My "Pearling" Story...

[CortezPearls]

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Here is a double strand of orange coral...pumpkins anyone? Or how about some Zebra stone with Mother of Pearl leaves. Just some fun Fall accent jewelry.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Beautiful items!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

What a lovely story of music and pearls/MOP

I've met some people over the years that had musical interests and had combined them with their interest in pearls and mother-of-pearl and came up with some fascinating dissertations. One of them was Dr Temkin of the AMNH in NYC and he made this amazing PowerPoint presentation of the comparison between different pearl oyster species, their phylogeny and that of musical instruments. It was a precious thing. Wish I had it to share with you all and with you @MotherOfPearlTrumpet since you love musical instruments and pearl

Since I majored in applied trumpet most of my time was spent in the practice room, not the library! I had to look up phylogeny!
Love this reply...I will see if I can find anything online about it.
phy·lo·gen·e·sis
/ˌfīlōˈjenəsəs/

noun
BIOLOGY
noun: phylogenesis

1. the evolutionary development and diversification of a species or group of organisms, or of a particular feature of an organism.

 

[jeg]

Your mother’s Tahitians are a real treasure

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

It's Black Friday...how about some Black Tahitian Pearls. I've got a GREAT story about these.
Early in my pearling endeavors I was scouring EBay for some black pearls. During that search I found this 36" strand, unknotted without a clasp, of what I now know are black Tahitian 8mm round pearls. At the time, the seller wasn't sure if they were Akoya or Tahitian and I hadn't taken the Pearl Course so I didn't know either. They are perfectly round and have a mostly black smooth surface with some dark green or very dark gray/blue undertones. The seller photographed them on beige shag carpet against a yardstick...not exactly how most people would think to buy an expensive strand of black pearls. The pearls looked genuine but it did seem somewhat of a risk to purchase them. I offered about $100 less than the starting bid and he accepted my offer! (I think it was the shag carpet that kept other buyers away.) Upon winning I inquired about the history of the pearls. The seller was the son of the woman who had owned them. They were and estate strand from the late 1970's. Apparently the seller's mother was divorced and frequently took trips with "boyfriends" to various exotic places. The seller said, "And us kids were never invited." LOL! Her "travel companions" would purchase lovely gifts for her, and she kept them in her safe. Upon her death, her son was selling these items off on EBay. The black pearls were never strung into a necklace so they were completely unused. They even had a yellow post-it-note with them that said in her handwriting, "From Seymour, 1978, Japan wholesale black pearls, 36" $1,700." I told him why I was purchasing them and promised to send the pictures after everything was restrung. He was so sweet; after I sent him the photos...he said, "WOW, WOW, my mother would have been so jealous and pleased at how these turned out! She never had the money to have then strung. They are ready for Hollywood's Red Carpet! Thank so much for sharing." Sometimes the connections we make on a sale or purchase are as special as the strands themselves. Person connecting with person, mother connecting with daughter, storyteller connecting with story reader...all beautiful connections of this amazing human experience.
Back to the pearls...
Since my daughter had ALWAYS talked about wanting a strand of black pearls, I decided to bid and ended up winning the pearls. I conspired with my son-in-law to split the cost with me and give them to her for her 30'th birthday as a surprise. He was glad for the budget gift that would have cost him so much more at the jewelry store; plus the fact that her mother had selected and strung them especially for her. I also purchased the diamond circle clasp on EBay. The winning price on that bracelet was so great, even for just the clasp, so the pearls from the bracelet strand were basically free. I also found an 18" strand of black pearls that could be made into the bracelet. Out of the original 36" I made 2-18" necklaces; "Mother-Daughter" strands (but mine is fancier!!) I created a unique box for the birthday party. This special box has a "lift lid" so the pearls could be beautifully displayed on a black velvet bust underneath the lid. That way, when she opened the gift, the pearls could make their "grand entrance" at her 30'th birthday party. It was a huge success! I made her a little matching 2-strand bracelet with the lesser quality 18" strand and finished it with a rose shaped rhodium sterling silver one-touch clasp. From 2 of the better pearls off of the original 36" strand I made her some earrings too.
Happy Black Friday!!!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Here is my half of the 36" strand. I used 14K white gold with diamond rondels and a unique matching clasp. I purchased 2- 1/2 drilled black dyed Akoya pearls to use with these lovely 14K white gold lever back earring findings.

