Opportunity - should I bite??

[Annette Rene]

I've always wanted a strand of "Opera Length" pearls. Of course - the ones I'd *really* like are way out of my price-line (one day, though!!).

Someone offered these up for a little over $100 for 6 feet. I'm weary at such a price. I'm wondering if these are natural? Or are they some cheaper pearls from China, perhaps? The clasp is 14k. They may just be fun to have and not worth much at all.



What do you think?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Natural refers to wild pearls, that did not result from any human intervention. Based on their shapes and the price, those are certainly Chinese cultured freshwater pearls. They would not have a bead inside, just a bit of mantle tissue, so basically they are solid nacre and very durable.

They are lustrous and the price seems fair. They are on the small side (comparing the pearls with the size of the knots) but often long ropes look nicer with smaller pearls.

 

[Annette Rene]

Pearl Dreams - Thank you so much to replying to all of my posts! I'll admit - I've been scouring all the old posts in this forum to learn all I can. This website is a treasure trove of information!

I wasn't so sure of what they were due to the shape. They do seem smaller - but, I'm okay with that as long as quality is there. However, if they are Chinese cultured pearls they are a little more common than I'd like. This person was saying they were an older strand of pearls.. frankly, I didn't think so and that is what was holding me back. They look new to me. The luster does look decent enough.

I think I'm going to hold off and save up for a larger size pearl necklace! Thanks for the advice!

 

[KarinK]

Annette, the Chinese FW in this grade are what you'd call 'potato shaped'. They are fairly easy to recognize. A strand that long with so well matched wild pearls would be insanely expensive. Ropes are fun. I made myself a 75" one from round 5-5.5 mm FW this fall after having waited for a long time to find pearls where quality and price matched. Pearl Paradise has several lengths to their FW necklaces. You might want to keep an eye on them.

- Karin

 

[Annette Rene]

I will keep an eye out! I've seen those "potato" pearls quite a few times but sometimes I'm still unsure. I guess it's because they are strung on a different way then I am used to seeing. I always imagine them with the lines or grooves running through the middle.. something like this:

 

[pearlescence]

The two sorts of pearls are diferent shapes. Your original ones are potatos and the ones you just posted are elliptical or rice shape. The latter will be slightly more expensive.

 

[KarinK]

It's true that the not-round FW pearls are often drilled lengthwise but sometimes they are drilled as shown in the first picture.

With all the discussions lately about wild pearls I have learned that by default a pearl is cultured unless there is substancial and very good proof of the opporsite - especially if they are affordable

- Karin

 

[Caitlin]

I've always wanted a strand of "Opera Length" pearls. Of course - the ones I'd *really* like are way out of my price-line (one day, though!!).

Someone offered these up for a little over $100 for 6 feet. I'm weary at such a price. I'm wondering if these are natural? Or are they some cheaper pearls from China, perhaps? The clasp is 14k. They may just be fun to have and not worth much at all.

View attachment 27529View attachment 27530

The great thing about those potato pearls is that they look natural to the untrained eye! To me, it was a relief to see such pearls after having grown up with everyone in graduated akoyas- so perfect, so round. I fell in love with the freshwaters the minute I bought my first potato strand- though I was familiar with the rice pearls as a beader, it was the potatos that made me a daily pearl wearer!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They have an undeniable charm. A potato-ish strand was the first pearl strand I ever knotted.

 

[Annette Rene]

I have always leaned towards the unusually shaped pearls. It just gives me a more "natural" feel and can be quite lovely if strung right. I have been in the dark about what's what in the pearl business, though - so I was wrong about an odd shape being "natural". Say, for instance if I saw this:



I would have immediately thought "Ooo - that has to be 'real'" Sometimes I feel even more confused then when I started getting into pearls! Ha!

I guess now the only way I can be sure is papers... or the piece is so old they would have to be natural.

I'm definitely going to have to study this and get my hands on more pearls than I already have. I'm currently living in Shanghai, China - and I live very close to one of the biggest pearl markets here. I have been VERY hesitant to go there, though... because I know I could get easily ripped off!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That would have to be mighty old then-- because cultured pearls go way back! Linnaeus himself developed a way to make mabe pearls.

Let's see, pearls can be divided roughly this way. This may need some corrections and more subdivisions.

A. Real pearls

1. Naturals-- wild pearls, produced by nature without the intervention of man (saltwater and freshwater)
2. Cultured pearls-- farmed/produced with the intervention of man
a. bead nucleus (or in the case of coin pearl freshwaters, plastic film nucleus)
1. free standing pearl (freshwater and saltwater)
2. mabe/blister pearl (saltwaters only?)
b. mantle tissue nucleus (freshwaters only)
c. keshi
1. salt water keshi, occur accidentally in shells that are being farmend
2. fresh water "keshi" occur in pearl sac of a hybrid mussel that has previously had a coin pearl (nucleated) harvested and was then returned to the water.

B. Imitation pearls of all sorts
(many sub-categories, see wikipedia article for imitation pearls)

 

[KarinK]

Well, they definately look like real pearls as they are not perfectly round. But they don't look a lot like the remotely affordable natural pearls I've seen on the forum. Bodacia has genuine natural pearl necklaces in her eBay store. It's a good idea to take a look at them to see both what they look like and what they cost.

Once you've seen them you are more likely to mistake early Chinese FW ('rice crispies') with wild, natural pearls than baroque pearls

- Karin

 

[theseventhsphinx]

They have an undeniable charm. A potato-ish strand was the first pearl strand I ever knotted.

I love potato pearls, too. I have an 8 strand bracelet of them (very affordable!) and they look so friendly all jumbled together. And in larger sizes they have that great Wilma Flinstone effect.