[storms]

hi ive been reading a lot here cos my account was not letting me post ,
thanks to the super mod for sorting that out.
now my mum passed away 2 years ago to motor noro i know not spelt correctly,
anyway finally got round to sorting though some things and theres a string of pearls they pass the tooth test and the stones are diamonds i think cos we now have a long scratch in my wifes fav mirror , im not in the good books at the mo lol
it came from spain a shop there many years ago ive got a new camera today so ive got some taken with a crappy one ill putup now and add some more tomorrow hope some one can id these for me the sizes are about 10mm down to 6mm

[pattye]

Hi storms,

Looks like a very nice strand of graduated akoya pearls. Any markings to tell if clasp is 18k? Possibly a ruby cabochon, and diamonds. It's a lovely strand, but be sure to have it restrung before anyone wears it!

Perhaps you could give us the length. Always interesting to see family treasures!

[jerin]

Hi storms,

I too think they might most probably be Akoyas but it is not impossible that they are freshwaters. In the first picture my eyes see a bit off round shapes, it might be my imagination though, however if they are Freshwaters it still would not be strange to have a diamond clasp to go with them if they are nice. These pearls look a bit yellowish which does point more towards Akoyas though. Have them restrung and then the women in the family should wear them as often as possible! Nice pics!

[storms]

thanks for you help the length is 18" the center pearl is 8 mm and they graduate down to 5mm is the smallest, yes i would say they are more yellow than white, cream is the best way to call them i think, they have lots of little blemishes on the surface and one near the clasp has started to peal and go a bit soft but all the rest look fine they aren't pealing by the drill holes that i can see , i now have a much better camera so i will take some more those were done with out macro on a sony 3.2mp this new one is kodak 7.1
there are no marks on the clasp to say what it is, is there any value to this string?should it be insured or not ? we may sell it if its worth it , my wife does not like pearls much and no daughters to want them only a son

hope these are better, yes i see they need restringing
kind regards george

[storms]

sorry i need to edit the post but cant seem to the pics arent right
will the mod just put the imageshak links please i cant seem to edit it as i dont see all the pics as they are far to big sorry !

[Mervione]

Off topic but I love the clasp, it's very unique.

[pattye]

Hi George,

The closeups are helpful, I feel quite certain these are akoya. The creamy color is characteristic of older akoya. The pearls themselves look to be in pretty good shape, and not dried out and peeling, from what I can see. Aside from the sentimental value, probably the most value is in the clasp if they are good quality diamonds and genuine ruby.

Do you have even a vague idea what year they might have been purchased?

I think if you decide to have them insured, the insurer would want an established retail value via appraisal.

Not sure what state or country you are in. You need a PEARL and gem appraiser, not just a jewelry appraiser, to look at your strand to give you an accurate evaluation.

[storms]

ok thanks what i was after was a rough guide i mean are they worth £20 or £100, you know something rough to think on, if to get them restrung or sell them on ebay or are they good enough to give a a special present etc etc just ball park figure if any one can help i do realize the diamonds and if its a ruby would make a big difference but if the clasp wasn't there how about the pearls? and is it worth getting them looked at ? im in the uk by the way we think they were bought in the 60's but not sure if the were new the jewelers in spain on the box isnt there any more i checked that
ok thanks very much for your time and help with this , this forum is awesome for a man i now know a whole heap more about pearls its very interesting indeed , the internet !! great isnt it ? my wife says shes a Internet widow , lol
ps sorry i reread you post and see you said the most value is in the clasp and the pearls are just sentimental value , ok thanks

[pattye]

Hi again George,

Sorry if I gave the wrong impression--yes, the pearls are worth something, but there would be most likely more value in the clasp. Since you like to research, check out "vintage pearl necklace diamond clasp" on both google and ebay--you will get some very rough comparisons. Please have them "looked at" and let us know what the jeweler sez!

I would say minimum value, with genuine gems in the clasp would be $250 and up, that is just my opinion. So it is worth getting them looked at. There is no way to tell by photo if the red stone is a real ruby and what is the quality of the diamonds, if they really are diamonds.

Since your wife is an internet widow, she deserves the strand, nicely restrung and presented! LOL Good Luck!

[knotty panda]

Storms wins the prize for the BIGGEST PEARL PICS EVER!

If you do decide to sell them, PM me before you do e-bay. Thanks!

[storms]

yes i think i might just of got the prize for the biggest pics ever lol i cant even see them cos of the frame the forum is in thanks for you help and yes i will pm if we decide to sell them, thanks so much for you help
kind regards george

[storms]

ok we have decided to sell these and would like £150 we will put them on ebay if any one is interested

[pattye]

So, storms,

Does this mean you know what gems are actually in the clasp and their quality and value?