Like so many others... I inherited some pearls and I'd like to know more.

[cj415]

Hello... I'm so glad I found this forum.

Like so many others, I inherited several sets of pearls and I'm not sure what I have. I will start with what looks to be the nicest piece in hope of finding out more information.

This is a necklace with 65 pearls on it. Each pearl is approximately 4-1/2mm and each pearl is almost the exact same size as all of the others. To the naked eye, they look very white, but when I photographed them with a macro lens under daylight bulbs, they actually have white, silver, and purple luster... pearlescent if you will.

What kind of pearls are these? Also, I know that asking for a valuation is tricky, but if I could at least know where these might fall on the spectrum, then I will know whether to take them in for a professional appraisal.

Thank you!
Chris

 

[zengirl]

I can't believe how many people inherit pearls!!! Until I joined this forum I knew nobody with pearls and certainly nobody who inherited any. I think a lot of inherits are "inherits" (I don't mean you by the way).

I like the first picture but I'm afraid I couldn't tell you much. Do you think the clasp is white gold or silver? And do you think they are diamonds? In the 3rd picture that first pearl on the left looks a bit perfect, like it could be a non-pearl. But I've just started learning about pearls so that could be wrong!

 

[pearlescence]

They look real to me and a decent quality of round. Is the clasp magnetic..the pearls look to have been re-strung recently, the knots are white and tight and the french wire looks fresh too

 

[lilliefuzzysocks]

Did you have your jeweler test the stones in the clasp to see if they are diamonds and tell you how much carat weight they contain?

 

[Bacca]

What a sweet treasure of a remembrance you have, cj415. My guess is those are nice quality akoya pearls. I hope someone in the family will wear and enjoy them.

You're right, putting a value on something is tricky, so please understand this is just a guestimate. You can buy good quality pearls of that size from a wholesaler at $385 for a 16" temporary strand. If the clasp is karat gold and diamond, that's another $100 to $150, maybe. Considering other materials and inflation, an appraiser would probably say $700 to $800 for replacement value. In the real world, a quick check of eBay shows good quality vintage strands selling for $200 or less. That's a contemporary clasp, though, so I'm not sure how vintage yours are.

I can't believe how many people inherit pearls!!!

zengirl, I know, right? But then when I thought about it, in the forties, fifities and sixties, a strand of pearls was a jewelry box staple for middle class and aspiring women. For people with mothers, grandmothers and aunts of that era, I wonder if maybe inheriting pearls is actually more common than not.

 

[Amanda]

zengirl, I know, right? But then when I thought about it, in the forties, fifities and sixties, a strand of pearls was a jewelry box staple for middle class and aspiring women. For people with mothers, grandmothers and aunts of that era, I wonder if maybe inheriting pearls is actually more common than not.

In my family, it was more pearl earrings - I remember my Granny saying that after a wedding ring, pearl earrings were a sign of respectibility in her world as a young wife - Liverpool in the 1940s and afterwards.

 

[lisa c]

Welcome Cj, bang-up close-ups! Can't wait to see your other goodies.

Have you got any photos with a white, less reflective background? Your distance shot suffered due to the combined contrast and reflective qualities of your surface, but the close-ups make my day!

 

[zengirl]

Wow that would be a very lovely necklace if it's real..

Bacca - yes, maybe you're right.

Amanda - yes I can totally imagine how a pair of pearl earrings was a sign of having got somewhere. They do usually look classy.

 

[dkan 168]

Nice clasp, and the pearls do not look too yellow either. A keeper I'd say.

DK

 

[dkan 168]

Oops, duplicate post!

DK