original antique basra pearl necklace

[bajoriarakesh]

hi..i have this necklace which forms part of my family heirloom. there are 59 pearls (all certified to be natural basra pearls) weighing 150 carat in total. i want to know its value and how to get it valued. this is in mumbai, india..please help

 

[Caitlin]

We have a member, Alison, who buys necklaces like that, but she doesn't mention the prices she buys at or sells at. What is the range of sizes in mm? It is possible Kari Pearls will have an equivalent for sale, but I haven't been over there in a while. http://www.karipearls.com/catalog-natural-arabian-gulf-pearls.html

 

[Joyful Grow]

you'd better clean it with special cleaner. that would make necklace more beautiful.

 

[MANIBHADRAINC]

Regarding your query

Regarding your query

hi..i have this necklace which forms part of my family heirloom. there are 59 pearls (all certified to be natural basra pearls) weighing 150 carat in total. i want to know its value and how to get it valued. this is in mumbai, india..please help

Hi,

This is vishal kindly send me the details to of the basara pearl neckware which you have. If you want to sell let me know I have buyer who will give you perfect price.
we are based in Ahmedabad kindly email me the details to manibhadrainc@gmail.com

as you told me about the price after looking to neckware we can tell you the price.
its depend upon wt and quality of the pearl. let me know if you want to sell.

Thanks
Vishal

 

[lisa c]

Hello bajoriarakesh, before you sell the necklace away, if you are thinking to, would you be willing to clean up the necklace with a damp washcloth and re-photograph it using the guidelines listed under taking pictures of pearl jewelry? This thread is in the Other Stuff forum.

It would be wonderful for us to see it, and a cool thing for you since you'd have a photographic portfolio, once you finished.

What size are the pearls? How long is the necklace? What kind of clasp does it have?

 

[Alison]

If your necklace weighs 150 carats, that is 30 grams -- a VERY substantial weight, and the 59 pearls must be of good size! There is already one reply from an Indian dealer above, and I know there are a couple more who have posted on pearlguide in the past. They would be in the best position to help you. It's not possible to tell the quality of the pearls from the photo, or the individual sizes, shapes, or overall length, but in US dollars it would certainly be into the five figures for sale to a dealer.

 

[lisa c]

Hi Alison! 5 figures? For sale to a Dealer? who would then sell it on???

Alrighty, now I'm on my knees - PLEASE, bajoriarakesh, will you re-photograph it using the recommendations, and post the photos here?

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Hi Alison! 5 figures? For sale to a Dealer? who would then sell it on???

Alrighty, now I'm on my knees - PLEASE, bajoriarakesh, will you re-photograph it using the recommendations, and post the photos here?

If that strand is what they claim it to be, I was thinking 6 retail, so yeah 5, is realistic. That said, it better be packing some serious provenance otherwise I'd never invest on a certificate alone.

 

[bajoriarakesh]

hi..thanks for all the suggestion...kindly provide me with the link to "taking picture of pearls jewellery" i could not locate the same.....thanks

 

[Alison]

With a cert, and close examination, you don't need to know exactly when or where these pearls were retrieved, or who first sold them, etc. Everything I deal with is at least vintage, and I can tell you that this kind of information is often lost within one generation! Plus, when I have actually had these details, I have found that dealers don't care if it doesn't involve a famous name.

The surface texture will distinguish Basra pearls from Akoyas. Plus, this looks like a "temporary" strand -- no clasp or knots -- so you could get a good look inside some drill holes. With a 20x loupe and a strong light in the background, you should be able to see the gleam of real nacre throughout -- not the chalky, pasty-white dead heart of cultured pearls.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

With a cert, and close examination, you don't need to know exactly when or where these pearls were retrieved, or who first sold them, etc. Everything I deal with is at least vintage, and I can tell you that this kind of information is often lost within one generation! Plus, when I have actually had these details, I have found that dealers don't care if it doesn't involve a famous name.

Perhaps in some cases, but hardly most.

Too many elaborate fakes out there. Red flags go up when species, location and date of harvest are withheld. Even a generation void of any information as to origin, are usually able to disclose where their parents or grandparents were during certain periods of time.

 

[Alison]

Perhaps when dealing with loose, recently harvested pearls, you may be able to get that information. But I can assure you, it's totally unrealistic for the antiques market. Too often, when someone is sure they have great-grandmother's "real" wedding pearls, they are imitation. The number of people, including jewelers, who know anything about pearls is vanishingly small. You just aren't going to get the kind of detailed information you seek. Besides which, a fine natural pearl necklace may have taken years, or even decades, to assemble! I have neither seen nor heard of any kind of paper trail that would document when each pearl was harvested.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Perhaps when dealing with loose, recently harvested pearls, you may be able to get that information. But I can assure you, it's totally unrealistic for the antiques market. Too often, when someone is sure they have great-grandmother's "real" wedding pearls, they are imitation. The number of people, including jewelers, who know anything about pearls is vanishingly small.

It's in a natural pearl collector's interest to add value. Provenance should be addressed, not dismissed.

Besides which, a fine natural pearl necklace may have taken years, or even decades, to assemble! I have neither seen nor heard of any kind of paper trail that would document when each pearl was harvested.

There had to have been a pool to select from, though. As you say, years and decades.

Someone had to have knowledge of something.

 

[lisa c]

I believe Bajoriarakesh said they were certified, although a photo of the cert wasn't posted.

I'm still hoping for more pictures.

 

[Caitlin]

Kari is selling round pearls at half that carat weight for 10k. I would imagine she would put this strand up for more than double that price.

 

[lisa c]

Hello, this is exciting isn't it?!

For instructions on taking pictures go to the upper left corner of this page, click FORUMS.
Then go to OTHER STUFF, at the bottom of that page, click.
Go to Taking pictures of pearl jewelry, click.

Don't be discouraged if it takes a couple of tries to get the photos right, ok? You can do it!

 

[Caitlin]

If the description is accurate, 50k is probably high end, for a necklace with no diamonds, but if you can get it, take it.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

We still need to match the certificate to the strand and examine the pearls much closer.

$250-275 USD/Ct. is not unreasonable for a strand of well matched, high point naturals.

 

[Alison]

I am curious to know, what is the size of the largest pearl? You can get a good estimate just by using a ruler.

I think $50,000 is a fair price from a dealer, if the payment is immediate and the transaction uncomplicated. (Complications could include export certificates, other customs paperwork, shipping hassles, paying taxes in another country, and so forth. Sometimes getting more money in another venue may not help you.)

 

[bajoriarakesh]

the total combined measurement of the eight largest pearls , situated at the centre of the necklace, is 67.4 mm. ( calculated by using a measuring scale). it is difficult to measure one pearl at a time.