Old pearls need some info

[lt090]

Well i have got a set of pearls from my grand mother for my wife that is being pass down threw my side of the family from what i know.
Only thing about them is i don't know anything about them all i really know is they are from my grandmother and i think they might be from her mother.
So just looking for some info on them here are the pictures.



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[lt090]

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[lisa c]

Thanks for posting the pics right away! Pretty; how long are they, and do you know what size the pearls are? Could you post a clearer pic of the clasp? or can you tell us what marks are on it? More knowledgable folks will chime in soon, and like to have information like this. Thanks!

Thanks also for including the enlarged photo. Those closeups can be a huge help when examining pearls with only photos.

BTW, what did you think when you examined them? What do they feel like? Do the pearls feel substantial, have some weight when you hold them? If you hold them against your cheek when you first pick them up, do you feel a sharp cold? When you rub them against your teeth, do you get a gritty feeling, or do they feel relatively smooth?

 

[pattye]

Welcome, It090,

It is always lovely to have family jewelry to hand down! Yes, like Lisa C requested, please give us an idea of how long the strand is, and about how many mm the pearls are. Can you take a more close up of the pearls showing close to the knot? It is difficult to tell, but on some pearls it looks like some peeling near the hole, but it could just be the thread. I am looking at the 2nd photo, the 5 pearls near the clasp at the top of the photo. Thanks very much!

 

[GemGeek]

Although it can be hard to tell from a photo, they look artificial to me. Wonderful artificial pearls have been made for many generations. In the past, good ones were very expensive and treasured as much as a real strand. That doesn't mean that your strand isn't real, of course. I agree that you should take the "tooth test" or get a magnifiying glass and have a better look at the surface.

 

[pearlescence]

I agree with Blaire...the sort of lip around the holes at the top end of the necklace look like some imitations I've seen where the false nacre sort of wells up a bit. The holes look a bit big too. As she also says, way back when these came into your family all that was around were fakes (unless you had lots and lots of $ or ? or whatever)
I'm interested in the attachment to the clasp - never seen that before
There is a mark of some sort on the slider - can you read it?

 

[lt090]

Well they are very smooth, are around 5.5-6mm from what i see on a size chart. When i do pick them up as i just did they are cold.
On the clasp it has s14k which i know is the mark for gold, other then that the clasp has nothing else on it no brand marker either. Even if they happen to be a fake would be neat to know were from mainly for the reason she did come over from Germany.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

These seem to have extrusions or built up excesses around the holes.

They look like faux pearls. Majorica pearls are man made from glass beads coated with artificial nacre. The end result are pearls with well matched colors, sizes and shapes.

Even in highly graded cultured pearl strands, such uniformity is very rare... and expensive.

 

[lisa c]

Gee, 'fake' seems so harsh....well, is it time to bite the bullet, guys?

It090, if you haven't done this already, can you take a pair of scissors (or anything medium sharp and sturdy, but manageable for your grip to control) and gently scratch a pearl (near the clasp!) at the hole where it's knotted? See if the pearl layer peels off.

Remember, a sturdy but not too sharp edge. You don't want to accidentally slice the knot, and then need to repair the necklace so it's wearable... Or your fingers.

This information about genuine vs artificial pearls is coming to you in a piecemeal fashion. If you google (generic term, you could use another search engine) this topic, you'll find the info in a more organized fashion. Sorry I can't remember more specific directions - Senior Moment.

Pearls are somewhat contradictory; under a magnifying glass they look very smooth, yet rubbed against the teeth or rubbed against each other they feel gritty. That's why I suggest the google.

My son went with his Sr German HS class on a tour of Germany, Austria, the old Czekoslovakia and brought home a set of artificial (not knowing it) pearls for me. He bought them in Prague I think, but they had the eagle on the clasp-tag. The stories behind family pearls can make them lovely, sentimental treasures.

Will you let us know what comes of the scratch test?

 

[lisa c]

Ok, on this site, to research go to
Forums-> Pearls-> Consumer Pearls-> Q and A -> Are my pearls real?