Should I redesign inherited pearls?

[ahmiu]

As with many others here, I have inherited a pearl necklace from my grandmother. Based on my brief research and I only know that it was from Japan, I'm guessing they're Akoya pearls. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. The pearls range about 5mm-7mm and the length is about 40cm which sits at my throat. The clasp only says silver and have no other information except that it is rather old.

As such, I cannot decide if I should just restring and lengthen the necklace by adding other pearls at the back or leave it as it is and pass on to the next generation. I am tempted to take 1-3 pearls out to make into a contemporary pendant so I can wear it frequently and not worry about 'destroying' the whole necklace. This is also I can have the pearls close to me and have a memento of my grandmother even though I'm not a fan of pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think your idea of a contemporary pendant is great!

You might even take out 4 pearls and make dangle earrings (easy to make, with a wire loop connecting the 2 pearls.)

(But save the rest of the pearls so the whole strand could be restrung in the future.)

 

[Caitlin]

Hi! Perhaps make a bracelet with the leftovers?

 

[ahmiu]

Hi Pearl Dreams and Caitlin, thank you for your suggestions. I have even considered making a rosary (my grandmother was a devout Catholic) but there's only 49 pearls and as I work a lot with my hands, I have dismissed bracelets and rings.

Somehow I feel like the 'inheritance' is more of a burden, not knowing what to do with it. Keeping it in a bag in the cupboard will not do the necklace justice yet it is a tad small for comfort and passing it on might be frowned upon.

Judging from other posts I've read, most seemed really happy. I've been reading so much about pearls lately to get design inspiration or some clue about the value but I still don't feel excited. I'm really thankful for this forum, there is so much to learn but I think I must be the rare odd one here.

 

[lisa c]

Well, yes it's sad that you feel burdened...can I lighten your load? ;-)

How about redesigning the strand with gem rounds interspersed among the pearls? Are there gemstones that excite your imagination? That could be fun!

Did your grandmother die recently? I might be reading too much into it, but from your post, it seems like the necklace carries a lot of emotional baggage, since your aunts who appreciate pearls won't take it either. How about this, give it some time. If you don't develop some enthusiasm for pearls, by the time you're sure you won't, one of your aunts may have changed her mind and welcome the pearls. Death is very disruptive, and confused feelings can straighten out with time and distance.

Are the Aunts your grandmother's daughters? Your grandmother may have even left the necklace to you because she only had the one, and felt she couldn't choose one daughter over the other?
Best wishes

 

[Pearl Dreams]

What it's "worth" is whatever people will pay for it. Check out completed listings on eBay to see what similar strands have sold for. I suspect it will be under $1000.

It was left to you, which gives you the right to do with it as you wish. You could sell it and put the money toward something you would actually like to own.

That said, if anyone in your family desires to have it, and you sell it or give it away, there may be bitterness over the lost heirloom. Try to discover, by private conversations with the ladies in the family, if there is anyone who actually desires to own the strand. If there is, then you could offer it to that person. If there is more than one who would like to own it, you could draw names for it.

If no one in the family wants it, you should not feel obligated to keep it. I doubt your grandmother would have wanted you to be burdened to keep and store something you don't want. The necklace may delight someone who buys it. I am happy with the vintage necklace I bought at consignment, and am glad the person who inherited it consigned it, instead of sticking it in a drawer or a safe.

 

[lisa c]

I too am glad that people pass on their pearls, since I'm crazy about them, and I got mine by buying what was passed on.

Also, might there be other things your Grandmother left that you'd like to trade the necklace for? I know what you mean about investing things with memories.

 

[Happy Huku]

How about redesigning the strand with gem rounds interspersed among the pearls?  Are there gemstones that excite your imagination?  That could be fun!

Hi there.
I too am sad you feel they are a burden but that's how it is.
My 'pearls from grandma' got too small for me so I added these gemstones in between. I love them just as much and know my grandmother did too. I go through phases and often sell my burdens that I don't particularly like or use but I always use the money to replace them with something that makes me think of the person who gave it to me.
Will try and post a photo of my lengthened pearls for you...

