Looking to know what I have here....

[Beans]

Hello! I'm so glad to have found this forum as I'm trying to learn about some recent pearl treasures I've found. I'm good with the pearl test so I know they're real and I've read up on a few things such as Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, how cultured pearls are treated, irradiated, dyed and general things like that. I'm a thrifter and I buy to sell in my online shop. I don't shoot for the highest prices and, at the same time, I don't want under price for a few reasons. But I digress...

I have two necklaces. One is a vintage, graduated 19" necklace that has a 14kt white gold clasp with a tiny diamond. It wasn't until I cleaned it up that I noticed the diamond. It was really dirty. I see a wide range of prices so I'm unsure of what price range is fair to both a seller and buyer. I don't do eBay so prices are set. Not asking value so much (well, I kind of am) as to know what I have, a rough idea of age and a general value (ie: would $300 be too much or too little). The pearls are round, having minor inclusions and sadly, one pearl has a pinhead size of missing nacre. The silk knots are discolored near the back. The largest pearl is 8 mm and the smallest pearls are 4 mm.

The other 18" pearl necklace has a 14kt gold clasp with the stamp reading 14k CP. The 8 mm pearls are varying shades of purples, some with blue hues. There is no pattern to how they were strung. There are clusters of 6 small pearls about 3mm each between each purple one. Interestingly, the necklace is strung with nylon which is an indication to me that it's not that old. If 20 years, then it's vintage and I'm good to go. I read how you can detect pearl treatments but that attempt fell flat. There are three strand of nylon in the way and I'm just too clueless to know what I'm looking for. I'm hoping my photos offer enough of a clue about these pretties. If I'm going to sell them, I really should know what I've got so I'm seeking help here. I could become a little covetous of these necklaces as I'm quite intrigued and I gather information about pearls.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi,

Welcome to Pearl-Guide!
Looks like you have a graduated akoya strand of the sort known as "3.5 momme" (momme being a unit of weight used for pearls.) These are from the WWII/Korean war era; as pearls are sold by weight, a graduated strand would be much more affordable to the many men working in Japan during wartime. Many of these necklaces were brought home to wives and sweethearts, and as this generation passes away, the strands are appearing in thrift stores and on eBay.

I found 2 such strands for a pittance, but here is a link to some similar graduated strands listed on eBay and what they sold for; even if you don't do eBay, this will give you an idea of what customers are willing to spend on them. I'm sure the condition of the pearls and clasp are significant elements of the final selling price.
Link: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...-ring+-brooch+-freshwater+-beads&_sacat=48579

BTW that clasp is very pretty, sort of Art Deco with that little diamond-shape in the center.

Have you given them a bath yet? A 5 minute soak in a gentle soap and water bath (not detergent), wiping gently with a soft, and a rinse and pat dry, may make them look more lustrous by removing surface grime. (Some like to use Dr. Bronner's unscented liquid castile soap for this.) To bring out their best, photograph them under natural light, no flash, and on a white background as you used already.

As to the strand with colored pearls, did these pass the tooth test? If so, they are likely dyed freshwater pearls rather than Tahitians, going by the colors. If they failed the test, they are likely imitations. I think with strands like that one, it is harder to find the right customer, as the necklace is atypical.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Also, you might get a better price if you restring the graduated strand so that a buyer could just wear it right away. See my tutorial which is stickied on the Lowly Beaders Club forum if you want to try this.
Here are 2 threads I posted about similar strands I bought very cheaply (because they were so dirty they had been overlooked) and restrung:

Found this 5-8mm graduated vintage akoya strand today!

Must be my lucky day! :) Here are my new lustrous beauties, bought today for the absurd price of $5.00. They were mixed in with an assortment of costume jewelry. The end pearls are 5mm and the center pearl is just over 8mm. The body color of the pearls is white. The cute little fishhook...

www.pearl-guide.com

Vintage graduated Akoya strand from consignment shop

I had my eye on this vintage Akoya strand at the consignment shop for a little while, waiting for it to go to half off...then today another 20% off. It was grimy! I soaked it for 5 minutes in soapy water before photographing. It needs restringing, of course. Knotted as it is now, it's...

www.pearl-guide.com

 

[Beans]

Thank you for your reply and great information. I did not think I had Tahitians and I do realize they might be a harder sell but they are definitely genuine pearls. Could one assume 80s or 90s era on these? And if this did appeal to a buyer, what would be a reasonable asking price? I have no idea.

I paid $2.25 for the Akoya pearl necklace. The thought of restringing them freaks me out just a little bit but I recovered a seat cushion with piping on a vintage chair and managed to pull it off quite well. My hands served as pin cushions. My point is I might be willing to tackle it as it would be nice for a buyer to receive it ready to wear.

The other necklace set me back a whole $2.50. I've not been able to find anything online to indicate a value. An aside... in the same bin I scored a sterling silver necklace, rolo type chain and fairly chunky with a nice sized blue gemstone, total weight 21 grams, for $1.75. My lucky day!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

...Could one assume 80s or 90s era on these? And if this did appeal to a buyer, what would be a reasonable asking price? I have no idea.

Not that early, no-- not vintage at all, in fact. Freshwater pearls that round only date from the last decade. I'd describe them as a handcrafted item rather than vintage.

But please do yourself a favor, since you are selling them (to be absolutely sure of not misrepresenting them), and look at the colored pearls with a 10x loupe. Compare the surface appearance with that of the graduated akoyas and also with pearls you know to be imitation. Real nacre will look very smooth at 10x magnification, while imitation pearl coating will look more textured, coarser. There are some very good fakes out there, and I would not rely on the tooth test alone.
If they prove to be dyed freshwater pearls, then I would research on Etsy to see what similar items are listed for. This requires a bit of homework, but it will help you avoid grossly underpricing or overpricing.

I paid $2.25 for the Akoya pearl necklace. The thought of restringing them freaks me out just a little bit but I recovered a seat cushion with piping on a vintage chair and managed to pull it off quite well. My hands served as pin cushions. My point is I might be willing to tackle it as it would be nice for a buyer to receive it ready to wear....

That was a great deal you got there!
We all started somewhere! The needles we use for stringing are flexible wire ones that won't poke holes in you! It's not as hard as you may think. for my akoyas I used 10# test Power Pro. There is also a very easy to use stringing material called Pattye's Serafil thread, sold by Pattye on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/150499690/white-silk-like-beaders-secret-knotting.

Also Beaders Secret thread sold in the Etsy shop of the same name.

If you really don't want to tackle it, they will still sell-- someone will want them to restring for themselves.