Natural Pearls (?) in Vintage Jewelry

[J Marcus]

A client of mine has brought in a pendant and a ring that she has inherited. She would like my opinion of them and, after looking at them, I told her that there is some chance that one or both of them were set with natural pearls. I am posting photos of them here along with description and measurements to see what other PG members might have to say about them. I understand, of course, that without certification from a reputable lab no one can be sure, but she has no plans to sell them and doesn't want to go through the certification process.

Item 1: Pendant, yellow gold, marked 14K with a hallmark that appears to be pictorial rather than letters. It is a finely crafted sunburst design, appears to be hand-made. Set with 65 small pearls set variously by bead setting with bright cuts, beaded bezel, and prong settings. The center pearl and the eight immediately surrounding it measure approximately 2.5 mm each. The eight single pearls set singly in prongs around the outside diameter measure 2.6 mm each. The eight wider rays that contain bead-set pearls contain 6 pearls each that taper from 2.4 mm down to 1.2 mm at the tips. The pearls appear to all be slightly to moderately off-round in shape. In color, most of them are a sort of lightly bronzy, very light lavender-grey. The six single pearls prong set around the outside and about three of the bead-set pearls in the tapered rays are more of a light yellow. They are of good to fair luster with no obvious surface flaws showing. The owner states that her mother told her she brought them from England sometime around 1910.

Item 2: ladies ring set with four pearls in prongs. It is marked on the inside with the number "2" near to the top and "18K" and a hallmark resembling a boat paddle or oar. Finely crafted heads are used that appear hand made. The pearls measure 4.1 mm, 4.1 mm, 4.2 mm and 4.1 mm across the horizontal axis. They are all taller than they are wide, having been set with the long axis vertical. The outside two are of a light gold/bronze color--perhaps just a bit of grey, also. The two center ones are more of a light lavendar/grey/ bronze color, one of them having a more lavender cast to it. All of them have a fair to good bronzy luster. There is one small surface flaw down on the side of one of them. Like the pendant described above, the owner states that her mother told me that she brought them from England around 1910.

The pictures were taken with natural light.

I shall anxiously await the expert opinions of my fellow PG participants.

 

[GemGeek]

They should all be naturals based on the era of the jewelry, with the exception that a missing pearl might have been replaced at some point by a cultured pearl (but who cares?). So cute! Last year I bought a friend a starburst pin with natural pearls. They were unbelievably popular for a lengthy period. Pearl color variation was also very common.

Thanks for posting the photos!

 

[pearlescence]

They are not english - see http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/assayoffice/currenthallmarks.htm
If the marks do not look like those shown on this webpage they are not hallmarks and the piece is not english

 

[knotty panda]

Are you saying they were not made in England? That doesn't mean they weren't purchased in England, does it? They may not have been purchased new. Just speculating here. But they are simply gorgeous!

 

[GemGeek]

If you still have the jewelry, take a close-up photo of the visible marks.

 

[pattye]

Marcus,

Those are lovely pieces! I have no knowledge of antique jewelry, but appreciate very much the chance to admire same.

 

[J Marcus]

I am posting photo's of the marks on the backs of the ring and pendant. The one on the pendant is a little hard to decipher so I have posted more than one. I had a further conversation with the owner of the jewelry and was able to clarify some points. She stated that her grandmother brought them over from England and that she acquired them in the period between 1910 and 1930. Where they were made is not known with any certainty.

Pearlescence: The site that you sent the link to states that the hallmarks, etc. shown are in compliance with the hallmark act of 1972. Have the hallmarks used changed since the early 1900's?

 

[Sueki]

Hello JMarcus,
The first two photos. suggest to me that the piece may be French.
It does look very much like a French hallmark, but I can't see it clearly enough to be sure.
Have a look at this site: http://www.925-1000.com/

And yes, our hallmarking system changed slightly in 1972, but essentially it's the same as it has always been.

