I Could Use Your Help with These Biwa Pearls. Thank you!

[ezeeepass]

Good Evening everyone and I hope all is well with you and your families. I am very knew to this forum and I understand these are called Biwa pearls, but having trouble figuring out a time frame with it, whether it is from the 60s, 70s or later. the hardware is sterling silver and do hope someone will be able to help me. Thank you in advance for your help. Stay safe.

 

[CortezPearls]

Hello Ezeeepass, welcome to our pearl loving forum!
I am hoping the "Pearl Cavalry" will show up because I believe those are not Biwa but Chinese freshwater pearls, but I am not an expert in Biwa pearls. I used to call those pearls as "stick pearls" in the mid-1990's.
The silver hardware looks nice

 

[pearlescence]

These are stick pearls not Biwa pearls. They are often called Biwa pearls because of their shape but this is wrong. Biwa pearls are freshwater pearls from the Japanese freshwater lake..Biwa. They looked more like baby teeth than sticks but the name Biwa stuck and spread to be applied to all stickish shaped pearls.
The clasp was probably made in India.
Date....early years of this century. It is probably a child of the internet.

 

[Marianne]

Pearlescence is correct!

 

[CortezPearls]

Thank you Pearlescence and Marianne for your confirmation
Hope this helps you ezeeepass.
Stay safe!

 

[BeadersSecret]

As Douglas said - when they arrived they where simply "Stick Pearls" - later the naming shenanigans began

All Biwa pearls are freshwater - - but not all freshwater pearls were Biwa

Are the pearls Biwa - unlikely
Are the pearls Stick pearls - certainly
Were there Biwa Stick pearls - absolutely
Did farmers in other locations misuse\misname other freshwater pearls as Biwa - absolutely

Biwa pearls whilst typically being small irregular baroque shape - were also available as:
Near rounds,
Buttons,
Ovals,
Tooth Shaped,
Sticks,
Fancies - such as Crosses and more exotic shapes,

By varying the shape and size of the mantle tissues implants, it was possible to influence the shape of the resulting pearl.

My gut is telling me these are not a creation of this century - this style was very common towards the mid\end of the 80's and into the 90's. More a sibling than a child of the Internet (for those that consider 1 January 1983 as the internet's birth date)

Here is a picture of a brooch with a genuine Biwa stick pearl from 1980

 

[CortezPearls]

Excellent answer Bernadette, very thorough and concise

And thank you for posting that image...I have seen very few real Biwa pearls in person (or as Josh says: "In the Nacre") and I rarely see real Biwa pearl photos, so it is great to see another one. Is this a piece of yours?

 

[ezeeepass]

Thank you So Much! I appreciate your help