Received pearls from Japan as a gift. What kind are they?

[Merdemps]

Hi -- I received these pearls as a gift from my fiancées grandmother. She was in her 90s and got these pearls when she was young growing up in Japan. Any idea what kind they are? They feel slightly gritty but are mostly smooth.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Merdemps,

Welcome to Pearl-Guide!

It's a little hard to tell from these photos whether the pearls are genuine (in which case they would be cultured akoya pearls) or imitations.

Could you try taking a few more photos, against a white background, this time? A plain paper towel works fine for this.

Also, if you can use natural light (or lighting that is less strong), that would also help. The very bright reflections make it hard to see the pearls' surface. If there are any flaws, a close up of those would also help with identification.

Does the clasp have any marks on the metal? 10K, 14K, 925 or anything else?

Also, look at the way the pearls look near the drill holes. (This may be hard as they appear not to be knotted between the pearls.) Is there any chipping or flaking, showing the bead underneath?

 

[pattye]

It also looks like the insert end of the clasp is missing, so the pearls will need to be restrung, and hopefully knotted between. I'm also looking for better photos to help identify the pearls.