IDENTIFICATION of 2 NATURAL PEARLS - Help Needed

B

Bodecia

Pearl Designer & Collector
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
950
Hello all,

These are big pearls the one hung in a pendant is 24 x 11 x 8 mm. The Other is set in a stick pin/hat pin with a little diamond and is 22 x 8 x 5 mm.

My question is what kind of pearls are they. I think the first is a Freshwater Pearl so maybe a river pear but I am not sure and would love to know which mollusk it is likely to have come from. The other, I believe, is a Saltwater Blister pearl but it is not as flat as it looks on the bottom and has ridges and bumps. What type of mollusk would this one have come from.

I need to start buying books on pearls to identify this type of thing instead of buying pearls and more pearls.

Love to hear opinions.

Dawn - Bodecia
http://stores.ebay.com/Dawns-Designer-Collections
Natural pearl collector and all round pearl lover
 

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Uploaded one wrong photo - so here is another couple that shows the front. Since uploading the others I cleaned that pearl and it looks a treat now.

The pearl on the pendant has a pinkish tone to it. Not as much lustre as the other one.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://stores.ebay.com/Dawns-Designer-Collections
Natural pearl collector and all round pearl lover
 

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They both look freshwater and old. The pendent has the same'tooth fairy tooth look as Jodie's score, doesn't it? since you buy pearls in old settings, I think you need books on pearl jewelry over the past 150 years.

Dawn of all of your beautiful pearls I have seen, I swear the one above looks like a bed bug! Sorry thing to say, but I can see it out of the corner of my eye as I type. That setting is like gladiator sandals, really strapped in. I changed my mind. It looks like Professor Wogglebug of OZ......
wogglebug.jpg
 
Hi Caitlin,

Good thing I wasn't drinking my cuppa when I read that. I just snorted and nearly choked on a macadamia. Gad you are getting hard these days. I see what you mean about Gladiator sandals. I like those sandals though. :)

I keep visualising bed bugs from Nat Geo programs or similar that I have seen. They really gross me out. Cruel lady. Too cruel. I really like that one :)

If you can get your mind out of bed and sweaty gladiators :) do you happen to know what type of mollusks they would have come out of. Still think the Gladiator pearl is saltwater.

Dawn - Bodecia
http://stores.ebay.com/Dawns-Designer-Collections
Natural pearl collector and all round pearl lover
 
You are probably right.

Sorry. I like gladiator sandals, too. And I had fun looking for a picture of professor wogglebug, too. The bonus was I found out all the OZ books are out of copyright and the Gutenburg project online has them all for download in any format you want from html to kindle. the benefit is COMPLETE access to Jon R Neill's wonderful illustrations. I forgot the stories, but the drawings are among my favorites.

Prof wogglebug is totally lovable, Scraps! I love these drawings! I wasted the day looking at Jon R Neill illustrations!
 
Bodecia said:
I need to start buying books on pearls to identify this type of thing instead of buying pearls and more pearls.
Click to expand...

Those books can be rarer than natural pearls themselves. In fact, I don't think such a thing exists. If you find a good one, I want a copy.
 
My guess is the one mounted in white is natural freshwater.
The other has a shape that is common to the above and also Chinese FW. I'v e seen older Japanese Biwas with that shape.
The mounting is no indication. i.e. new pearls set on old mountings.
 
just have to say i am LOVING this thread (and the pearls - love the bedbug one too!) lol

- j-
 
If I was going to call river pearl, I would say it was the pendant. The other pearl could be from so many types of mollusks that it isn't worth conjecturing. Both are really cool! :)
 
Hi all,

Thanks for finding and bumping this thread Andrea. Brings back memories.

The stick pin pearl? I could not really make my mind up on and erred on the side of caution. I sold it recently as unknown - either pearl or carved mother or pearl. The person who bought it was wrapped though and left me great feedback. I can't remember the exact price I sold it for. Just above or below $100. I would rather loose a little that risk a huge mistake. Pity I didn't have it so I could candle it but that might not make me any wiser so no regrets. I actually kept it for years with my other stick pins until just deciding to sell it as unknown. I have a couple of others which I might list in a similar fashion.. just not sure about them either!

The pink pendant pearl I did sell I believe not long after this thread started and listed it as a natural pearl, but of unknown origin. I sold it for just under $1,000 from memory. Now I do believe it is a rather beautiful river pearl but still unknown as from where. It was a keeper but I rarely keep anything. I get the pleasure of them while I have them and I did love that one.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
 
i love learning new lingo. "The person who bought it was wrapped though and left me great feedback." wrapped! Dawn you are so charming! i would love to meet you someday. :)
 
Bodecia said:
Hello all,
These are big pearls the one hung in a pendant is 24 x 11 x 8 mm. The Other is set in a stick pin/hat pin with a little diamond and is 22 x 8 x 5 mm.

My question is what kind of pearls are they. I think the first is a Freshwater Pearl so maybe a river pear but I am not sure and would love to know which mollusk it is likely to have come from. The other, I believe, is a Saltwater Blister pearl but it is not as flat as it looks on the bottom and has ridges and bumps. What type of mollusk would this one have come from.

I need to start buying books on pearls to identify this type of thing instead of buying pearls and more pearls.

Love to hear opinions.

Dawn - Bodecia
http://stores.ebay.com/Dawns-Designer-Collections
Natural pearl collector and all round pearl lover
Click to expand...




Dec 6 2013
I 've bought pearls like the first one in Japan as Biwas. *I still have a few in stock.they could be ten fifteen years old? I always liked the shape but selling them was difficult because it required a custom mounting many jewelers were unwilling to tackle. *the second one could be American freshwater I've not seen this shape in cultured. *Determining the mollusk type from the pearl is difficult to impossible. the only really qualified expert is Elizabeth Strack of the Gemological institute in Germany. She has a book, out of print, the most complete on pearls ever written. The mollusk shape*
 
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