Inherited pearls bought in Florence, Italy in early 1900s

[minyamin]

I was given this strand of pearls by my grandmother in 1985, and I recently found the letter that accompanied the gift. She believed these were natural pearls because she made reference to how pearls became much less expensive with the proliferation of cultured pearls. They were purchased at a jewelry store at Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy sometime between 1915 and 1935. It was a gift from her family on her first trip to Europe.

The graduated strand is ~16 inches long with 86 pearls ranging in size from ~2mm to ~6mm. The clasp doesn't have a makers mark on it, and has 17 pearls of a different type surrounding the turquoise stone.

Any information about the types of pearls and if they might be natural would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

What a beautiful gift to have received from your grandmother!

I believe you have a strand of cultured akoya pearls. The clasp is so unusual! You said there is no maker's mark, but is there any indicator of the metal? 925 (sterling silver), or 585 or 750 (14K and 18K gold, respectively)?

 

[minyamin]

What a beautiful gift to have received from your grandmother!

I believe you have a strand of cultured akoya pearls. The clasp is so unusual! You said there is no maker's mark, but is there any indicator of the metal? 925 (sterling silver), or 585 or 750 (14K and 18K gold, respectively)?

Thank you for your reply and information! I have always loved the piece. The clasp does not have any markings at all. I am not a good judge of metal type, so I really don't know what it might be. Thanks again.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Italy only allows gold 18k or higher, so that would be my guess. Is that turquoise on the clasp? It looks like a good quality stone, perhaps persian.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Italy only allows gold 18k or higher...

Actually, my parents were from Italy, and we have gold jewelry from my grandparents that is 14K as well as 18K. When my daughter was born, my aunt in Genova sent her a gift of a 14K pendant, and her daughter (my cousin) send a monogrammed 14K bracelet- all Italian gold.

 

[minyamin]

Is that turquoise on the clasp? It looks like a good quality stone, perhaps persian.

It is turquoise on the clasp. It has a slight blemish, but no veins of matrix so I think it would be considered good quality. As for origin of the stone, I have no idea.