What kind of pearls are these?

[Mel D]

What kind of pearls are these in this 14K gold earring?

 

[pattye]

Mel D, welcome to the forum! That is an interesting earring! Is there a 2nd earring, or is it missing? If there is another, please take a photo of them together. And if possible size of earring, in height and length. I'm curious to see if the pearls are alike in shape.
If the pearls have a mother of pearl backing, and it's difficult for me to tell from the photo, they could be mabe (if cultured by man) or if found in the wild, blister pearls. Either type would be finished similarly, cut from the shell, filled carefully with resin and a mop backing applied. Can you see a line of separation between the top and the back?

 

[Mel D]

Thanks for your comment.
28mm length, 18mm width


I don't see a clear dividing line between the top and bottom, but the bottom doesn't look like it has the same "nacre' look as the top. It looks kind of "pearly" but doesn't have luster like the top has.

 

[Parrot Lady]

They look like the same kind of pearls as those in a ring that I found among my mother’s things. The ring is probably from the 1930s. The back of the pearl looks more like a tooth than anything else.

 

[Mel D]

Thanks. You're right! It does look very similar. It does look like a tooth on the back.

 

[pattye]

Fascinating ring, Parrot Lady. Maybe we can get Jeremy to weigh in on these jewelry pieces. My google searches aren't resulting in any useful information. Perhaps we can get Jeremy to take a look.

 

[BeadersSecret]

Hello Mel D, welcome to the forum,

I have looked at your earring I think you may have something very special.

Sometimes the actual piece of jewellery itself can hold a clue to it’s origins, or even the box itself.

Are their any markings/stampings anywhere on the piece?

Makers can be quite creative in using very discrete locations, so it can sometimes need a very close look or even five looks ��before spotting a mark.

Is their a family history with these? Or other clues that could help in assigning an approximate age?

 

[Mel D]

Thanks, Bernadette. There is only a very plain 14K stamp and a patent number and those are both on the "finding", that is the clip part. Nothing on rest of the piece. My father was in the second hand jewelry business and bought most of his jewelry at auction. So this was probably from an estate. Items that he liked, he usually put aside for my mother, and though I never noticed her wearing these, they were with her private jewelry. I want to sell these on eBay and I want to be able to describe them properly, not to mention price them properly. At one time I thought that they might be American freshwater pearls, but now I'm quite sure they're not.

 

[BeadersSecret]

Hello Mel D

That’s a shame I was hoping a makers mark or other stamp ie assay office might have been found, as this can help date the manufacture, and shed more light on the pearls themselves.

I think in this case you would need a specialist to inspect them directly - my instinct is that they are not “run of the mill” consumer pearls but something a bit special.

 

[BWeaves]

I think they may be blister pearls. I don't think they are mabe' pearls because of the shapes are all different and very asymmetric. They may be backed with mother of pearl that is shaped to fit.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I am intrigued by the setting. It is obviously not a commercial setting. At the same time, they do not fit the pearls well at all. You can see metal that shouldn't be visible, the edges of the pearls aren't supported, some prongs are in bad positions and pushed to the side to accommodate the pearl.

 

[Mel D]

Thanks. I appreciate your input. I haven't arrived at anything conclusive, nor have I found images of pearls exactly like these. I live in New York City so I might be able to find someone in the pearl business to ask.

 

[treasurefixation]

Hey there, long time lurker, first time poster. (I hope I'm not doubling up my post, I just tried but I don't think it went through) I have seen lots of these "pearls" in antique jewelry and I think they are actually pieces of shell. They are very pretty and interesting in their own right, just not pearls. I am pretty sure there is a reference to them in Strack, I just don't remember what kind of shell they are. They are always that distinctive tooth like shape. Hope this helps!