New Member, New Inherited Pear Necklace!

[lisa c]

We like pictures of grandparents wearing pearls!

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Dave, are you worried that the enthusiasm we're showing (cheerleading)for all the progress she's made with photographs and learning about pearls is misleading her into thinking there's a chance they're Naturals?

What a great question!

I'd be the last person to discourage anyone or anything about pearls. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming or leaving no stone unturned. Even with all we know about natural or cultured pearls, there will always remain an element of wonder. Farbeit I would take that away from anyone.

That said, the misuse of the word "natural" very often gets under my skin. Not necessarily from those who are just learning, but by those who should know better. Good science is not about emotion, myth or perception. It's about facts. "Ugly" is another term that makes me sad. What does a mollusk know of beauty, but to survive? Even the most misshapen and discolored pearls, have a story to tell how they were created in nature. To me, these are facts that lead my observations into speculation, ultimately into replication.

While I generally have no issue with the cultured pearl grading system, I take exception when these rules are applied to naturals. They are two completely different things.

 

[InheritedPearl]

I've actually been lucky in my other collecting...i have 4 duplicate items, and there is only 1 other person known in the world to have a 5th one...I've been offered 60X what i paid for 1 of those mega rare 4 items from another collector...yet i declined to sell it.

I will post anything that i find out about this necklace...even if it were to end up being fake "junk" jewelry.

 

[lisa c]

Dave, Do you think it's a style difference that crops up and makes things less clear here on PG? (What's that statistic for the number of words women use per day vs the number for men? ) As if too many emotion-related words (from the welcoming club/ cheerleaders) makes the site less valid and valuable scientifically? It's not an easy balance to strike, PG is definitely not a cut and dried place...

Uh oh, my son would right now say "What, am I stupid?!? I'm not touching that question with a laser, let alone a ten foot pole!"
I'm not trying to be inflammatory, this business of new posters mistaking kindness and welcoming enthusiasm for "Group Think", and the cushioning of "not good news" has come up more than once lately. I know Sheryl handled a comprehensive response one time recently.

Aaaaand, here it comes - Emo-Speak! - I want to tell you I'm grateful you didn't ream me a new one for asking the question.

I don't think most guys would consider writing that (just preceding) sentence, even if they felt that way. Kind of unecessary, right? File - no need to know.

I'm not dissing one style or the other I think they can work to balance the site. Plus Dave, you just shared some beautifully evocative thoughts.

 

[lisa c]

All right, does this idea have legs?

For the sake of science and brevity, should we go back after a certain period of time and delete our "hi hello welcome gorgeous" type comments?

Or is that perversion? I know it's revisionist.

 

[Caitlin]

No need. The only time I move or remove posts is when people go way out of bounds or make a spammy post.

 

[Bacca]

It turned out that men and women use about the same number of words per day. I think what you're thinking about is what motivates the difference in the way men and women speak. Deborah Tannen, a linguist, wrote an excellent book, "You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation." She says, in essence, men speak to establish position, women speak to establish connection. That's why, when you're talking in detail about a problem, your men friends offer ways to solve it and your women friends let you vent.

In some situations, both men and women need to modify their speech to accomplish what they need to, but I don't think Pearl-Guide is one of those areas. It's both social and informative and it strikes a nice balance of both. Welcoming newcomers and being thoughtful of sensibilities is just gracious and knows no sex. I don't see a need to change that behavior and, although I'm not Dave, I don't think he was saying that it's communication style that causes people to misuse terms.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Dave, Do you think it's a style difference that crops up and makes things less clear here on PG? (What's that statistic for the number of words women use per day vs the number for men? ) As if too many emotion-related words (from the welcoming club/ cheerleaders) makes the site less valid and valuable scientifically? It's not an easy balance to strike, PG is definitely not a cut and dried place...

Passion is a gift not to be taken lightly. Science can be mundane and over one's head from time to time. I see no reason why the two can't be reconciled. This board is a tremendous source for useful information. There is a lot of pride in the wares held by their owners that need no explaination. As with many keepsakes, there is great value in the spirit of which they were received. Apart from the farmers and resellers, I scarcely doubt anyone on this board thinks about the resale of their pearls when they buy or are gifted them. They are meant to be cherished and adored. Even the scruffiest natural pearl from an oddball species is a treasure and a rare experience. I'm often somewhat bewildered, when otherwise knowledgeable people jump immediately into the ugly or no value mode.

At the risk straying too far from IP's topic, let me mention this.

How many contributors have found an natural pearl themselves? Whether it be shucking an oyster, biting into a scallop or whatever, can you imagine how thrilled they must be to be the first to lay hands on one of nature's most intriguing items? I can say with all certainty, that never wanes, despite having done it thousands of times. Just like archaeology, the greatest value lies in situ and much of that is lost forever once removed, unless documented to best of our ability.