 

[GemGeek]

Such thoughtful replies!

 

[ahmiu]

Thank you all so much for you replies...

Lisa: 'I would be happy to' was my response to my mother's and aunt's comments similar to yours but they both won't take it because it was specifically given to me. And yes, she did pass on recently.

Happy Huku: Your necklace really looks lovely! I may use Lisa's suggestions & your idea to make a rosary with pearls if i can't figure anything else.

Pearl Dreams: I went to an appraiser earlier and he said all he can do is ascertain if the pearls were genuine or not. By the good work of this forum, I think don't need to pay just to check if my pearls are imitation. I just wanted to know the value and its origin. But yes, there might be unhappiness should I pass the necklace to non-family as the elders have made it clear that I shouldn't sell it.

Yes, I should be happy to mean something to someone enough, to be left something specially but it's either I'm really odd or I don't care for jewelry

Thank you all for your advices, the people around me are not into pearls either hence I don't have anyone whom I can turn to. Apologies if I had rambled off tangent as my post was meant to seek advice on the value and origin of the pearls.

 

[lisa c]

Don't worry about rambling. We wander all over the place when we talk pearls! I hope with time you'll come to something satisfying.

A rosary sounds nice, but you already have one. I guess you could find one pearl to make up the decades...

I found out my grandmother specifically bought a cherry dining set to pass to me when she died, leaving the buffet to a cousin. Huh? I didn't understand her thinking, but I've come to love it (and I got the country French Provincial sofa that I'd wanted from her all along, too). Just goes to show, enjoy your own stuff while you have it, because it might not mean a thing to anyone you'd leave it to...

I wonder if your grandmother thought you'd look amazing in pearls...

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I am getting the picture better now. The situation is delicate.

You are not odd for not being into pearls. And you don't have to change your personal style because you inherited these. No one will be harmed if you place them in a drawer for the time being, until you have a clearer feeling of what you prefer to do with them.

You could also wear the necklace now and then just when you visit your aunts-- so they could have the pleasure of seeing it again, especially since it was your grandmother's favorite. This would be a generous gesture toward your aunts.

 

[ahmiu]

I might work with a friend to work with some designs to suit me better; if it works, I'll post some pictures for all to see.

Actually I would like to seek some advice on the condition of the pearls:



what are the marks on the pearls, especially in the last picture? Also, is it possible to string a fine silver chain through the pearl?

 

[lisa c]

Doggonit, I've looked and looked at your pics and still can't tell if the necklace is knotted between each pearl. Bad Eyes! I've also re-read your posts and see no mention of whether the pearls have been cleaned lately.

That said, I'd wipe the surface of the pearls with a damp washcloth (if you feel secure, use a damp cloth with a little Castile soap), then give them a few rinse-wipes and look at them again. The imperfections you see now could be dirt, but pearls also may have surface imperfections that show up with magnification, but not to the un-aided eye. It's their nature! They're made by little critters, and absolute perfection as opposed to "eye-clean" is rare and expensive.

So, lets see how they clean up! You could be amazed.

I think you could get chain that fine, but I don't know how easily, or how secure the fine chain would be, or if you'd be happy if the silver tarnished. I think this used to be called something like Add-A-Bead.

I believe you said you had a creative friend? Is the friend familiar with jewelry findings houses, like Fire Mt Gems and Beads, or other companies? Go to the top right area of this page and type Findings in the search bar, and you can see companies that have come up in our conversations. I know Fire Mt Gems carries this chain. You have to find out the size of the drill hole of your pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They look knotted to me, based on the middle picture in post #13.

The marks on the pearls are surface imperfections.
Remember, the nacre is made by a living organism, the oyster, and most pearls don't have perfect surfaces. The ones that do have perfect surfaces cost significantly more as a result.

I don't think you could get a fine chain through those holes. Holes in pearls are drilled quite small to preserve as much weight as possible (since pearls are sold by weight.)

