| Hi Richipat (and everyone else)--
Actually, the clasp has ten small diamonds in it--five on each side. I can't find a mark on the clasp right now--will have to use a magnifier tomorrow. I'm certain it's either white gold or platinum, but am not sure which. (I'm a jeweler myself, by the way, and a glass beadmaker--just not a pearl expert.)
From past experience, I know that I would get very little for the clasp alone, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to sell the whole necklace. Re/finding old appraisals, even if I can, I don't think they'll help a lot, as the pearls were "just" one item among twenty or so that were appraised as a batch, so they got short shrift compared to the diamonds, emeralds etc. that were sold long ago.
I think I do remember the pearls being listed as "freshwater Baroque" on the appraisal list--were they maybe not using the term "druzy" yet in the sixties/seventies? (Forgive my ignorance re/these things.)
I'm going to attach a couple more photos now--extreme closeups of a few of the beauties on the strand. (Sorry about the lens shadow in one of them.) Perhaps they'll give us a bit more to go on. As a jeweler who has worked with beads of all kinds for forty-some years (as well as metal and glass), I've seen plenty of gorgeous cultured pearls, but these are something else again.
Thanks for your continuing input. Roughly, what might it/should it cost to have an expert appraisal done?
Ladywolf |