Have owned these pre-owned pearls for 15 years... now have questions

[CowPrincess]

Hello, have visited here in the past, and today decided to join up. I am hoping someone can tell me something/anything about this strand of pearls.

I purchased them on ebay about 15 years ago as "vintage". They came with a pair of closely-matched pearl earrings. The earrings are marked 14 kt, and are white gold. The clasp on the necklace is unlike any I've ever seen and is unmarked as to metal content. It is a white metal. It isn't silver, I guess, or it would have tarnished by now I thought the strand was fully knotted but recently I was looking closely (under a loupe) at it and there seems to only be knots at the few pearls closest to the clasp.

More description about the clasp (in addition to the pics): the "male" end fits into the female end, and then there is a small bar on the female end that snaps down, securing the male end in place. The clasp is obviously intended to hold 2 strands of pearls.

The pearls feel gritty to my tooth, and when rubbed against each other.

Can anyone tell me anything regarding the approximate age, what kind of pearls these may be, and anything AT ALL about the clasp? Also, any idea why only the pearls closest to the clasp have knots?

(This all started because I decided I needed to get them re-strung, and so had a very close look, and then once again started wondering about this weird clasp..... you know how it is when you buy something on ebay -- you're just never really sure, y'know? )

Here are my pics (I hope) -- I am an inept photographer but will attempt more pics if you want/need them.

And thank you for any info you can provide!

 

[Caitlin]

I need better photos, but the clasp looks quality.

 

[CowPrincess]

Thanks Caitlin. Better pictures are my project for tonight or tomorrow afternoon. Of course, my camera batteries died and we have no extras around

 

[CowPrincess]

Literally 200 attempts at pictures later, I'm uploading a few more. I hope these will suffice -- if not, I know what tonight's project is

I did read the thread on photographing pearls. I'm struggling with the close-ups, I don't think my camera's macro is that good. More pics in next post.....

 

[CowPrincess]

One more. Sigh... I'm not happy with these pics, I may have to see if a friend has a camera I can use.

 

[CowPrincess]

Yet another attempt.... I apologize if anyone feels I'm wasting their time. These look (on my monitor) pretty crisp. Thanks in advance.

 

[CowPrincess]

More pics of the clasp, and specific questions.

1. When or where was it common to knot only a few of the pearls, the ones nearest the clasp?

2. Do the few knots on this strand indicate that the pearls are low-quality?

3. Is it more likely than not that the clasp is a precious metal? Or is it more likely than not that it is some sort of base metal?

4. Are these pearls, from what one can see, worth spending the $$$ to restring?

5. Are these most likely freshwater cultured pearls?

 

[Caitlin]

A lot of older necklaces are not knotting between each perl- even Mikimotos!
Thanks for the improved photos!

Because of the clasp, it looks like a quality piece to me. I am not cure what kind of pearls though. Probably akoya. I would get it restrung and knotted and look at the drill holes carefully. If there are any chips around it or wear, you might be able to see an MOP bead. The sizes and roundness seem too consistent for freashwater.

What size are the pearls? I am guessing around 6mm or smaller? The clasp is really nice! I think it is a quality strand from the clasp alone.

 

[CowPrincess]

Thanks so much for the reply, Caitlin! Using a tape measure, they seem to be 6 mm, which is what I think I remember being told when I purchased them.

I was so taken aback to find out (after all these years of thinking they were individually knotted) that they were only knotted in a few spots, I was concerned that I'd been sold costume jewelry at a non-costume price

Should I get them individually knotted when I have them restrung? (That's my preference..... I'm now afraid to even touch them for fear they SPROINK all over the house!) I can't see any chips in the nacre around the drill holes, but again.... am afraid to be too demanding of them right now.

Do you have any idea/guess of the age of them? I've owned them for 15 years, and they were supposedly "vintage" when I bought them.

Off to read about "akoya" pearls. thanks again!

 

[Bacca]

I don't have anything definitive for you, CowPrincess, just some thoughts.

I've read that the traditional way of stringing pearls in Japan included knotting only between the last three or four pearls. Mikimoto pearls were strung this way, until someone pointed out that knotting between each pearl was not only safer, it was cheaper, as it required fewer pearls. That last seems apocryphal, so if anyone has a citation for that story, please share. The story does indicate that the way your necklace is strung is legitimate. I don't think it tells us anything else.

The clasp looks modern. If it's precious metal, there would likely be a quality mark, either on the back or on the clasp. On the front, there's a stone in the middle and four around the outside it looks like. In a high quality piece, the stones will be held in place by the metal rather than glue and there will be open space in the metal underneath them for light to get through.

Of course, clasps break or people switch them, so it's possible to have high quality pearls with a lesser quality clasp and vice versa. The pearls themselves look quite nice. I'm biased toward vintage akoya, so that's what I'd say they are.

