Inherited pearls--possibly natural?

[MiniLaura]

1. Pearls feel gritty
2. Photos attached.
3. Inherited from my grandmother and mother. My family is from the Philippines. My mother told me that my grandmother collected these pearls herself. (Pearling was her hobby(?) They were well-to-do so it is unlikely that it was her job.) I'm guessing that the pearls were gathered anywhere from 1920s–1940s.
4. Mark on clasp is four letters, the first two are clearly SL, I'm not sure what the third is, and the fourth is either an R or a K.
5. Pearls are about 7 mm, though several of them are irregularly shaped (see photos)

My mother thinks they are natural pearls, but I'm not convinced.

 

[jshepherd]

They appear to be cultured baroque akoya pearls. They are real, but farmed. They aren't originally from the Philippines, most likely Japan or China.

 

[CortezPearls]

Definitively cultured Akoya pearls. I fully agree with Jeremy here...you can even see the nucleus showing up in one of the pearls (the one with the gap).

 

[MiniLaura]

Thanks for the identification! I wonder why my mother is so convinced that her mother collected them on her own. I guess it makes a good story!

 

[CortezPearls]

Sure does! And there is no need to "burst her bubble"
It could have been a story your grandmother weaved for her to entertain her, to make her dream of pearl dreams...

 

[MiniLaura]

Sure does! And there is no need to "burst her bubble"
It could have been a story your grandmother weaved for her to entertain her, to make her dream of pearl dreams...

I don’t plan to tell my mother. I mostly wanted to know what I was dealing with before I took them to be restrung. I don’t think they have been restrung in more than 50 years if ever. There aren’t even knots between the pearls.