Pearls found in moms Jewelry box

[Markuscoetzee]

Hello All
Hope you all are well
Im busy sorting my mothers jewelry box and came across a string of pearls , well two seperate strings , im sure it would have once been one string but broke sometime , the clasp is also missing ... i dont have any knowledge on pearls , how would i know if they are natural or cultures pearls ? Im hopinh someone might be able to help me , thanking you in advance

 

[BWeaves]

They are very inexpensive cultured freshwater pearls.

 

[Happy Huku]

Welcome to the forum!

Perhaps there is no clasp because it was one long rope? They look very well worn and dirty, Pearl Dreams is the expert on cleaning old pearls.

BWeaves, was interested to know why you said FW? To my inexperienced, eye, I would have said baroque akoyas!!

 

[Markuscoetzee]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me BWeaves , im learning ... there are three other strings op pearls as well , but they are almost perfectly round , one with an 18ct gold clasp and the other two with silver clasps ... im guessing they would also be cultured pearls

 

[Markuscoetzee]

Dear Happy Huku
Thank you so much for your responce , i am sure you are correct that it would have most prob been one long string at once , as mentione above Mom also has three other strings , they all still have their clasps but they are all almost perfectly round and dont look at all like the necklace shows above

 

[Pearl Dreams]

What color are they? In your hand they look peach colored. Akoya pearls do not come in peach color, so if they are peach, then they are freshwaters. It would help to see them against a white background-- like a paper towel. Baroque akoyas can have those shapes.

Also, what size are they? They seem to be on the large size for akoyas but perhaps your hands are petite and the pearls look large by comparison. Akoyas don't really get larger than 10mm and most baroque akoyas are smaller than that.

Whether they are freshwaters or baroque akoyas, they are not high quality. But you could certainly restring them if you would enjoy wearing them. Many of us restring our own pearls -- it's easy and inexpensive. We have tutorials on how to string pearls over on the Lowly Beaders Club forum.

If you like, post photos of the other pearls you mentioned.

Edited to add: These would not have much or a resale value, if that is the goal. I probably would not bother restringing to sell them.

 

[Markuscoetzee]

Dear Pearl Dreams
Hope you are well ! Thank you so much for your valued information ! I have taken a picture of the pearls in question on a white towel ... hoping this shows the color better .. there is a slight peach tone to some of the pearls though.I measured the largest one of the strand and it measures 9mm in length , my hands are indeed on the small size I think ill re string them for keepsakes only , im a Guy so i dont think ill be wearing them hehe..i will also post pictures of the 3 other necklaces , thank you once again for you info .. Regards

 

[Markuscoetzee]

Hello again Pearl Dream
Im so sorry , im trying to upload the pictures as stated above but my network is on and off , will keep on trying to upload them

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Well the round pearls all look like akoyas.
The baroques look too peachy to be akoyas, so probably cultured freshwaters.

 

[Happy Huku]

Well the round pearls all look like akoyas.
The baroques look too peachy to be akoyas, so probably cultured freshwaters.

Thanks Pearl Dreams, I hadn't noticed the peachy colour of the baroques, they just look dull and worn to me!

Also, I can now see that there are two broken ends that are much darker and probably did attach to a clasp, looks too short for a rope now...

 

[Markuscoetzee]

Thank you so very much Pearl Dreams , really appreciate your info , kind Regards

 

[Abi]

Welcome Markus to Pearl Guide!
As you're learning here, you'll learn how majority of the Pearl's in the world are cultured. Doesn't make them any less special or real, but as some of the senior experts commented these are believed to be cultured pearls.
Your mom have a collection that looks like she had worn a good amount of times . I suggest a pearl bath for all of them atleast, and if possible to get them restrung. If you decide to get someone to restring it, I suggest to count the Pearls and take pictures of each. There is a forum here as well that helped me learn how to restring my own pearls .

 

[Markuscoetzee]

Dear Abi
Thank you so much for your kind message yes , Mom loved jewelry ... the pearls are only a tip of the ice berg , plenty more gold and silver ... the pearls are the only ones i dont know anythig about .. im actually a first year silver/goldsmith student ...so i will most deff clean then and learn to re string them myself ... im sure it will come in handy once i start designing my own jewelry , Kind Regards from Cape Town , South Africa

 

[BWeaves]

Sorry I didn't answer, but I was out of town for several days. The first strand looked peach colored, which is one of the natural colors of freshwater pearls. They looked rather egg shaped, which is another sign of freshwater pearls, and not akoya pearls. And they looked too large to be akoyas. The baroque akoyas I have seen, have much smoother surface texture than that strand, also. Some freshwater pearls can get a rippled surface, which your pearls also have. The knots and holes look much larger than normal. The better the pearls, the smaller the holes that are drilled.

 

[Happy Huku]

Thanks BWeaves, so much clearer to me now, there's always something to learn!