Help with pearl identification/value

[amandu]

These were given to me by my father and I am not sure what kind of pearls they are. I believe he had them since the 50's or 60's. This necklace has a total of 91 pearls that get smaller towards the clasp. There is a knot between each pearl. I am attaching some pictures, so if anyone can be of help with identification, it would be appreciated. The necklace has some weight to it and I cannot see the drill holes as they are very tiny. Here are some pics. In some of the pics the pearls look very smooth, but each pearl is not smooth - they have some swirls and ridges. I have other pics if these will not suffice. Thank you so much.

 

[KarinK]

Hi Amandu - and welcome

Do the pearls feel slightly gritty or smooth when you rub two of them against each other (or against your teeth)?

- Karin

 

[pearlescence]

Just a suggestion Caitlin..would it not save a huge amount of time and effort if this topic asked enquirers for certain information as part of their initial post--eg rough pearl size, do they feel gritty or smooth , any marks on clasp...history of pearls if known, knots between, any marks or flaws on pearl etc etc
and suggestions for photos
Karin's post brought home that we ask the same things over and over again?

 

[amandu]

Hello Karin and thank you for the welcome. I should have added that they feel gritty on the teeth as well as together. The largest pearl is ~1/2 cm with the smallest pearl being ~1/4 cm. Marking on the clasp appears to be 10KG.

 

[Caitlin]

You are right. That would be a good idea! A post we could make a sticky that has all the instructions in it. Then even if someone does not see it, a member can cut and paste it.

Anyone up for writing the sticky up? I have a huge off-forum schedule and am way behind; I don't know when I can get around to that in the next couple of days.

 

[lisa c]

Big Stampede to respond! Can it be done from a simple post?

Hi, Poster, and welcome! Please don't be intimidated by the number of questions below, answering them goes really fast, and the answers help get your questions answered!

-Do the pearls feel gritty when rubbed against your teeth? yes___ no___
(This test doesn't work with dentures)
-Do the pearls feel gritty when rubbed against each other? yes___ no___
-Do the pearls feel cold when you first touch them against your cheek? yes___ no___(They might feel like they warm up quickly but feel noticeably cold at first. Plastic doesn't feel this cold, but glass and pearl will)

-Are there marks on the surface of the pearls, like dimples, or waves, or scratch- like marks ? yes___ no___
-Are the pearls perfectly round? yes___ no___
off-round? yes___ no___
egg-shaped? yes___ no___
Exactly all the same size and color? yes___ no___

-What size are the pearls, in mm (millimeters) going along the drill hole? _____mm
-Does the drill hole look very neat, with sharp clean edges? yes___ no___(Fakes usually have rounded looking edges)
-Can you see into the drill hole? yes___ no___
-Does it look like a bead inside with layers of nacre coating it? yes___ no___

-How long is the necklace? _____ inches or _____mm
-Is the necklace knotted between the beads closest to the clasp? yes___ no___
-Is the necklace knotted between each bead? yes___ no___

-Does the clasp have precious metal markings, like K, or Kt, or C, or S, or SS, or GF? yes___ no___
-What are the marks? _____

-Do you have any papers that go with the necklace? yes___ no___
-A Box with the maker's or jeweler's name? yes___ no___
-Do you have pictures of a family member, or prior owner, wearing the pearls, or family stories? (this isn't required of course. Sometimes people have these when the pearls are inherited )

-Please include photos of the pearls with your request. Photo tips are found in the FORUM Other Stuff in the thread Taking pictures of pearl jewelry.

 

[lisa c]

Please let me know what I missed, I'll add it, then what do we do to make it a sticky?

Should I add :

Now you can take your answers and draft your question with all the information we need, like;

"I have a ___ long string of ___mm pearls, that feel (cold or gritty, fill in the blanks, etc, etc...),what do you think I have?"

Tomorrow I can go to the library and rearrange the questions so that someone can construct a post from them with a natural flow. I suggest this because perhaps just copying and filling out the form will take up too much space? Any opinions about this?

 

[lisa c]

Now, Welcome amandu! We haven't forgotten you. Wow, I love how you've managed to capture the backlight and glow of some of those pearls! Lovely capture!

