What Kind of Pearls do I have?

[scoob]

1. Do the pearls feel slightly gritty or smooth when rubbed gently against your tooth or against another pearl?
If they are gritty, they are likely to be real nacre (genuine pearls.) If they feel smooth, they are likely imitation pearls.

2. Please provide clear, in-focus photos without flash against a white background (a paper towel works nicely.)
Include close-ups of the clasp (front and back) and a few of the pearls. If there are flaws, include a photo of those. Also the box they came in, and tags if you have them. They were bought for grandmother as a gift about 11 years ago

3. Any history you can give us about the pearls. Where/when you or your relative got them, any documentation you have (receipts, appraisals), their price range if you know it, etc. Bought for grandmother as a gift about 11 years ago

4. Describe any marks on the clasp. These may be numbers (14K, 585, 750, 925 etc.) or brand names or even pictures. I cannot read what is on the clasp. Too small.

5. Measure the pearls, with a millimeter ruler if possible. If they are graduated, measure the largest and smallest pearls.

 

[jshepherd]

Hi Scoob,

You have a strand of Chinese freshwater pearls there. They seem to measure a hair over a quarter inch, so that would put them at about 7 mm. If those are the smallest, it probably means you have a strand of 7-8 mm Chinese freshwater pearls. Eleven years ago would most likely mean the material size at the time was 6.8-7.8 mm, which in China translated to 7-8 mm for some reason (today 6.5-7.5 = 7-8 mm).

 

[scoob]

Hello Jeremy,

Thank you much for your incite. My next question would be what are they worth? Being new to the forum, I am not certain if I am allowed to ask that here and/or if there is another forum in which I could sell them. They are a nice set of pearls best I can tell as well as have never been worn.

Thanks again.

 

[jshepherd]

They aren't worth a tremendous amount. The pearls aren't round, but they do look clean and appear to have good luster. In a jewelry store one would expect them to run a couple to a few hundred dollars with a gold clasp.