Please help identify

[lorisue410]

I could really use some help in identifying some pearl strands I have thank you so much

 

[lorisue410]

I also have these three if anyone is willing to give an opinion

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I could really use some help in identifying some pearl strands I have thank you so much

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These in your first post are all cultured Chinese freshwater pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I also have these three if anyone is willing to give an opinion

These in your 2nd post could be akoyas. I'd like to hear other opinions.

 

[jshepherd]

I agree. The third strand looked iffy from one angle.

 

[lorisue410]

These in your first post are all cultured Chinese freshwater pearls.

These in your first post are all cultured Chinese freshwater pearls.

thank you so much for your response I really appreciate it. The 8 millimeter white pearls I felt somewhat confident to be freshwater pearls since the clasp is very cheap looking. I also held the pearls to my phone flashlight and I could see no nucleus... however the pinker ones I actually thought could be south sea pearls. Would you be able to share how you determined them to be freshwater? They are 10 millimeter pearls and weigh almost 70 grams for an 18 inch strand which seemed a little heavier than similar freshwater that I have seen. I held them to my phone light and they are very dense. I love pearls and I am so interested in trying to educate myself about pearls I would be grateful for any insight you would be willing to share.

 

[lorisue410]

I agree. The third strand looked iffy from one angle.

thank you for responding to my inquiry. I will admit that I know nothing about pearls but I love them so much and I am trying to learn! I will post some additional photos of the three strands but I actually thought the strand with the barrel clasp was questionable so I would be interested to know what you think when i post additional photos. thanks again.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Pink is a common natural color for freshwater pearls. While it is possible for SSP to be pink, I have never seen any except a single pearl in a photo in Elisabeth Strack's book, Pearls (p. 517). She writes in her section on grading of SSP that pearls with a pink body color and pink overtone are "extremely rare"(p. 516.) Also, the surface characteristics of these pink pearls are those of FWP.

Regarding the photo of 3 pearl necklaces, I actually wondered if the strand with the silver tone fish hook clasp was imitation. The pearls with the barrel clasp do have overtone colors, so I leaned toward akoya.

Try the "tooth test" on these 3 necklaces (but please don't rub pearls against your teeth-- teeth are harder and can scratch pearls.) Instead, after wiping them clean with a soft damp cloth, rub 2 pearls together. Real nacre feels a bit gritty when rubbed this way. Imitation pearls glide smoothly.

 

[lorisue410]

I am very appreciative of the time you have taken to share your knowledge with me! The more I learn the more I realize how much I really do not know -but I’m still so fascinated by pearls and I really hope to own some south sea pearls one day. I have posted more photos below of the three smaller strands in my second post. Thank you!

 

[lorisue410]

Pink is a common natural color for freshwater pearls. While it is possible for SSP to be pink, I have never seen any except a single pearl in a photo in Elisabeth Strack's book, Pearls (p. 517). She writes in her section on grading of SSP that pearls with a pink body color and pink overtone are "extremely rare"(p. 516.) Also, the surface characteristics of these pink pearls are those of FWP.

Regarding the photo of 3 pearl necklaces, I actually wondered if the strand with the silver tone fish hook clasp was imitation. The pearls with the barrel clasp do have overtone colors, so I leaned toward akoya.

Try the "tooth test" on these 3 necklaces: after wiping them clean with a soft damp cloth, rub one pearl gently against the biting edge of your front tooth, or rub 2 pearls together. Real nacre feels a bit gritty when rubbed this way. Imitation pearls glide smoothly.

I did do the tooth test and all three are the same gritty texture

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Good photos, and I'd say they are akoyas.

Besides the PearlsAsOne course, may I recommend Renee Newman's ecxellent guide to pearl buying. The 6th edition is the newest.
Pearl Buying Guide: How to Identify and Evaluate Pearls

 

[CortezPearls]

Good photos, and I'd say they are akoyas.

Besides the PearlsAsOne course, may I recommend Renee Newman's ecxellent guide to pearl buying. The 6th edition is the newest.
Pearl Buying Guide: How to Identify and Evaluate Pearls

This is a great recommendation!

 

[lorisue410]

Thank you again and I appreciate your suggestion I have ordered Renee Newman’s book from Amazon - I’ve attached two more photos any chance you’d be willing to take a guess on these? They are 8mm and 10mm

 

[CortezPearls]

These look like more professional photos...but unfortunately, the black background makes pearls look "dead". Best take them using a more neutral color, such as cream/beige or gray.
They look very round in shape so I would think Akoya pearls for the strand on the left (8 mm), and the one on the right seems to have pearls that might be off-round and graduation is not perfect (or maybe it is the camera lens effect?). Hard to say really, the black background really kills off so much.

 

[lorisue410]

Yes those are professional photos those are pearls I’ve been eyeing but I don’t trust myself to make a purchase since I don’t know enough yet to know what I would be purchasing.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If those were the only photos I would not buy, but why not ask the seller to take some more shots? White (or neutral gray) background, no flash, and showing the entire strands.

 

[KarinK]

The luster looks really low if they are Akoya. I would expect to see some fairly clear reflections even with the 'dead' background.

 

[corejo]

Does anyone know if AAA+ freshwater pearls have the grit to prove real?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Does anyone know if AAA+ freshwater pearls have the grit to prove real?

If you rub 2 freshwater pearls together, they should feel gritty. Be gentle, though!

 

[corejo]

If you rub 2 freshwater pearls together, they should feel gritty. Be gentle, though!

I don't have it yet. I just didn't know if the AAA+ freshwater was real or not. Can it be AAA+ and be fake?