 

[lisa c]

Hello again, amandu. Your pearls remind me of my very old saltwater, cultured Akoya necklace, the color and glow are very similar. Mine also has a 10k clasp.

The pearl is cultured around a mother of pearl bead. If you can see inside the drill hole you should be able to see thick nacre around the bead. (think of the chocolate around a peanut m&m).

The style of the necklace is called Graduated, since the pearls range in size from small at the neck to the largest pearl in the center. Its a lovely and flattering style that was all the fashion for close to half of the 1900s. I bought mine used at an antique store, $95 in 1994(?) and wore them everyday for at least ten years, before they got a bit dim. It's cool that yours have history, I hope you enjoy them.

Anyone got anything else? Or think otherwise? Chime in, please!

 

[Bacca]

Please let me know what I missed, I'll add it, then what do we do to make it a sticky?

Lucky for us, the admins do the work of approving the post and making it a sticky for us.

You've done a thorough and comprehensive job, Lisa. Nice work and much appreciated! I'm wondering if it would be wise to start with just the basics and then ask for more details only if needed. Asking for too much detail right off the bat could discourage some people. So my suggestion is a condensed version of your post, with the most important points.

Welcome to the forum. We love pearls and are happy to try to help you identify yours. In order to help us help you, we ask you to please include the following information in your first post:

• Whether the pearls feel gritty or smooth when rubbed against your teeth or when you rub two against each other;
• The dimensions of your item, including length, width (if applicable) and size of the pearls;
• Description of any stamps or markings on the clasp, e.g., 14k, 585, letters or logos;
• Shape of the pearls, e.g., round, off-round, egg, potato, button
• Whether the pearls all look exactly alike or if there are differences from pearl to pearl;
• Description of the surface of the pearls, e.g., smooth, dimpled.

We also need pictures of the item, including close-ups of individual pearls. You can read tips for photographing pearls in the thread Taking pictures of pearl jewelry.

Thank you. We look forward to seeing your pearls!

Additions, corrections or edits are welcome.

 

[lisa c]

Yes, amen, thanks for Admin!

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks to you all!

Baccas' suggestions are concise. Good second draft! I think it might do.

Now, a new thread with the instructions in the first post. I am still really preoccupied, so if one of you will do it? I'll make it a sticky.

 

[Bacca]

Thanks, Caitlin.

Lisa, you did most of the work, so I think you deserve to start the thread.

 

[lisa c]

Mmmmm...how about you? I never seem to get cut copy and paste right! No credit is necessary, it's a compilation of everybody's work, and I can't count how many times Wendy or Sheryl nudged us, started with suggestions.

Let's toast to a successful collaboration!

 

[lisa c]

Only, can we save the long form for a couple of days? I want to try to copy it (fingers crossed) for my next door neighbor.

I had a most enjoyable half hour giving him a general mini-tutorial Saturday, complete with hands on! He and his wife wanted to know how to decide if pearls they see at thrift stores were real. Lots of fun, even though I couldn't show specials like SSs and Tahitians, I could deal with generalities, and I did have my old Akoya and new Akoya strands.

But you guys know what I'm really talking about, doncha? The chance to talk pearls with an interested person!!!!

 

[lisa c]

BTW, you guys think Amandu's pearls are Akoya, also? - or ???

 

[Bacca]

Ok, copying and pasting is one of my strong points, so I'll start the new thread.

Posts don't scroll off this kind of board, so your long form shouldn't disappear, Lisa. Sounds like you'll be able to put it to good use.

Please forgive us for hijacking your thread, amandu. I vote for akoya, too.

 

[lisa c]

Hurray, Bacca, I'm so glad it's your strength!

Yeah, since they won't be posting, they can fold it up and tuck it into a wallet or purse for a reminder.

 

[pattye]

Lisa,

That was so good of you to give them a lesson! I bet it will help them lots in the future.

 

[lisa c]

Well, you know who really profited - ME! pearl talk, I got to walk the walk. I love to talk about pearls.

I was afraid he might want to buy some of the pearls I bought from you.

P.S. I didn't go into areas where I'm ignorant. Fortunately, he wanted basics.