 

[CortezPearls]

Love the story of those black pearls...perfect for Black Friday indeed
And the resulting necklaces: BEAUTIFUL, the white gold and diamonds really accentuate the blackness of the pearls, the clasps are not only very secure and beautiful, but practical too. The earrings and all...just a perfect gift!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Right after finishing the "Black Pearl" (ARRRRG Matey...our family "Pirates of the Caribbean Joke") necklace I started searching for an appropriate bracelet clasp and set of black pearls in a smaller size. I found this really nice vintage diamond and sapphire clasp and a similar black strand of 6.5mm black pearls so I made a "black pearl" bracelet to go with my necklace and earrings. Two of my daughters are already fighting over it!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Sometimes wonderful clasps have pretty but lower value pearls on them. I love finding these clasps and moving them to more appropriate pearls and then re-working the lesser pearls into something truly fun with an appropriately priced clasp. Here is a set of lovely Keshi pearls that came on a 14K Gold Diamond Clasp. The clap was fun and very unusual so I put it on a 10mm Akoya strand. I re-worked the Keshi with Swarovski Crystal bicone beads and made necklace/earrings/bracelet out of all the pearls. Such fun shapes and they look so cool laying out on the skin. They would be especially lovely on darker skin.

 

[jshepherd]

That's a nice top-drilled keshi strand. I imagine it lays well with the weight. Do the sides tend to flip when you wear it?

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

That's a nice top-drilled keshi strand. I imagine it lays well with the weight. Do the sides tend to flip when you wear it?

They do flip a bit, but not terribly. Better for an orchestra concert rather than a dancing rock concert though! They were strung in one tight cluster and had the look of coral on the initial string. That was pretty too, but I like the sparkle of the crystals.

 

[jshepherd]

Lol! Definitely an orchestra strand!

 

[Lilpearl]

What a lovely story! Your designs/work is so beautiful!!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

What a lovely story! Your designs/work is so beautiful!!

Thank you for your encouragement. I love learning more from all the experienced "Pearl-ers" on this forum.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Happy December Everyone! Mabe it's time for some Mabe pearls! After learning about these beauties in the Pearl Course I set out to find some reasonably priced versions and fell in love with the tear drop shape. They must have been popular in the 1950-70's because I found several on EBay that were most likely from Estate sales. The only ones I could afford were these beautiful examples and I really enjoy wearing them. Surprisingly, it is the men who comment on them. I have another necklace/bracelet with a stunning Mabe centerpiece to post...but will save it for a separate submission because it required re-stringing and yikes was that a challenge!!!
Feast your eyes on these, and "Mabe" comment if you have time, and include photos of your Mabe pearls.

 

[lary007]

I adore mabe pearls and vintage/antique jewelry so these are a great find in my opinion!
I do have one Sea of Cortez mabe that was made into a pendant, but I don't have a picture since I'm at work. If I think about it later I'll try to post a picture of it!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I adore mabe pearls and vintage/antique jewelry so these are a great find in my opinion!
I do have one Sea of Cortez mabe that was made into a pendant, but I don't have a picture since I'm at work. If I think about it later I'll try to post a picture of it!

Sweet...glad to meet you lary007! I'd love to see your Sea of Cortez Mabe!! Thanks for your post!

 

[BWeaves]

I think the mabe' pearls are from the 80's or 90's. I have my Mom's earrings and enhancer, and yes, the ones I wanted were the teardrop shaped ones, not the round ones. Yours are very pretty.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I think the mabe' pearls are from the 80's or 90's. I have my Mom's earrings and enhancer, and yes, the ones I wanted were the teardrop shaped ones, not the round ones. Yours are very pretty.

Oh wow, I didn't know they were that recent. The gold was pretty "yellowed" and needed to be freshened up, which is always tricky with pearl settings. They did clean up nicely.

I'd love to see a picture of your mother's Mabe pearls.

 

[BWeaves]

My Mom bought these during the Princess Diana, big pearl earring era. My Mom loved this style of earring back, but I find them a bit uncomfortable to wear all day. I took the photo with no lighting, so the diamonds look dull. But if I turned the lights on to make the enhancer sparkle, then the pearls were overexposed.

I had to prop the earrings up on the pearl strand in order to get them to sit right for the photo.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

My Mom bought these during the Princess Diana, big pearl earring era. My Mom loved this style of earring back, but I find them a bit uncomfortable to wear all day. I took the photo with no lighting, so the diamonds look dull. But if I turned the lights on to make the enhancer sparkle, then the pearls were overexposed.

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I had to prop the earrings up on the pearl strand in order to get them to sit right for the photo.

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Very, very nice!! Sometimes you can adjust that French Backing to be a bit looser so it doesn't pinch your ear. I've done that with French backings before with success. The enhancer is lovely...the more diamonds the better, right!!!