Mums last wish but ive got no clue about pearls

[Fxy05]

Hi,
Ive just found this forum/guide which has settled my nerves somewhat. My mother passed away recently and prior to passing she kept on reminding me to find her pearls (which had been misplaced several times over the years i might ad) and sell them to help out in these uncertain financial times.
Ive got a mikimota double beaded pearl necklace and single pearl clasp( unusual methodology of securing the pearls with the flasps structure, however)
The necklace is approx 52 inchs roughly in total length back to back, 88.15 grams in total weight, and there are 160 in total (82 on 1 section, 78 on the opp side)
Their appears to be writting under the clasp but i cannot make it out, and i dont dare try to open the clasp either.
Can anyone advise if this piece has any history or?, is it real/fake? I dont know, all i know is that mum has had this necklace and several other earings, rings, etc including some black pearls when we were in the pub game back in the 70’s so they are a genuine 50+ years young. Im looking to locate the best place to validate, sell, all of them without having to drop my pants and touch my toes as thats all i feel that some of my more recent experiences locally in bne and the goldcoast have resulted in unfortunately. Any direction or assistance is very much appreciated,

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I flipped the photo of the clasp and I see SIL (silver) and something else I can't make out, maybe it's the silver content (925 or something else.)
The clasp doesn't have any mark that would identify it as a Mikimoto clasp.

I think you have a box that says Mikimoto but I do not think the pearls themselves are from Mikimoto-- the quality is too low. But they are real cultured pearls, and I actually think they look very interesting-- it is unusual to see akoya pearls with nacre thick enough to allow the formation of circles. So someone might want them for that reason. They do have nice luster.

Try opening the clasp to be sure it works.

Are you in Australia? If so, someone from there who posts on this forum may have a good suggestion for where to list them, assuming you don't want to eBay them.

Also-- Mikimoto won't authenticate pearls that don't have one of their clasps.

And another thought-- I would not do anything to remove the tarnish from the clasp. The tarnish proves its age. Other than wiping it clean with a damp cloth I would not do anything else with the necklace. The buyer can restring it.

 

[Happy Huku]

Hi, it is not easy finding someone to look at pearls in South East Queensland.
I enquired about an appraisal for a friend and was told to try Penfolds in Brisbane CBD. We never got round to it so I can't comment further.
However, I have had some dealings with Leonard Joel in Melbourne and found them very easy to deal with. They have an office in Brisbane.
They sell quite a few pearls at their weekly Auction Salon. Sadly for sellers, you are more likely to buy some pretty pearls at a good price than sell them at a good price. Not sure if this link will work but it gives you an idea of what does get auctioned. It varies from week to week.

Auction Catalogue Listing – Leonard Joel

auctions.leonardjoel.com.au

All the best.

 

[A Breaker]

On thing to think about is that you might be able to sell the pearls and the box seperately. You could look into selling them both ways. But I would carefully open the clasp to make sure it does work...I have opened 100+ year old jewelry in silver and gold without any trouble...I am careful...but still need to make sure it works. The silk thread might be degraded that you have to be more careful with...but it probably will need restringing anyway.

 

[jshepherd]

The nacre thickness is really impressive. It looks like they have 3-4 times the thickness of today's akoya. They could have been farmed by Mikimoto when he was leaving the pearls for longer periods. Before the 1970s, 1 mm was pretty normal. Now anything .6 and above is considered extra thick.