And we didn't have a 14 carat standard here until 1931 I think.
And our mark would always be 14Ct. or .625 (as opposed to 14K).
And 18Ct. or .750 as opposed to 18K.

 

[Orient]

Hello Marcus - I know little about metal/jewellery, but have a little knowledge about pearls, so to answer your original query; they look like natural pearls to me. Of course to be sure you would need to submit them to microradiography (X-rays). Whilst the ring might allow this without removing the pearls, the pendant is another story. Are the pearls in the arms mounted in close-backed settings? If so thy may need to be removed if submitted for actual testing. They also look like they may be half-pearls?

 

[Bodecia]

Hi All,

My opinion is that the brooch has natural seed pearls. I have no doubts on that. The ring pearls do look natural to me but not totally postive on them as I am on the brooch. Not made in England but that means little as imports were common even then. They are beautiful. But I would not bother having them tested as being seed pearls, although beautiful, are not worth a fortune. You can find similar on eBay. The broochs would rarely go for more than $200, if that. They would be worth a lot more but getting more is a different matter.

Bodecia (Dawn)
on eBay dawncee333

 

[pearlescence]

Hi Marcus.
We have had a system of marking the proof of precious metals here since 1363.
For one thing there are simply not enough marks on the pieces for it to be from here.
Here every pieces carries a maker's mark (mine is my initials -wmg - in an egyptian style cartouche shape - the mark of the assay office which tested the piece (mine go to Goldsmiths hall in London - cheetah's head) the mark signifying what the metal is and what assay. Also on a mark can be a separate symbol for the type and quality of the metal, a date letter (letters, changed annually by letter and typeface) and any special marks, such as a Queen's head on silver for her silver jubilee or on gold for her golden.)
A huge give away is that, as Sueki says, we call them carats, (ct) not Ks
So an english hallmark tells you who made something, roughly when it was made (certainly when it was sent for assay) where it was assayed, and exactly what metal it is.
cheers

 

[J Marcus]

Hi All,

My opinion is that the brooch has natural seed pearls. I have no doubts on that. The ring pearls do look natural to me but not totally postive on them as I am on the brooch. Not made in England but that means little as imports were common even then. They are beautiful. But I would not bother having them tested as being seed pearls, although beautiful, are not worth a fortune. You can find similar on eBay. The broochs would rarely go for more than $200, if that. They would be worth a lot more but getting more is a different matter.

Bodecia (Dawn)
on eBay dawncee333

I find this to be a rather odd estimate of the value of the piece as it contains more value than $200 in gold by weight. If I could buy even used gold items, not to mention vintage pieces, at that sort of price I would gladly buy and resell them on an ongoing basis........

 

[Valeria101]

Interesting case... but not SINGULAR.

I would guess that seed pearl items with more daring designs and / or uncommon history have a better chance [THESE just did, price upon request]. But... it is simply a 'feeling' - terribly irresponsible by appraisal standards. That star-burst design was very popular in its day (= common) but no longer. The personality appeal for a five-stone band is moot...

Here's what a responsible dealer does with her obsolete Victorian pieces: scroll down for the SHAGREEN CUFFS down that newsletter page; the cuffs are a recession initiative, but her market is what it is. I can't imagine the star pin set into the pommel (?) of a fabulous fishing rod [not a fisherman though!...]

 

[J Marcus]

