In the first picture here, it looks like the color is enhanced to me. As far as I can remember, I've seen such color a lot offered by gssp vendors in...
Will your wife enjoy wearing the pearls if they are restrung properly? If knotted between each pearl, the length would likely be close to 17 inches....
It is going to give a much more secure seating for the pearl, with much less strain on the central pin. It's unlikely anyone would do this to perfect...