A single natural pearl might have some insight of creation, but when one observes a thousand natural pearls (especially from a single species), patterns emerge.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am not a scientist. I am an ecologist. I see things in terms of their relationship to one another... the economy of nature, if you will. There are no books or longwinded statements to explain this, one only needs to live it day to day to become familiar.

There are too many myths about pearls, even in this day and age and as educators, we must be mindful to not needlessly perpetuate them.

 

[lisa c]

Actually I wasn't thinking he said or implied that, I guess I mis-spoke. I was musing about different styles and thinking about exactly what you cited ( and i loved that you referenced it ) BUT when I want to use PG for learning only, wading through all the hi hello gorgeous of the past is tedious.

At the same time I love welcoming people to PG and praising them (not that I've already forgotten my recent bad manners; usually I'm a good egg) and I think welcoming people is healthy for the site. I remember how important that welcome felt when I was new!

So I tried to figure a way to achieve both ends. I think I'll go back periodically and delete 3/5 of my hi hello gorgeous remarks. That way I won't look totally unfriendly but still pare things down. I don't think it'll hurt anything.

 

[lisa c]

Dave, geez do you have a death wish? Ecologists are scientists! Do you want to be shunned at your next scientific convention?

On my phone I really can't see the little faces, so I'll just write 'giggles'.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Dave, geez do you have a death wish? Ecologists are scientists! Do you want to be shunned at your next scientific convention?

Haha!

To be honest, I hold no degree and have never spoken at scientific or pearl oriented conventions. Heck, I've never even set foot on a pearl farm other than my own and never had a head to head conversation with another farmer. It's just me and the mussels, alone, along a huge coastline. I know very little about pearl farming in the southern oceans, only what I've seen in papers or here in P-G.

I try to be accurate in my descriptions and analysis, though admittedly my theories can sometimes be naively misleading.

All that is a topic for another thread, and I humbly pass the talking stick to finding out the origin of IP's pearls.

 

[lisa c]

Are you serious? Dave, you're a self taught scholar? Do you know how rare and impressive your learning and accomplishments are? Wow.

I wonder how many other self taught scholars post here.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Are you serious? Dave, you're a self taught scholar?

It's this place. There are just not enough words to describe the pristine, diverse and prolific environment.

 

[InheritedPearl]

Hi everyone. So i found out some information...and found appraisal documents from October 21st 1980 for all the jewelry i inherited. Regarding the 3 strand necklace i inherited...it turns out to be this:

"One triple strand graduated cultured pearls w/gold clasp w/three single cut diamonds"

I'm not sure what graduated cultured pearls means, but i guess it's safe to say they aren't natural pearls. It says on the appraisal three single cut diamonds, but i see 5 diamonds. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[lisa c]

Maybe they didnt count what they considered diamond chips?

Still, how great to find that appraisal, in a document!!!

Oh, was I correct about the pearl sizes? Small 3mm, to 7-8mm?

 

[InheritedPearl]

The appraisal doesn't show the pearl sizes, just the description as listed above plus the evaluation price in 1980. What does "graduated cultured pearls" mean exactly?

 

[Lindaphillipsbong]

Great thread people. Very interesting.
Sorry though, I'm curious; what other things do you collect InheritedPearl?
I totally understand if you decline to tell us though.
Linda.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

What does "graduated cultured pearls" mean exactly?

"Graduated" means the sizes of the pearls are not equal, instead ranging from smallest to largest.

 

[Caitlin]

Graduated means they go from a larger one in the middle to successively smaller pearls at the back.

So, the only cultured pearls of note before the appraisal date, were cultured akoya pearls, though few jewelers knew that, or regarded it a a selling point, because All cultured pearls at the time were akoya.

Congratulations! You have a higher end akoya pearl necklace because it has three strands and diamonds in the clasp, even if the previous jeweler counted wrong, he knew what he had, just by a quick look.

What was it Dave said, "If you think it is akoya, it is probably akoya"? Kudos Dave!

Now another appraisal is probably a good thing, but ask for a probable resale figure, not replacement value. Or look for ads for three stranders online and see what comes up, especially in images, to develop your own idea of its resale value.

 

[InheritedPearl]

Linda, i collect vintage electronics...it's my real passion. The appraisal of the pearl necklace back in 1980 was $1860...there was a total of 26 items appraised at the time...including rings, broaches earrings etc...i'm glad i took the time to find the papers, and photocopied pictures of everything...it really was cool. I also have another Pearl" looking necklace but it's probably fake, and i also have 2 earrings with pearls that are most likely fake. If anyone wants i could take a picture later on for you to see...but if they are fakes please go easy on me as i know nothing about jewelry!

Thanks again for everyone's comments so far throughout this thread, i've really enjoyed it!