Long term storage of pearl necklace

[rabbit]

Hi everyone. My 5 wk old daughter was given a pearl necklace tagged AAA Akoya. I can't foresee her wearing them before she's seven (church event) and only very lightly after thatuntil she is mid-teens. The pearls came in a large felt lined wooden jewelry box. Will they be fine in that stored in a dresser drawer? How should I care for them? Thanks.

[jshepherd]

It really depends on the grade of akoya. Unfortunately the 'AAA' tag really does not mean anything unless the seller has strict standards and really knows pearls. The grade 'AAA' is just thrown around to much. Then there are also the shady dealers who add AAA+ or even AAAA to their grading scale. Suddenly the AAA is a medium grade.

If the pearls are AAA, you have nothing to worry about. If the nacre is thin, and you notice blinking (when you roll the pearls) or cracking around the drill hole, they will not likely hold up for a long period of time.

[xeresana]

What's "blinking"?

[Kevin Canning]

blinking is when you hold a strand of nucleated pearls up and roll them back and forth. In thin nacre pearls you can see the nucleus and it will appear to "blink" from within the pearl. Kind of hard to explain but once you see it makes perfect sense.

[purepearls]

If they are indeed truly AAA, they should be fine until she is old enough to wear them. Keep them in an area that is slightly humid. You don't want them to become too dry.

[rabbit]

Thanks for the advice. The house's humidity is normally in the low 60%s. Should I keep them in the bathroom or put them in there from time to time?

[Ashley]

Placing them in the bathroom to take advantage of the steam from time to time is an excellent idea; not absolutely necessary but pearl nacre really does love moisture! Speaking along those lines, do not store them anywhere air-tight! Other than that, the lined jewelry box should be just fine!