Thank you already

[Cate]

Goodness....I did a search to try to find some help in determining what my pearls were and found this site....I have now spent about 6 hours going through it and have hardly scratched the sufrace me thinks! I am not only enthralled but a little hooked as well. So...before I go any further, thank you to all who post on this site and to those who have created such an amazing wealth of information on Pearls.
And onto my original reason for finding all of you so MANY hours ago! I inherited a beautiful set of pearl jewellery a few years back and I have no idea what kind of peals they are or their value. I am not much of a jewellery person so they have just sat in a drawer for many years and I think that is a waste. I took them to a neighbourhood jeweler who was not much help other than, and I quote......"they are really old aren't they" and suggested I find an old store for help. So I am throwing myself at the feet of the experts on this wonderful site. I hope the picture shows enough to perhaps help you identify the type of pearl. I am so very appreciative of your assistance with this wee project and have a feeling that I will be checking back here on a regular basis to see what all you have going on for a long time to come.
THANK YOU for taking the time to have a look.

 

[jshepherd]

Welcome!

They appear to be akoya pearls surrounded by diamonds.

 

[GemGeek]

Those are beautiful pearls. I agree that they are most likely akoya pearls. Welcome to Pearl-Guide!

 

[KarinK]

Those are beautiful! And welcome

I assume you had the diamonds tested for being diamonds and have tried rubbing the pearls gently against each other or against a tooth? The slight grittyness will confirm they are real pearls and not immitation.

- Karin

 

[Cate]

My apologies for not including the information requested...let me remedy that right now.
They are gritty when rubbed together.
The ring has a 14K stamp on it.
Not sure about the diamonds but would assume that they are real if the gold is.
I wish I had a bit more of a history on them as I think they may be fairly old. Tried to look up the Jeweler to see if that would give me a path for identification but nothing came up for their name. I think they are from the San Francisco area as that is where his Mother resided. Both Mother and Son have moved on and unless I perform a seance I am not going to get any info there. I am so sorry that I did not ask a bit more when my friend was still with us....hindsight being 20/20! All four of the pearls are approximately the same size....which I think is about 7 or 8 mm.
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and more so the information on the set.
Do you all collect pearls?

 

[Bacca]

I remember first seeing sets like this in mall jewelry stores in the early nineties. In the late nineties, when eBay was new, these sets were listed there regularly. I don't know what the jeweler meant by "really old." My guess is these are in the neighborhood of 25 years old. I agree with those who think they are akoya pearls.

As for value, there's what it would cost to replace them and what someone would pay you for them. There's usually a significant difference between the two. You can get an idea of what people have been willing to pay for similar items by using eBay's advanced search to see sold items. Total weight of the diamonds will have an impact on the price.

How wonderful that someone thought so much of you he left you these lovely pieces. I hope you find a way to honor and enjoy them.

 

[Cate]

Thank you Bacca ...and all of you for your assistance with this. I have caught a bit of a bug for pearls from this site and actually went to a few shops around the Vancouver area....originally with the idea of selling this set but ended up trying to figure out what kind of pearls other pieces were.... Think I will just keep it for now and we will see where this new interest goes. Thanks kids!