Hello TSH,

If they are from northern Vietnam, then they are akoya. And usually very bad quality akoya. All the good stuff is swiftly exported, so unless you got these from someone you know and trust, and they cost you small fortune, they are most certainly low grade or rejected akoya.

You can't imagine how many of these northern Vietnamese akoya I have seen. Relatives of mine that travel to Vietnam always come back with strands of them. Most are only MOP beads with the slightest hint of nacre. This is what they sell them to tourists.

TSH, I am hoping your pearls turn out to be decent quality. Or that they are something other than akoya. It's a long shot, though.

Slraep