My own mystery pearls!

[snufflepig]

I did the classic thing and bought these on ebay, they were labeled as "real" pearls, I figured they were probably cultured or low-quality since I got them pretty cheap. The clasp makes it clear that this necklace is old, it has 207 pearls on it total. I do like the necklace!! Obviously when I received them they were... dubious. They fail the tooth test, and have some questionable marks around some of the drill holes, and they're not very heavy. However, the surface is not even, many of them are not perfectly round, and the pearl on the clasp is an odd color and shape - it definitely could be a real flat pearl, but it also fails the tooth test. I'm wondering if they could be some sort of ... cultured, coated pearl? Quite sure they're not valuable, but they also don't seem to be the typical fakes. Anyone have an idea how old these might be, or how they were made? There's no signature on the clasp. It seems to have corroded as though it was plated copper. The string definitely appears old, and the knots are tight and worn, making it obvious that they aren't simply new plastic pearls restrung with an old clasp. Below are some pictures I took with my cell phone camera (bleh) under a bright flashlight.



Looking forward to hearing some input on these -- I think old jewelry is so interesting, whether it's "valuable" or not!

--edit/note, my apartment has horrible lighting and I haven't been able to get the kinds of photos I've seen in other threads.. any advice? I borrowed an LED flashlight for the ones that are posted above, but that almost seems too bright, you can't see the variations or the detail much. Grr!

later edit... I read more posts and pulled out my ott light (which is supposed to give "natural" light). I also changed the settings around on my digital camera so that they came out more accurate, although they still vary somewhat in their luster depending on the angle. I'm also adding a picture of a bracelet I bought years ago, definitely fashion jewelry, as you can see the plating has rubbed off the clasp from wear! I want to re-string these since the pearls are so big I can't get the toggle undone. Any ideas about clasps and re-stringing material would be appreciated. I know they're not valuable, but I love how strange the shapes are! Photos are still a tad dark, sorry, just couldn't make things brighter in here.

 

[sinju]

Hi, nice post.

i have also one like yours, since i would like to know and learn about china pearl, i am 100% sure that yours and mine is fake, in my opinion this pearl is Synthetic in china they have also pearl that made from shell, if you see on ebay there are very beautiful, i have some in my house if i am not mistaken, i will show you. this pearl that from shell is better and the price is cheap, i am sure no one can see if this is from shell if they dont know more about pearls

 

[dkan 168]

The pics of the necklace are not in sufficient details for me to decide whether they are fake pearls or not. If I were to make a guess based on the photos as they are, I would say they are not real, as they appear to be too uniform in shape and lustre.

However, I believe the pearls in the bracelet are real cultured freshwater pearls.

DK

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Agree with the above-- the long strand is probably fake, and the bracelet is cultured Chinese freshwater pearls.

Toggles work best if there are a few very small jump rings or tiny round beads between the bar end of the toggle and the beads-- so it can be passed through the ring.

For pearl strands and bracelets I use PowerPro, a synthetic thread that is strong, waterproof and makes tight even knots. My restringing tutorial is stickied at the top of the Lowly Beaders' Club forum.

 

[snufflepig]

Thanks so much for the responses!

I think the idea that the necklace might be shell is probably correct. I couldn't get pictures that accurately showed the surface texture, I have to say they look much more fake in photos than they do in reality... with too bright a light, they are so shiny you can't see the variations in the surface texture, and with too little, well, it's too dark for them to show up. The bright light also makes the luster look more even than it really is (it is a bit too even for real pearls, but not as even as most of the fakes I've seen). And they're not large, even the macro setting on the camera didn't help. They're just determined to shine, I guess! I know they're not plastic or glass and after closer examination they don't appear to be coated, either (I was thinking they might have been dipped in some kind of resin to make them smooth), if the small pits/scratches I found are anything to go by... shell is probably the closest answer I'm going to get. Might be better off being fake, since it means I can wear them without having to worry! I'm going to look at them under a magnifying glass when I can, and I'll let you know what that tells me, if anything.

I'll definitely try out the restringing tutorial also! I'll have to take off a few of the pearls to lengthen the clasp, so I can make matching earrings out of those maybe -- bonus! and maybe I'll feel ambitious enough to restring my mystery strand at some point... probably not.......

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Why not visit your local jeweler and ask to borrow their loupe to check it out? Compare the surface of this strand with that of a known-real pearl-- the real pearl surface is much finer, smoother (except for blemishes) while the fake coating is decidedly more textured/rough, like an orange peel.

A loupe is not very expensive and since you like to buy pre-owned pearls, it might be a good thing for you to buy one. We use ours a lot.

 

[snufflepig]

Just what I was thinking!! My last magnifier met a mysterious end along with the rest of all. my. jewelry. making. supplies. (cry...) when my mom "put them away" some years ago and still can't find them... I have finally given up on locating them, so there should be a magnifier for me somewhere in the mail. The only thing more awesome than shiny things... is shiny things, up close and personal!