Pearls passed down from grandmother help identifying what kind they are

[nicolemarie]

 

[Pearl Dreams]

How nice to inherit pearls!

Have to be honest, my first impression is that they are imitations, but do this test, which is called the Tooth test (but please don't rub them on your tooth. Pearls are softer than teeth and can get scratched that way.)
First, wipe them clean with a soft damp cloth first.
Then, rub two of the pearls together gently. I recommend using pearl on the ends near the clasp. What does it feel like?

Real pearls have a gritty feel when rubbed this way.
If the pearls glide smoothly, they are likely imitation.
There are other tests but start with this.

 

[nicolemarie]

Thank you for responding to my post I appreciate the advice I will try that I know that the necklace was longer my mom said my grandmother had them restrung into two separate necklaces one for me and one for my sister when we were kids

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Interesting that they were restrung. They way they are strung now-- no knotting between pearls, generic clasp, and the way it is finished (the end beads next to the clasp)-- are all low end. But if that was not that way the original necklace was strung, that could be significant.

Imitation pearls are usually round, but I have also seen imitation necklaces that had beads of different shapes, to make them appear to be real pearls. However, it is also possible they are real pearls.
It seems to me she would not have bothered to have imitation pearls restrung for you and your sister.
The fact that they graduate may also point to their being real. But some imitation strands graduate.

• What can you recall about how they were strung initially, and the original clasp?
• Can you take a close up photo of any blemishes you see? They may give us a clue.
• Is there anywhere on the necklace where you can see the pearly coating peeled away, maybe near a drill hole? Or is there any excess pearl coating near the drill holes anywhere? (These would indicate imitation pearls.)
• If you have a jeweler's loupe (a 10x magnifier) have a look at the surface. At that magnification real nacre looks smooth, but imitation pearl coating look a bit more coarse. If you have any other pearl you know to be real or fake, you can use them for comparison.

 

[BWeaves]

They strike me as imitation pearls, but I could be wrong since real pearls will yellow if left in a box for years.

However, they look a lot like the double strand of graduated Richelieu fake pearls that my grandmother gave me 50+ years ago (when I was 11). She told me they were "the best pearl that was not a pearl." They are plastic, and have yellowed over the years to the color your pearls are. They also have the same surface texture that your pearls have. Mine has a sterling silver clasp which is original to the necklace. Mine also has those end beads which are common on low end bead necklaces. I believe my grandmother bought these in the 1940s or 1950s. They could possibly go back to the late 1930s.

My grandmother treasured them as good fakes, so it's possible when your grandmother's pearls needed restringing, she made two strands so she could give each of you a strand of her pearls.

Richelieu started making fake pearls in 1911 before Mikimoto made cultured pearls popular. Some were glass, and some were plastic. They were sold in satin lined boxes and presented like real pearls would be. They were most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. By the 1970s, the Richelieu jewelry became more costume looking. The company was merged with several other companies over the decades, and by 2003, the Richelieu name was no longer used.

 

[Tiger]

They strike me as imitation pearls, but I could be wrong since real pearls will yellow if left in a box for years.

View attachment 466798However, they look a lot like the double strand of graduated Richelieu fake pearls that my grandmother gave me 50+ years ago (when I was 11). She told me they were "the best pearl that was not a pearl." They are plastic, and have yellowed over the years to the color your pearls are. They also have the same surface texture that your pearls have. Mine has a sterling silver clasp which is original to the necklace. Mine also has those end beads which are common on low end bead necklaces. I believe my grandmother bought these in the 1940s or 1950s. They could possibly go back to the late 1930s.

My grandmother treasured them as good fakes, so it's possible when your grandmother's pearls needed restringing, she made two strands so she could give each of you a strand of her pearls.

Richelieu started making fake pearls in 1911 before Mikimoto made cultured pearls popular. They were sold in satin lined boxes and presented like real pearls would be. They were most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. By the 1970s, the jewelry became more costume looking. The company was merged with several other companies over the decades, and by 2003, the Richelieu name was no longer used.

I have an almost identical necklace except mine is a triple strand.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

It seems likely that the original necklace was not long, but rather a two strand necklace. At this point I would be surprised if they were not imitations.

That generation often treasured their imitation pearls as though they were real. They may have even thought they were real. My MIL thought her pearls were real, but they were actually Prestige imitation pearls. My own mother thought hers were real but they were Majorica imitation pearls.

But even if they are imitations, they are still sentimental, having belonged to your grandmother. So, enjoy them.

 

[BWeaves]

I had a rope of Anne Klein fake pearls in 1982, and they looked great. They were a 30 inch strand of 8 mm white pearls with a mabe' pearl clasp set in yellow "gold." The pearls were glass with a fish scale slurry to give the pearly look. I got rid of them when I bought my first rope of cultured akoya pearls, and frankly, I still kick myself. The Anne Klein's were really good fakes, and I wish I'd kept them.