There
is a way to get the smell out of the celluloid but it takes time and patience: take off the lid and leave it off, so that the celluloid is exposed to the open air. Then just wait. Use another jar to save your pearl $$ in the meantime.
It can take months to a year, but look at it this way: the time is going to pass anyway. At the end of that time, wouldn't you rather have a box that doesn't stink?
I once got the strong smell of stale cigarettes out of a very nice leather bag I bought at Goodwill, just by airing it in my basement over time.
I also have lots of older pearls, from the '80s, '90s and early 2000s, some dyed, and I still love them! They make interesting jewelry when strung with gemstone beads, furnace glass beads, etc. And I happen to like wearing the colorful baroque and potato pearls that have at least some metallic sheen, even if their overall quality is commercial. I spend most of my time doing unglamorous things that do not call for high end jewelry. (Of course, I also love to wear my nicest pieces.)
Nor do I only wear genuine pearls. I have an assortment of Majorica imitation pieces in different colors and sizes. My current favorite is a 12mm aubergine round strand. Although this brand is pricey if bought new, pre-owned pieces can be had for relatively little, so I have no regrets about money that could have been saved toward top quality pearls (or anything else).
I suspect many of us on P-G are in our 50s and beyond.