What you could get through the holes is nylon coated beading wire. I have strung some pearls on this material. It is a bit harder on the pearls over time if they are worn a lot, and could eventually erode the pearls around the drill hole, but so far this hasn't happened to my pearls. In lieu of knots you can use spacer beads (2mm round beads act as knots do, and make the strand "drape" flexibly.) You can also alternate other types of beads-- semi-precious stones, for example-- so that the strand isn't just pearls.
Note that pearls are softer than metal or stones and it's possible that over time they will get scratched where they rub against the other beads, especially if they are worn a lot.

I like Beadalon 49 ply beading wire, which is both strong and flexible. (You can get 19 ply and lower, but those are less flexible and are more likely to kink irreparably.) You can get the beading wire in "bright" color (which isn't really very bright, more like steel), silver color, silver plated, gold color, gold plated, etc. and thickness also varies. A thickness of .015 may be the safest size; .018 may be too thick to pass through the pearls twice. It depends on the hole size.

To string using this wire you will also need crimp beads, chain nose or bent nose pliers, and wire cutters. You'll attach one clasp, string the pearls onto the wire and attach the second clasp.
To attach the clasps:
First clasp: Pass the wire through the crimp bead, then through the clasp, then back through the crimp. Snug it up so the loop is the size you wish, then flatten the crimp with the pliers. String on one or two pearls and trim the excess beading wire with the wire cutters.
Second clasp: You have to be careful not to leave a gap when attaching the second clasp. When you have strung all the pearls on, pass the wire through the crimp bead, then through the clasp, then back through the crimp and through one or two pearls. Snug it all up so there are no gaps, then flatten the crimp bead with pliers to secure the wire. Trim the remaining beading wire with the wire cutters (being careful to cut the right wire!)

 

[Sea Urchin]

Just a thought, if you don't like it as a necklace maybe you can double it and wear it as a bracelet. That leaves it intact for the next generation, too. I end up wearing a lot of my pearl strands on my wrist anyway, that way I can see them better and play with them.

 

[waimeamomi]

You might want to go with enhancer pendants. These clip on between the pearls, and then you can take them off. You can use other pearls, gemstones, mixes etc. They can really change the look of a necklace. Here are a couple of examples (very quickly iphone shot) with some on my antique pearls that also need to be cleaned, restrung, and officially identified!

 

[Caitlin]

Lovely enhancers Sheryl!

 

[willeyi]

Hi, 5-7mm is not very big, especiall for the current times, so it may look a bit small and "young" for a mature woman (not sure of your age). How about taking pearls and making it into a tassle? You could then wear a long necklace, or a simple black silk cord and hang the tassle. I hope you know that I mean about a tassle. If not, you can search on pearl tassle necklace and get an idea. I think it's great for smaller pearls.

 

[ahmiu]

Thank you all for the advices!

Lisa: The pearls are knotted between each other and I've cleaned them when i got them with a damp microfiber cloth (those tiny ones that come with mobile phone screen protectors) about 3 times over as I though I saw some pink substances on the pearls. Could have been some of the remnants of makeup my grandma used so the photos here, are already cleaned up. I'll go google on the companies you've mentioned and have a chat with my friend; thank you for reminding me about silver tarnishing, it totally slipped my mind!

Pearl Dreams: Thanks for the idea! That would be another option I will explore; I thought the holes were too small but I don't know much about pearls so now I know drilling is big no. These pearls sound even more so delicate now...

Waimeamomi: I've never heard of enhancer pendants and it's really a lovely option. Correct me if I'm wrong but your pearls seem to have space to clip on a pendant while mine are knotted a tad too close? I would probably need to have them restrung if I'm not doing anything to the pearls and will keep in mind to have them spaced further. But if I'm not doing anything to it, then I might just leave as it is and pass on to my cousins..


I so do not look good with pearls (I've tried them on) and rather then have the pearls look cheap and fake on me, I'd not wear them at all and subject them to more damage.