Gift from Grandmother

[Dormi]

My grandma has given me a number (3) of jewelry pieces throughout my childhood. A ring with a gemstone (I am not sure what kind of gem) that has one diamond on both sides of it, a gold earring with a diamond set into the bottom of it, and this necklace. I am fairly certain that they are all real, they all have a gold 14/18k etc. The pearls I have done the tooth test to see if they are real, and they are not smooth but a little gritty. Plus the clasp is 14k gold. It then has this strange L looking symbol to the right of that.

So anyways to get to the point, I was wondering what kind of pearls these are? From my research on this forum and the internet I believe they might be some kind of akoya. There are 75 pearls in total, and it sits just at the base of the neck perfectly.

Thank you for any insight that might be provided. If anyone would be able to tell me a money estimate to them so I would know if it would be worth having them re-strung since they appear to have the tiniest but of wear + tear fraying.

More background... my grandmother grew up in the Philippines, I am not sure where she obtained the pearl necklace it is possible it was a family heirloom from the time before she came to America. That is unlikely though since she met my grandfather during the Vietnam war and I believe her family did not have a lot of money, although I could be wrong. It is most likely from the 70s - mid90s either way since that is when she truly began her jewelry collection. I can provide anymore pictures or anything if you need it. Thank you again -^_^- !

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi,

Welcome to Pearl-Guide! You are lucky to have gotten these from your grandmother!

At first glance it does look like you have a strand of smaller, white round akoya pearls. You said it comes to the base of the neck. That could be 16"-18" depending on the neck of the wearer, so the pearls should be somewhere around 5-5.5 mm, as knots also take up space. You could lay them against a millimeter ruler to estimate the size of the pearls (smallest at the ends, largest in the middle.)

A few more photos would be helpful-- preferably on a white background. Try laying the strand on a paper towel, don't use flash, and get at least one or two close-ups. That would show us the surface better, flaws, luster and overtones etc.

When you speak of wear and tear, do you mean to the surface of the pearls (dull spots, scratches) or just the silk? It would be normal to expect wear on the silk over time, but the pearls themselves could become scratched if stored improperly, or dulled if allowed to come in contact with hair spray, perfumes etc. The nacre could also wear thin from contact with skin over years of wearing. Any scratches, dullness or wear of the nacre would reduce their resale value (but they will always have sentimental value!)

Pre-owned akoya pearls don't generally bring very high prices on eBay-- look at completed listings to see what strands comparable to yours have brought when sold.

The knots don't look stretched out, so you could probably get away with just wearing them, but older, worn silk may break --so you would risk losing the strand. If I were you, I would restring them and wear them! You could learn to restring them yourself--- there are threads here that explain how, and videos on YouTube-- or you could have a professional do them. They tend to charge by the inch; ask at a local jeweler to find out what they would charge. Probably around $50-$60.

 

[Dormi]

I do mean the silk is showing some wear and tear, the pearls seem to be quite fine/excellent. I'm sorry but my camera is not very good, so these are the best I could do and I don't have any white paper towels so I used a white button up that was laying around

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thanks-- they are pretty! The size does appear to be around 5 mm.

Nowadays I think the fashion in pearls is trending toward larger pearls, which are so much more affordable since the Chinese began producing round to nearly-round cultured freshwater pearls. Smaller pearls are probably going to be less in demand.

I would definitely restring them and wear them!

But if you are determined to sell them, check eBay for completed listings to give you an idea of what buyers have been willing to pay for such pearls recently. You might also check Ruby Lane where a lot of vintage jewelry is sold.