Help with value please...

[mtwoman]

I have acquired this pearl necklace and bracelet set, and I am very interested in its worth. The necklace is 14.5" long and is made from 3 strands of small grey-bluish baroque pearls. I am interested in what type the pearls are, and what their value may be, ir-regardless of the findings and bone & silver beads. Any help is appreciated, whether someone here can give me an idea of what this might be worth, or share a link to another site that would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Ashley]

Hmmm- those look the famous Freshwater "Rice Crispy" pearls dyed blue. China was distributing hundreds of thousands of kilos of them from the 1970's though the 1980's- they got the Rice Crispy name from their small size and shape. The pearls themselves are honestly, and unfortunately, not worth very much at all. However, the design is nice, and I do so like the bone Flower beads! From the pictures, the necklace looks much longer than 14.5-inches! My goodness, that must be a tight fit!!

 

[jshepherd]

They appear to be dyed freshwater pearls. It is a cute piece, but the value is in the design and the bone eek, not the pearls.

The pearls are on the small side. I can only tell you what they would likely cost in China (wholesale). That would be in the range of about $1 per strand. In the US, however, they may wholesale for closer to $10 per strand.

 

[mtwoman]

Thank you for your response.

Well...I meant 14.5 from clasp to end of tassel...which means the opening is about 24" around. Sorry about that. And thanks for the info!

You say they were distributed in the 70s and 80s...no longer?

Any guess at all about value?

Also...what a geek..or not...I am...made a mess out of the post!! I'll get it right!

 

[jshepherd]

Pearls that look the same are still available today. Value is really hard to say as the findings might be more valuable than the pearls. If it is a designer piece it could have a higher retail value. But I would say $100 would not be inconceivable in a boutique shop.

 

[mtwoman]

Thank you both! This is a great help!

 

[Ashley]

Best of luck!

 

[Monty Hall]

"The Bone"

"The Bone"

Hello, all,

Those white "bone" findings look like the ivory pikake (Pee-Kah-Kay) flower beads which were all over Hawaii in the 50s and 60s. Do an eBay search for "ivory pikake", and you'll likely see more examples.

Carol

 

[Monty Hall]

"Pikake" is Hawaiian for jasmine. In at least Hawaii and India, beautifully fragrant leis have been strung out of pikake buds for generations.

Carol

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I have ivory pikake beads from the 1970s.

 

[mtwoman]

Well, someone told me the flower beads were ivory, but I wasn't sure they knew what they were talking about. As ivory, are they valuable themselves?

The necklace was put together in the 80s, using the pearls and the "pikake" beads and silver findings. It's one of a kind...designed by my sister and executed by a jeweler. Here's another pic of the set....

 

[pattye]

Obviously the value for this necklace is------Priceless!!

 

[Monty Hall]

The pikake beads won't allow you to retire today, but they are old, have history and patina, and new ones should no longer be made, so they are keepers.

Out of nostalgic feelings, I recently bought a ~$20 genuine vintage ivory pikake bracelet on eBay. I've seen several similar bracelets for slightly, but not much more.

CarolK

 

[Ashley]

Excellent info CarolK- I learn something new here every day!

 

[Monty Hall]

Thanks, Ashley!

Trying hard to give back. I've lurked on Pearl-Guide forra bit and have learned soooo much from *everyone* here. My heart goes out to pearl purchasers who have not yet found this site!