A river pearl (I think...give me your two cents!), and a little thrift-store find.

[elisa]

Hello! It's been ages since I last posted here, but I thought I might pop in to post about my latest acquisitions!

The first piece is what I believe to be a natural river pearl:
An elderly friend of the family recently passed away, and I was asked if I wanted anything from her jewelry box. She mainly owned tasteful costume pieces, but in the mix was what appeared to be a natural river pearl, set in a dainty nouveau-style stick pin (the metal is unmarked). The pearl passes the tooth test, and has the wrinkly, rainbow look to it that I'd seen in Mississippi river pearls on various antique jewelry sites. Let me know your thoughts about my assessment!

The second is a delicate strand of graduated akoyas that I found at a sprawling Milwaukee antique-mall for $10. I think the store clerk was weirded out when I started "biting" the wares

They are small--4mm to ~6.5mm-- but really charming, with a nice glow. Decent surfaces, and none of them are "blinking". I was so delighted with the find! I wear them often.

Thanks for looking! I've had a fun afternoon, poking around the board and seeing what everyone is up to in the land of Pearls!

[Caitlin]

It could be. From the setting, it should be a natural pearl and those fw ones were plentiful in the era from which that stick pin seems to come, so that is a good guess, the setting looks made for that type of pearl- lovely. -as well as the type of baroqueness of the pearl.

Maybe Norm will come by. He is an expert on freshwater natural pearls. I think his user name is Pearl Man or something close to that. Or you can PM him to look at this thread.

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Ten dollars for a graduated strand of vintage akoyas is a terrific find.

The pearl in the stickpin is a curiousity for sure. It's really difficult to examine a pearl from a few photos, but the law of averages suggest it's an early cultured freshwater pearl.

That's not to suggest precisely what that pearl is, but it might give you some idea how difficult it is to definitively determine it's origin. Afterall, there is no evidence of the producer, species, area of harvest or original sale price.

If it is natural, it's not extraordinary, but no less wonderful. Lab certification would certainly increase it's value, but you'd need to weigh that against the cost of doing so.

Wear and enjoy it for it's beauty and mystery.

[pattye]

Elisa,

Nice to hear from you! The necklace and stick pin are wonderful acquisitions, enjoy!

[GemGeek]

Great finds!

[lisa c]

Great finds!

Understatement!!!!

I'm glad you posted; I always enjoyed your posts when I was first here, learning and catching up on all 'Priors'. I've often wondered what you and your sister were getting up to as time passed...

[Mikeyy]

The pearl in the stick pin is a river pearl. I have some that I found myself in the Mississippi that are identical. It's what we call a rosebud pearl.

[Alex]

beautiful pearls

wonderful name too

'rosebud' pearl

[elisa]

Thanks for the comments and input! I'm quite taken with my little "rosebud" (it is, indeed, a great name for a pearl!).

[elisa]

I just received these shimmery beauties from my boyfriend; he sure knows the way to my heart... They are the most lustrous little guys that I own! They practically sparkle when I wear them.


Also attached, for good measure: a picture of my Pearl Paradise metallic freshwaters, since I don't think I ever posted them here! They are a lovely golden-pink-mauve hue, warmer and rosier in person than in the picture.

[Pearl Dreams]

The stick pin is charming and adorable!

[Marianne]

Your pearls are beautiful Elisa! (I think the boyfriend just might be a keeper)

[pattye]

Lovely colorful pearls, Elisa! You've got quite a wardrobe of pearls!