[isaac]

Hello pearl-guide perusers , I am new here , obviously. I have my great grandmother's pearl bracelet. I had it appraised by a woman that used to work as a gemologist for Debeers(sp?) and although she was able to confirm that they are indeed natural pearls , she was only able to suggest that I put them on Ebay .Of course , as a seller ,I am wary of Ebay , as are many buyers. I sent the bracelet to some businesses that advertise online as buyers of jewelry , but they said that there is no market for natural pearls. Is this true? I have read that real natural pearls are highly desirable. I would love to find someone in the South Florida area who is interested (I'm in Key West)Unfortunatly , I have no digital camera , maybe I could try some photos with a disposable but I doubt that the picture quality would be any good.Any suggestions?

[knotty panda]

Hello Isaac: There's an expression, "Certs Sell." I forget where I learned that. Maybe here. You may be able to sell them on e-bay without any certification, but don't expect to be able to retire on the price. With a certification of natural pearls, you'd have more luck selling them. I do know one e-bay seller in South Florida who does sell naturals. He has an inventory at the moment so I'm not sure he would be interested in purchasing them from you, however, he might work a consignment sale. At the very least, he will be able to give you a reasonable expectation of selling price. PM me if you're interested. I don't want to steal all the thunder, so I'll let the gang chime in about how to get certification if you're so inclined.

[Caitlin]

Hi Isaac
To do anything online, you are going to need pictures.

There are natural pearl people who check in here regularly. De Beers is diamonds right? Most jewelers and/or diamond people do not know much about pearls. Do you know when your Gt G-mo got the pearls? or When was she born?

I don't think anyone will venture much of an opinion without close up photos. You need to find a friend with a digital camera that has a macro setting. Close up is what we need.

[Valeria101]

Assuming your pearls are natural (not cultured) or reasonably large size (say, with a few over 5mm) and nice quality (light cream or white, roundish, lustrous).. you've got a treasure! Which means, you will have to look at high end buyers - antique jewelry seller and auctioneers that may not be local. No problem though - a first inquiry by e-mail is accepted these days and the potential value of the thing would be worth a train ticket or a dozen: a mention of reputable appraisal, a lab report help; sometimes pictures are required, always helpful.

A couple of links to such institutions:

Gemological laboratories recognized in auctions: GIA, AGTA

Jewelry auctioneers: a sort of 'top ten' given for reference at GIA

And a couple of jewelry antiquarians with an interest in natural pearls that come to mind: Lang, Three Graces...

There are a couple of pearl business selling (and buying too, I would think) natural pearls on this forum: Pacific Coast Pearls, Pearl Paradise, Kojima Pearl... I am probably missing a few. Take a deeper look at this section on 'Natural Pearls' on this forum.

Judging from the last 2-3 years worth of jewelry auctions, natural pearls have not been in such demand for decades! However, they are still a rarefied choice at the highest end, and less then perfect pieces are not as hot... It should be a good time to sell. But the local jewelers in a small town may be unable to help at all.

In all this, I'd start by writing to the potential buyers with the details on the appraisal report, giving the name and credentials of the appraiser (since you say it is a well knows one). Making some reference to a recent, similar auction lot ... and promising a lab report if necessary. At worst, you had lost time with a dozen e-mails. I hate selling anything! But... how bad can it be? Also take a look at prices and assume that the seller does make a good percentage of that. Even so, it might be a pleasant surprise.

Now, I am assuming the pearls are natural. None of this applies to cultured pearls... I wouldn't know where to sell those other then Ebay either.

[DrTKStern]

Originally Posted by isaac

Hello pearl-guide perusers , I am new here , obviously. I have my great grandmother's pearl bracelet. I had it appraised by a woman that used to work as a gemologist for Debeers(sp?) and although she was able to confirm that they are indeed natural pearls , she was only able to suggest that I put them on Ebay .Of course , as a seller ,I am wary of Ebay , as are many buyers. I sent the bracelet to some businesses that advertise online as buyers of jewelry , but they said that there is no market for natural pearls. Is this true? I have read that real natural pearls are highly desirable. I would love to find someone in the South Florida area who is interested (I'm in Key West)Unfortunatly , I have no digital camera , maybe I could try some photos with a disposable but I doubt that the picture quality would be any good.Any suggestions?

Hi,

Based on their age alone if prior to 1890s, possibly natural ocean pearls, possibly natural freshwater American. The market for either is excellent; but unless they've been drilled and someone can get a tiny scope inside, no one can identify on visual inspection alone with certainty; and even GIA sometimes cannot despite multimillion dollar equipment. My advice follows the wise senior members of Pearl-guide, which basically is GIA Cert first, after which selling will just take some time. Expect to pay several hundred dollars for a cert.

Best regards,
Tom Stern,MD
Titan Natural Pearls
San Francisco, CA

[Caitlin]

Before you go get a GIA certificate, I hope you rule out a reasonable chance that they are cultured pearls.

So many people have pearls from their grandmother or Gt. G-mo that they were told were "real" pearls. What they meant was they weren't fake, faux, man made pearls. But what they actually were, was cultured pearls -and actually, they were valuable.

The bracelet would have to be from before 1900 to be natural- Even American freshwater pearls were getting quite scarce by the turn of the 20th century, and they rarely were round.