Newbie with questions pertaining to Baroque pearls

[LuckyLucy]

Hello all! I'm so glad to have found this forum. I am in possession of a sterling silver ring with a 1" long, 1/8" wide 'stone', It bears considerable weight and it appears to be hand made, although I've not found a makers mark or stamp. It does bear the '925' sterling stamp. I thought Mother of Pearl, then I thought Baroque Pearl. I don't know what to think at this point.

Do Baroque Pearls fall under the same rules for grittiness as natural/cultured real pearls?

I am enjoying reading the threads - you ladies have some lovely pearls! I'm bouncing from thread to thread, looking for an answer to my questions and then I thought I might as well ask!

Thanks in advance! I appreciate your help!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi LuckyLucy, welcome to P-G!

A baroque pearl is also a real pearl, as long as it was produced by an oyster or mussel and not in a factory-- i.e. not fake.

However there is something known by many as an osmena or osmeña pearl that is not a pearl at all, but rather part of a nautilus shell, polished. These are oval and dome shaped.

Why not post a photo of the ring?

Edit: Here is a thread with photos of an osmena pearl: https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?11035-blister-pearl-or-nautilus-shell

 

[CathyKeshi]

Hi LuckyLucy! Can you possibly take a photo of your ring, showing this "stone" ? Best is to keep it simple, and lay the ring on a background of white; paper towels work fine, and take as clear of a closeup as you can get, and maybe from several angles, even from underneath if possible. Look forward to seeing your ring and the mystery "stone"!

 

[LuckyLucy]

Hi LuckyLucy! Can you possibly take a photo of your ring, showing this "stone" ? Best is to keep it simple, and lay the ring on a background of white; paper towels work fine, and take as clear of a closeup as you can get, and maybe from several angles, even from underneath if possible. Look forward to seeing your ring and the mystery "stone"!

Hello Pearl, Cathy. Thanks for your replies. I am at this moment trying to get the uploader to work for me. I live rural, my internet is via satellite. You can imagine how hard it might be now and then to get a picture up on a message board, but I'm trying!!

 

[LuckyLucy]

Hello ladies - I replied to your replies, no idea where it is. ( moderation perhaps? ) Looks like I might be in luck with a picture!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Looks like a cultured Chinese freshwater pearl to me. What do you think, Cathy?
(And yes, the first 3 or so posts have to be approved. Usually it takes longer but I happened to be online.)

 

[LuckyLucy]

Looks like a cultured Chinese freshwater pearl to me. What do you think, Cathy?

Now we're getting somewhere! Thank you! Pearl, is a Chinese freshwater pearl a 'real' pearl?

 

[LuckyLucy]

Looks like a cultured Chinese freshwater pearl to me. What do you think, Cathy?
(And yes, the first 3 or so posts have to be approved. Usually it takes longer but I happened to be online.)

I'm very grateful that you were! I have read on the internet until my eyes were just so tired. I wish I'd have found your forum sooner!

 

[LuckyLucy]

Hoping this one shows up. If I need to show a different angle please let me know.

 

[LuckyLucy]

Ladies, thank you so very much for your help. I told myself this evening that tomorrow I will take it to the jewelers and let them give me their opinion/appraisal. I sure do appreciate yours. I am confident that you know your pearls!

 

[CathyKeshi]

That's an intriguing ring! It looks like a real pearl to me, custom set. Likely cultured, nice iridescence, I'm seeing it as a soft grey color ... is that the color you see LuckyLucy? Any chance we could see it from the side, and maybe the back to see how it's set? I'm better at questions than I am at answers

 

[Pearl Dreams]

A real pearl is any pearl that is made by the mollusk. (Imitation pearls are made in factories; the coating is made from substances obtained from fish scales, with laquer.)

Real pearls include natural pearls and cultured pearls.

Natural pearls are wild pearls. They occur without human intervention. These continue to be rare finds.
Cultured pearls are farmed pearls. Humans did something to the oysters or mussels to trigger the formation of a pearl sac that then made the pearl. The pearl market today is a cultured pearl market.

Saltwater pearls like akoyas, Tahitians, and South Sea pearls have a bead placed inside the gonad of the oyster, along with a bit of mantle tissue from a donor oyster to trigger the formation of a pearl sac. The cells of the pearl sac secrete nacre, the same lustrous substance that lines the inside of the shell, and so nacre is laid down around the bead. A pearl results.

In the case of most freshwater pearls, there is no bead inside-- just a bit of mantle tissue from a donor mussel to trigger the formation of the pearl sac. But this is changing as more bead-nucleated fwp are being produced.

More than you asked, but a mini-lesson on pearls!

 

[Abi]

Lovely ring! Welcome to PG. I believe it's a fwp as well, which are real pearls. What I've seen so far in the PG world, non pearls have been called shell pearls....or imitation pearls...

I shall leave the pros to continue confirming your ring .

 

[Abi]

Couldn't say it any better than how PD explained it .

 

[CathyKeshi]

Thinking out loud, and out of the box here ... a Mississippi river pearl? Do you have any history on the ring, LuckyLucy?

 

[LuckyLucy]

That's an intriguing ring! It looks like a real pearl to me, custom set. Likely cultured, nice iridescence, I'm seeing it as a soft grey color ... is that the color you see LuckyLucy? Any chance we could see it from the side, and maybe the back to see how it's set? I'm better at questions than I am at answers

Yes, Cathy. I also see the soft grey color...until I turn it. Then I see a soft creamy color with overtones of pink and green! It changes with the lighting and with the background. I have tried to post other pictures - I have quite a few. I think that while I am in newbie status it might take a bit of time, but yes....I am happy to post more pictures. I just weighed it - it's 12.6 grams. The setting is very heavy sterling.

Would you care to hazard a guess on it's age? And what about the setting and style? SAomeone suggested Art Deco. I am not yet schooled sufficiently to say, but another friend suggested Native American. They both sound good to me.

 

[LuckyLucy]

Lovely ring! Welcome to PG. I believe it's a fwp as well, which are real pearls. What I've seen so far in the PG world, non pearls have been called shell pearls....or imitation pearls...

I shall leave the pros to continue confirming your ring .

Thank you Abi!

 

[LuckyLucy]

Thinking out loud, and out of the box here ... a Mississippi river pearl? Do you have any history on the ring, LuckyLucy?

I do not know of the ring's history, but don't you know how I wish I did! It's possible that it came from a friend of my mother's. She was from Oklahoma - LOVED her jewelry. I will ask and get back with you on it.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'm still having to approve each post...probably because they were made in fairly rapid succession. Trying to keep up-- hang in there if I lag a bit.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Well...whether it's a natural river pearl or cultured river pearl (Latendresse farm) or a Chinese cultured pearl, it's still freshwater. And definitely a real pearl.