Found Probable Pearls - Help?

[Tiggs]

Hello, everyone. Very glad to have found this site. Have learned quite a bit through reading here about pearls and their proper care (and how inadvertently wrongly my childhood Sea World pearls had been stored for years), but I post now to ask for help identifying an old string of possibly real pearls found tossed in the bottom of an old jewelry box of costume jewelry.

Dad tried the tooth test and says they do feel gritty. The string is approximately 22" long, not counting the clasp. In sunlight, the alleged pearls are a light golden color with iridescent pink and green tones; as you can see in the photos (taken with two different cameras in sunlight, no flash), the camera and other nearby pearls, etc. reflect on the surface. The clasp is white metal, same design on both front and back (if I understand correctly, you folks call this type of clasp a generic fish hook) and the only marking is "S14K' on the fish hook portion. I think I may be seeing what qualifies as "soap bubble" but I don't really know enough to know. Each pearl is knotted, they seem to vary slightly in size around the 7-8mm range and, holding them up in front of me, I can see that they vary slightly in size and shape (wouldn't really describe as "egg" though); they also have little surface imperfections here and there and some have cracks near holes which we've tried to show. The string overall feels noticeably heavier in hand than do the other obvious plastic strands found with them.

What do you think? Thank you for your time and I'll try to answer any additional questions.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Welcome to Pearl-Guide!

To be honest they look like older imitation pearls (older because cream colored; nowadays they tend to be whiter), and they are heavy because only really cheap fakes have plastic beads inside; most others have a glass bead.

Do you see how the pink and green colors are the same on every pearl? My Majorica brand imitation pearls have that pink and green pseudo-"orient" too. The marking on your clasp is not the Majorica mark but there are other brands of similar imitation strands, like Majorca, Mallorca, Joia de Majorca etc. If the glass beads were individually formed, there could be a little variation in size and shape.

 

[GemGeek]

Pearl Dreams gave a great answer. They are high-end imitations, absolutely lovely, and should be worn.

 

[Tiggs]

Thank you so much, Pearl Dreams and GemGeek, for taking the time to look these over. They were a fun find, even being imitation, and I've discovered a valuable resource here and learned quite a bit. Took advice I read here in the forum and used a dampened cloth on my loose Sea World pearls which, unfortunately, had been left many years in a little paper envelope inside a zip top plastic jewelry bag with the Sea World logo on it, and I think they appreciated the moisture; looked just a little shinier and happier. I've bought a sterling silver cage so I can actually wear either of the two nicest ones and enjoy them.

In case the information may help anyone, or any of you might have other/additional information, I learned that the pearls from the Japanese Village in San Diego, CA in the 70's, run at that time by the Murata Pearl Company, were provided exclusively from the Murata pearl farm in Southern Japan. The Mie Pearl Company bought Murata out and are still in business on the pier in Redondo Beach, CA. I spoke to an employee there who told me the current owner of Mie used to work in Sea World when Murata ran it. He also told me that the pearls at Sea World back then were saltwater Akoya cultured pearls and not freshwater or dyed pearls. I asked specifically because one of my Sea World pearls is a silver one with a blue cast to it and I'd read here about phony supposed Akoya's which were actually freshwater pearls. Even if mine is freshwater and not legit Akoya, I've always liked it and won't stop now.

Thanks so much again!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I expect they were akoya pearls years ago, back when freshwater pearls were rice and other non-round shapes.

 

[GemGeek]

Yes, the Sea World pearls back then were akoya pearls. I still have mine and they are definitely akoya.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Oh, and one more comment on the pink and green "orient" on the imitation pearls. It is created by the final, clear layer of coating that is applied.
I had some old Majorica pearls and was curious so I peeled off the outermost layer. The pearlized coating underneath did not have the pink and green colors.

 

[MSC]

My grandma's Sea World Murata pearl ring from the 70's is definitely akoya, too.

 

[Tiggs]

Thank you, all, for the additional info. Mom would prefer genuine white pearls, I think, but she says she likes this golden imitation strand and "claimed them", along with a few other costume items from the found box. We'll see if she wears them. Still no luck finding a maker's mark of just an S online; maybe the "S14K" means "solid 14K"?

Regarding that final clear layer, I did find on closer inspection in the sunlight one very tiny spot where it looked like the outer shiny layer had flaked off. Gave Mom an ivory organza bag I happened to have to keep them in so they won't be further scratched. I've been looking at lots of photos and ID threads here on the forum and, while, on the one hand, I feel like a fool for thinking these may have been real, I just still haven't "got" it yet for telling the difference at all!

