized towards the mid century they started making simulated pearls, but I know they originally started by selling cultured pearls. The insignia on this box looks much older than the mid century models— is anyone able to help?