[Valeria101]

The news release at Sotheby's give a bit more detail and pictures.

LINK TO SOTHEBY'S NEWS (Link opens Pdf File).

No idea what species the pearls might have come from. And freshwater Vs. salt is not always mentioned for natural pearls... but freshwater are more unusual. So I'd bet saltwater. And the regions producing pearls back when this strand might have been matched would be the Gulf, South America and SE Asia (Burma, Indonesia). Which gives... Pinctada Maxima and P. Margaritifera and ? You tell me.

Can only imagine that to assemble a necklace like that the pearls would have made their way through many jeweler's stocks over time from all over the world. As it would happen with the components of a gem necklace today - could be from one single mine or region, but not necessarily. Just a hunch, of course.

[Caitlin]

Although it is hard to follow the life of a pearl once it lands in royal hands, we know for a fact about the freshwater necklace Queen Mary I gave to the Earl of Norfolk, whose family has kept it perfectly for 400 years. It is now traveling with the big musuem exhibit. AMNH?

We also know that the largest quantities of pearls, ever, from anywhere, were pouring out of the Americas into royalty's coffers during the first QE reign. Queen E I amassed hundreds of pounds, if not a ton, of pearls from the Americas alone, not to mention the ones from local rivers and other sources like the Persian Gulf. And of course the same goes for Q Isabella. This does not count the ones they inherited with their crowns, many of which are probably still being worn.

Pearls were mixed and matched every generaton and restrung so there is no telling about where any one pearl caame from, but the book of the pearl (Kunz 1908) has dozens of photos and paintings of royalty in their pearls and a very good history of how the Americas were plundered of both salt and freshwater pearls. It was so bad the pearl beds have never recovered!

BTW Copies of the $25.00 Dover edition of the book of the pearl are hard to ifind and cost $100.00+++ when you do! It is out of print. I wrote to Dover to ask then to issue it again. Maybe some of you can do that too. Thank goodness I got my copy years ago!

[Caitlin]

Here is another story on the DoW's pearls. They are the ones from Queen Mary II

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams

the book of the pearl (Kunz 1908) ....

BTW Copies of the $25.00 Dover edition of the book of the pearl are hard to ifind and cost $100.00+++ when you do! It is out of print.

Out of print but available online free of charge at Farlang as a facsimile, pictures & all

LINK to Farlang's: Book of the pearl

I was about to buy a hard-scooped copy when they put it up. Phew!

[sleight]

Sotheby's just put out this video narrated by Lisa Hubbard, Chairman, International Jewellery. It has great background info on the history & sale of the necklace. Unfortunately, not much info on pearl origin or making. Thorough description and great close-ups though!

http://www.sothebys.com/video/privat...371/index.html

[john675]

Thank you for posting the video clip on the necklace. I really enjoyed watching it. Seeing the pearls "in perspective" is very impressive. They are larger than I realized from the photographs.
John

[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by sleight

Sotheby's just put out this video narrated by Lisa Hubbard, Chairman, International Jewellery. It has great background info on the history & sale of the necklace. Unfortunately, not much info on pearl origin or making. Thorough description and great close-ups though!

http://www.sothebys.com/video/privat...371/index.html

That was spendid! They did a terrific job and Lisa was as compelling as the pearls. Thanks

[Valeria101]

Right! Nice to see pictures, way nicer to see pearls rolling over a woman's hand.

Now... would anyone venture what role that little 'diamond seam' ( as the presenter describes it) does? perhaps hiding old piercings in the pearl drop? Covering a defect? That bit doesn't fit in with the setting, or does it? Any idea if the thing might in fact have some other function?

Very close views in the catalog listing for the pearl drop reveal a slightly unusual setting (a small shepherd hook links the pearl's cap to the fishbone-shaped double hook that suspends it to the necklace) but doesn't clarify the particular question... as much as I can see there.

[knotty panda]

You know what I'm going to say. It's covering the drill hole. The pearl isn't glued to the cap. It's suspended and there is a wire through the pearl to be sure it isn't lost. Didn't Liz Taylor's magnificant pearl become a chew toy one day? I wonder if perhaps it is glue-mounted. While I prefer prong settings as opposed to drilling, I can see why in this case drilling can be forgiven.

Oh, I see. The drilling isn't through the pearl, just half-drilled. Still it's more secure with the cap and post than just by a top-post and glue holding it against gravity. That's really quite ingenous. I never would have thought of that.

[Slraep]

Interesting. The cap is quite big so there is no reason the post can't be thick and deep---that would be enough to hold the pearl securely I would think. I've never seen an extension like this on any other big natural drop. Maybe the extension stabilizes the pearl against the wearer so that it doesn't twist because of the protruding hook part.

Drilling a gorgeous natural pearl with a second hole 90 degrees to the first one would make me cringe.

Slraep

[knotty panda]

I saw that and thought the cap fit loosely as well. Perhaps there aren't two drill holes. Only one. In the side. Perhaps the cap just holds the pearl from the top in a tension sort of way and isn't drilled at all. Who knows?

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by knotty panda

Perhaps there aren't two drill holes. Only one. In the side.

... which could be if the thing was drilled to be fitted on an aigrette to begin with! Which should make this a fairly old pearl - it's been a while since those might have been the first use for a pearl like that

[Slraep]

Originally Posted by Valeria101

... which could be if the thing was drilled to be fitted on an aigrette to begin with! Which should make this a fairly old pearl - it's been a while since those might have been the first use for a pearl like that

Oh yes, that could be it. The pearl, like the necklace, is probably from Queen Mary's stash too. She was a great pearl fiend and had an extensive collection. The pearl would be quite old.

Slraep

[akday]

These pearls make mine look like grains of sand! And the drop is deffinitly unusual in design. I love reading these forums because I learn so much for all of you, and in a way that I retain it better than I do the information in the pearl books I have!

[knotty panda]

Val and Slraep: Between the two of you, my vocabulary has increased 100-fold. Thanks!