[seadancer]

Hi All,
Would anybody be able to help identify where these pearls come from........hope the attached pic works.....they measure from 8-6 mm and are a lovely bluish gray. The setting is marked 'STERLING 950'.
I dont know the age of the pin, and I am assuming the pearls are cutured. Thanks in avance.
Cheers, Brenda

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Brenda,

The pearls shown are blue-grey akoyas and some appear to be semibaroque drop shapes.

Zeide

[seadancer]

Wow.....that was quick! Thank you heaps! I have just discovered this site and love it!
Just one more pearl to identify. This is a gold antique pin. It has a largish pearl ( 12 mm) in the center, and one small pearl. I am wondering if these could be freshwater pearls.....Scottish perhaps ?
The pearls have very little orient, but the larger is smewhat uneven and possibly not completely round, hard to tell as it is cusp set. The finish has a satiny look, sort of like shot silk, not smooth like other pearls. Thank you for your help.
Cheers, Brenda

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Brenda,

The larger pearl looks like a mabé-style (half or dome) pearl product. The picture has a definite green tinge so I am assuming that these are in the light cream range. They do not look like freshwater pearls. The larger could be a South Sea mabe and the smaller a keshi. The setting style would be very much out of line for Scottish pearls although that does not mean anything. They could have been reset. I doubt it, though. I find it reminiscent of mid to late 1980s Majorica style. The smaller pearl is too smooth for cristaria plicata and the setting style looks like mid-1980s minimalism. At that time there were hardly any smooth pearls from China on the market. So, unless you or one of your relatives had a valuable natural treasure turned into a Jil Sander-style pin, I would rather suspect the origins of this pearl piece in the vicinity of Mallorca, Spain, or Broome, Australia, than Perth, Scottland.

Zeide

[seadancer]

Thank you Zeide, you have been a great help and it is much appreciated. I have included a pic taken from the side to show the shape.....the pearl has some uneven surfaces. the pin is stamped 15 ct gold, and has a C type clasp if thats any help for where and when made. There is a loop for a safety chain which is missing.
Cheers, Brenda

[Satine De La Courcel]

Originally Posted by seadancer

Hi All,
Would anybody be able to help identify where these pearls come from........hope the attached pic works.....they measure from 8-6 mm and are a lovely bluish gray. The setting is marked 'STERLING 950'.
I dont know the age of the pin, and I am assuming the pearls are cutured. Thanks in avance.
Cheers, Brenda

beautiful, just beautiful!

Ash

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Brenda,

From the side shot it looks more like a Broome half pearl. If you have reasonable grounds to believe that this is a Scottish pearl, you may enquire with Cairncross whether they have a record of it. Even half a natural pearl of this size would be considered important enough to keep a record of. The minimalist design still points more to the 1980s than 1890s and thus to Australia rather than Scottland. An Australian half pearl like that would be valuable, too, particularly if it is a natural or keshi.

Zeide

[seadancer]

Hi Zeide,
no, I dont have any particular grounds for thinking Scottish......only my ignorance about pearl types! That it may come from Broome makes more sense. I know that 15 ct gold was discontinued in 1931, and I would think that a British item would have all the hall-marks, so it is more likely Australian made. Unusually, the pin itself is gold.....most being gold plated, separate from the brooch.
Pearling for the shells was big business in the later part of the 19th century, first part of the 20th......used for knife handles, buttons, inlays and such. I guess its possible that the odd pearl was found and put into jewellery......its a romantic thought anyway.
Whether its a natural or cultured pearl, I dont know......and I was wrong on the size too.....after checking it is a hairline under 11 mm.

[seadancer]

Hi Ash,
thank you for the compliment.....yes they are stunning!.....a birthday gift from hubby. Going out to tea tonight so I can wear it and show it off!

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Brenda,

It is a lovely piece and it should definitely be worn often. Pearls love to be out and about.

Zeide

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Brenda,

I think overall the best guess for the pin is an Australian blister pearl and a small free pearl set in the late 1920s to early 1930s austere Arts and Crafts style. That would make them most likely natural pearls. The Scottish setting styles for pearls were typically rather figural or at least more ornate.

Zeide

[Satine De La Courcel]

Oh boy, I replied to the first pic wihtout looking at the second one, Your hubby has good taste...

May you wear them often and get many compliments! I do hope they were a hit on your night out!

I have never hears of 15 ct gold before??? That is cool how common is/was that?? I am onl;y familiar with 24, 22, 20, 14, 10, 9, 8 ct

Thanks

ASh

[seadancer]

Hi ASh,
Yep, hubby has good taste, and I noticed more than one admiring glance at my wonderful pin 15ct was introduced in 1854, along with 9ct and 12ct. In 1932 12ct was replaced by 14ct, and 15ct was discontinued. So, anything marked 15 or 12 ct must have been made before then.
Cheers, Brenda

[Satine De La Courcel]

Hi Brenda,

That is a lovely bit of Fascinating history and information, thank you for leting me know all about it!

[seadancer]

You're welcome.
Cheers, Brenda