I thank everyone who has taken a stab at providing information about these pieces. There is obviously a fund of extensive and valuable knowledge held by the members of The Pearl Guide. However, I think that there is some misunderstanding concerning what I wish for knowledgeable members to weigh in on. Neither the owner of the pieces nor I are terribly interested in the value of the items. If the owner wants that she will get a proper appraisal by a gemologist who is also qualified in the appraisal of vintage jewelry and would probably seek certification by a competent gem lab for the pearls. The question that I am asking is simply this: From those who have knowledge and familiarity with similar items of their probable vintage (unknown with any certainty) what is your opinion of the probability that the pearls in these pieces are natural rather than cultured? I recognise that any opinion given is just that--an educated guess. I didn't include the overall size of the pieces because that is not relevant to the question. I included the size range and information about the color, shape and surface of the pearls because I thought that it might be relevant to the question. I mentioned the quality of the workmanship because I thought that it might provide a clue. Also, I thought it possible that the marks on the back and in the shank might give a clue to the source and therefore, possibly, shed some light on the origins of the pearls. I do know that they would probably have to be X-rayed to have any certainty of whether they are natural. I am preparing a series of X-rays and photographs of natural pearls that will show up soon in a posting under the Natural Pearls forum--not these, of course. I thought that the estimate of value given above was odd largely because the size and weight of the item was not mentioned. the pendant is, by the way, approx. 2 inches and perhaps a little more in diameter.

Other than that, I hope that those viewing them have enjoyed them, as some have mentioned.

 

[Valeria101]

Not familiar with such designs done with cultured pearls. Assuming natural seed pearls throughout. These look the part entirely and below 6mm is not much of a stretch. Much less so for seed pearls. If repairs / replacements were made, it is also quite likely that natural seed pearls were used - small lots get recycled & sold precisely for repairs. Not terribly expensive, a bit tricky to find on the spot. In this context 'natural pearl' has a somewhat lesser ring to it [matter of fact, not taste...].

The approximate size of the pin is fairly clear from the first post, because you mention the size of the pearls...

I find it common to see vintage jewelry sold below the cost of materials... Never thought twice of how strange or interesting this is - just a common thing taken for granted.

2c


Oops for the overenthusiastic price-sleuthing. Numbers tend to stick out (the $200 in the original post)

 

[BeadersSecret]

The brooche appears to be quite in keeping for that time period and hence there would be a very strong possibility that the pearls are naturals.

The ring is a little harder - sometimes the setting design can be a good indicator of the period it was made (of course that supposes the setting hasnt been repaired\reworked during its lifetime.) Does the setting look to have been worked upon?


As Pearlescence and Sueki noted - the pieces wouldnt be British made - nor sold there.
The marking of Gold and Silver items for sale is mandatory - and the marks dont comply with the requirements for them to have been sold there.

I dont recognise the marks - they are most probably a makers mark rather then a hallmark or assay mark - it would be interesting to track down who registered that marking.

Regards
Bernadette

 

[J Marcus]

I appreciate all the input concerning these pieces. It has been helpful. I don't have a great wealth of knowledge concerning vintage pieces.

As for the selling prices of items on ebay, it is such a caveat emptor market that it is very understandable that such pieces sell low in that venue. On the other hand, when I have come across vintage pieces selling in jewelry stores, I have always found the pricing to be much higher. Has anyone else made similar observations?

 

[pearlescence]

It is a generally applicable rule that eBay is good on price if you are buying but bad if you are selling. Which is why I don't sell on eBay!

 

[Valeria101]

Right...

For curiosity: Morning Glory Jewelry lines up three such pins - interesting to see the variations in quality, setting styles etc. The model must have as many variations as the solitaire engagement ring settings these days! (OK, perhaps not quite that much - just trying to make a point: 'antique' <> 'one of a kind', but differences within any 'type' matter and have meaning just like for modern pieces... ).

E.G. - The setting of the pearls on the better of three pins there is nearly identical to the (raised colet) on your pin. The cut of the small pearl seats also... To me, this is a matter of quality rather then origin - those details are marks of rather generic skills (it would have been different if rarer bench capabilities that can be traced to a region or even workshop...) Still, today neither is much in practice so I wouldn't know how else to evaluate against modern examples. Etc.

Besides, the place is an encyclopedia of vintage & antique jewelry - fine and costume. Perhaps a good place to ask, if more detail is sought abut the pin. A clasp photo for the pin should also help (with them, not me).

2c.