 

[JerseyPearl]

Welcome to the forum Tiggs! Telling a very (and obviously) high quality pearl from a real pearl can be difficult...the strand you have posted are lovely, and might even look better with a restring. And no need to feel foolish...we come here to learn and be educated; to admire and adore. Asking questions and posting photos...you are off to a wonderful start!

 

[Tiggs]

Thank you, JerseyPearl, for the warm welcome. Have been digging through the old "help me identify" posts and just came upon one where I said to myself, "Oh, these are imitation; they're going to say these are imitation.", and I was right! Baby steps, yay!

Do you folks happen to know the care/cleaning protocol for imitations? Should we treat them as if real or is tap water fine?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi, I'm back from taking my D back to college.

Treat them as real and you will be okay, but one exception: acetone will melt the coating off imitation pearls (but can be safely used to remove glue from real pearls).

The whole point of the higher end imitations is to look real, so don't feel foolish! Typically the clasps on the best imitations I've seen are either sterling silver or else vermeil (silver with gold plating) and are stamped 925, so maybe yours date back to when gold was cheaper? I don't think S stands for solid, however. The strand may also have been restrung at some point and the clasp may not be original.

You may like to read this thread:
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/s...orica-Majorcan-Swarovski-Pearl-Photos-Stories

It originally was in "Other Stuff" forum but I've moved it to "What kind of pearls do I have?" forum where it may help people figure out if their pearls are imitation or real.

 

[Tiggs]

Thanks, PD, for sharing the imitation thread. Whoa! In some of the comparison shots, I can see the difference, others I just can't. The real peach strand with the two pairs of peach earring fakies I definitely get and it highlights what I was already beginning to pick up, in that the imitations like the strand Mom just claimed are too outright shiny, sort of hard shiny, where real pearls have a more subtle soft sheen. But I'm just not reliable in distinguishing the difference. That pendant shot with 3 real pearl pendants in white gold in the back and the two fakes in CZ/paste in the front absolutely throws me for a loop; cannot tell what's what. Hehe.

Now that I've been studying, Dad wants me to figure out whether "pearl" earrings and "caged pearl" pendants found in the same jewelry box are real or not. Of course, none of the earrings are marked and there's no strand to help. I'm not hopeful, but the same box did yield a couple of solid gold chains, a couple more were marked as gold filled or gold overlay, so there was a little bit of "real" in among the generally low-end costume jewelry. Dad had actually set that golden imitation strand aside with the other plastic strings and it was me who said what a minute, these are heavier and they're knotted, and look at this clasp. Of course, I was wrong about them, but I don't think they belong relegated to the plastic pile!

Oh, as an aside, I think it's a good decision, education-wise, to move the imitation thread here. I'd have found it when I came here trying to get enough info to figure out what that imitation strand was, but would not, as a newbie, have realized I should be looking in the "Other Stuff".

 

[Tiggs]

Don't have a jeweler's loop but was looking at my silver Sea World pearl through a cheap magnifying glass and was able to get an idea of the smooth texture of the surface. It's got a few flaws, of course, but is mostly smooth. My larger white one has lots of flaws all over it but they don't show up when wearing it in the cage. Anyhow, tried photographing the silver one for fun. Color doesn't show quite right; it's silver with a blue cast to it. Since I wear it in a cage, and not everyday by any means, I'm guessing I should roll it around in my hands or something every now and then for "skin contact"?

Also, Mom is asking if Dove soap is mild/safe for washing her imitation strand? I've told her about Dr. Bonner's for real pearls but, because of her extremely sensitive skin, she'd rather stick with Dove than than try to wash the strand with gloves on.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think as long as you wear your pearl it will pick up moisture from the air. It doesn't need skin contact.

Dove soap...It may leave a residue from moisturizing ingredients. Doe she use liquid hand soap? I'd use that instead, when it gets dirty enough to need it. Otherwise, just a wipe with a damp hand and dry with a soft towel afterward. The imitation strands seem to be more impervious than real pearls.

 

[Tiggs]

She doesn't use liquid soap, but I'll let her know. Thanks for the info. My sensitivity isn't as severe as hers, so maybe I'll wash it in liquid hand soap for her; it does have a bit of grime.