PLease infos. Vintage baroque and odd pearls necklace.

[Rainbow]

Hi,

I’m a newcomer on this forum. I know very few about pearls and I hope the experts on this forum will enlighten me.

Seven years ago, I have bought a vintage torsade pearls necklace at a garage sale, here in Montreal. The necklace is composed of six strands featuring a large variety of creamy odds pearls. They are gritty with the teeth test. Some are baroque, ringed, potatoes , some are well shaped, very lustrous with orient, others are chalky pearls with pits or other defects. Each strand is made of more than a hundred of those pearls mounted on clear nylon threads. The pearls measure between 4.5 mm to 7.85 mm, average is 6.25 mm. Weight: 68 grams.
The necklace measures 23 inches with the clasp that is gilt silver. There was an old paper sticker attached to it with a hand writing number. My guess is the necklace is from the fifties based on the clasp and that the necklace is composed of freshwater pearls, but I’m not sure. What is puzzling me is that the freshwater pearls necklace I have seen of that period doesn’t look as my necklace.
I would appreciate to know more about those pearls, as their kind and their provenance.
Also, will that make the necklace more valuable if I select the better pearls and make a new necklace with them ?

Any informations will be welcome. Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Martine Simard from Montreal, QcCanada

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Martine,

They look to me like the "rice krispies" pearls that were so common in the 1970s/early '80s-- freshwater cultured pearls from China. The plated base metal clasp is something one might see in inexpensive jewelry of the time.

 

[Rainbow]

Thank you very much for your quick reply.

That explained why they seem so odd! That is amazing to see how much the Chinese as improved their freshwater pearls since then. Thanks again.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They really have improved, enormously. And continue to do so.

 

[pattye]

All the various shapes and subtle shading make this a most interesting necklace! I agree with the information from Pearl Dreams. These pearls are all nacre, as they were cultured with a tiny bit of mantle tissue from a donor mussel.

 

[BWeaves]

I agree. Freshwater "rice krispie" pearls from the early 1980's. I have a couple necklaces from my Mom from that era. I happen to love them.

I actually stayed away from freshwater pearls for a long time, because I didn't know how much they had improved until the last couple of years. Now they have freshies that rival akoyas and South Sea pearls.

 

[Rainbow]

Thank you very much Pattye and BWeave.

Now that I know that it is made of Chinese freshwater pearls, I have compared it with an another small Freshwater rice pearls necklace that I own that is made of the usualy seen Rice krispies pearls (similar oblong shapes with wrinkles). That necklace is not of great interest, however, it has helped me to compare and see the differences and similarities.
As Pattye pointed out, it is the variety of shapes of the pearls that gives a little something to the necklace I have presented to you. Thanks again for your informations and comments.