My mother's ring- but what's the pearl?

[BrianWanes]

So my dear mother recently gave me a ring she's had since high school- she knows that I love pearls, and she hasn't worn the thing literally in decades. It's a little small on my man hands, so I tend to wear it as a midi ring, and of course I would love to hear some opinions about just what kind of pearl is set in this ring. The pearl in question was given to my mother in 1980, and passes the good ol tooth test. The ring is stamped 10k gold, and is set with a tiny single-cut diamond on either side. The pearl appears to be quite round and measures about 5 mm, although the setting makes both size and shape a bit difficult to gauge with confidence, as you'll see below. There are no visible blemishes. Luster, to my untrained eye, seems fairly good, but satiny, with blurred edges of reflected light sources. Given the less-than-crisp nature of the luster, my initial assumption was freshwater, but my understanding is that around 1980 when my mom first got the ring, freshwater pearls were mostly of the rice krispie variety and nowhere near as round as this one is. Here's some reference pics for your perusal- and please excuse my working-man nails!









So, all things considered, do we think low quality akoya, or very round freshwater? Thanks in advance, aaaand I look forward to opinions.

 

[pattye]

Brian,
Judging from the shape and size, most like you've got an Akoya pearl there and your evaluation is accurate. It may have been worn lots (&loved) and so lost some luster along the way. Quite sure from that time frame will not be freshwater.

What a special loving gift! I'm glad you've found a way to wear it comfortably. Some of us also wear these special rings on a chain +/- other charms, or perhaps on leather cord.

 

[BrianWanes]

Thanks for weighing in, Pattye. I hadn't thought to wear it on a chain or cord, but I may have to experiment!

 

[BWeaves]

I agree with Pattye.

Plus, I love to see a man wearing pearls.