[lilly]

My Dad purchased a set of pearls for his mom (my grandmother) while he was stationed in Japan in the late 50's/early 60's. They are a graduated 21 inch strand of cultured mikimoto pearls (over 100 pearls) in the original marked box, which is a gold and red brocade on the outside and blue velvet/white satin on the inside. They probably were only worn about 2-3 times. They are in perfect condition. I don't have a certificate and the clasp isn't marked with an "M". I think it was before they used the "M" ensignia.
Anyway, I also have my Mother's Mikimoto pearls so I am going to sell these. We live in Atlanta. So if anyone knows of an appraiser who specializes in pearls, especially given the uniqueness of these, I would appreciate any names/suggestions. I recently saw a similar set for sale on ebay (with a similar story to mine, except they were restrung). The starting bid was $800( no bids as of this time) and the seller said she got a verbal appraisal of $2-3,000 in the 1980's. Any suggestions on how to sell these would also be appreciated. Thanks