The way eBay is set up, "vintage" sometimes just means "not new." Think of the people selling items they acquired new just a couple of years ago and have worn only once or twice. So your piece is older than 15 years, but it's hard to say how much.

I'm sorry not to be able to give you more information in return for your lovely pictures. They're very pretty pearls and I've enjoyed seeing them.

 

[CowPrincess]

Thanks, Bacca, for the info on just a few pearls having knots.

>edited out incorrect info re small clear stones <

edit: The small clear stones seem to be set right into the metal, and then held in place with 4 low-laying prongs on each stone. (thought they were bezel-set but closer investigation proved me wrong)

The larger clear stone is prong-set. I tried a magnet on the clasp, and no response. Doesn't tell me much, I know As I mentioned in an earlier post, the colour of the metal has never changed, so I'm pretty certain it is not any variety of silver (or I'd see some tarnish). I have looked and looked with my 10x loupe for any kind of mark -- even a remnant/trace. Am going to look again. Interesting that you think the clasp is modern -- when I look at it I think "1960s".

This poor pearl necklace I bet I haven't worn it 10 times in 15 years -- and in the last few days it has been mauled and handled more than in the previous 15 years

 

[Bacca]

Interesting that you think the clasp is modern -- when I look at it I think "1960s".

Just a little difference in communication, I think. "Modern" to me means "not antique" and I think of antique as being 100 plus or so years.

If you're going to get the pearls restrung, maybe you could get the metal in the clasp tested at the same time. A quality mark isn't required, so the absence of one isn't conclusive. I agree with Caitlin that it looks like a good quality clasp and the way the stones are set seems to support that. Certainly a piece worth wearing and enjoying, especially after it's waited patiently for 15 years.

 

[pattye]

CowPrincess,

Very interesting strand there. Yes, the clasp looks like a karat gold, not silver. I have some older bracelets with that kind of a locking mechanism, more secure than the figure 8 lock often found now. Possibly Akoya from as far back as 40's or 50's, certainly 60's is possible-seems like vintage means at least 20 years old, these days.

The pearls seem to have excellent luster, and are well matched for color and size, worth having restrung. Would you consider adding a 2nd strand of contrasting akoya, perhaps in natural blue, or dyed peacock? Or mixing in a favorite gemstone to make a 2 strand necklace, something you would enjoy wearing once restrung?

Nothing really new to add, except to thank you for taking time to photograph and tell us about them.

 

[lisa c]

Big Respect to you for persisting through all your photography attempts!!!!

 

[CowPrincess]

pattye
CowPrincess,

Very interesting strand there. Yes, the clasp looks like a karat gold, not silver. I have some older bracelets with that kind of a locking mechanism, more secure than the figure 8 lock often found now. Possibly Akoya from as far back as 40's or 50's, certainly 60's is possible-seems like vintage means at least 20 years old, these days.

The pearls seem to have excellent luster, and are well matched for color and size, worth having restrung. Would you consider adding a 2nd strand of contrasting akoya, perhaps in natural blue, or dyed peacock? Or mixing in a favorite gemstone to make a 2 strand necklace, something you would enjoy wearing once restrung?

Thanks for the reply! The clasp has so much detail, overall I'd be surprised if it was not some sort of "good" metal So you have bracelets with this kind of clasp? Any idea what decade yours are from?

I don't think I'd be comfortable adding another colour of pearls to be honest -- a bit "fashion forward" for me, I fear I haven't worn them much because the clasp is such a PITA, y'know? Attractive, but awkward to manage.

Bacca
Just a little difference in communication, I think. "Modern" to me means "not antique" and I think of antique as being 100 plus or so years.

If you're going to get the pearls restrung, maybe you could get the metal in the clasp tested at the same time. A quality mark isn't required, so the absence of one isn't conclusive. I agree with Caitlin that it looks like a good quality clasp and the way the stones are set seems to support that. Certainly a piece worth wearing and enjoying, especially after it's waited patiently for 15 years.

Okay, thanks for the clarification of "modern" -- definitely just a miscommunication I am considering just purchasing a metal testing kit, as I have a bracelet (not pearls, possibly lapis) that I'm curious about, too.

lisa c
Big Respect to you for persisting through all your photography attempts!!!!

Thanks for the kudos, lisa c. A big "THANK YOU" to everyone for being so patient with me. I have now discovered my camera has a bunch of features that I didn't know existed, that I don't know how to use, so possibly I'll figure out a way of taking better pictures.

And another dumb newbie question : akoyas are saltwater cultured, is that correct?

 

[Marianne]

There is no such thing as a dumb question..... (If you are a newbie
Akoyas are cultured saltwater pearls... You are quite correct!

 

[Alison]

The necklace definitely looks like high-quality Akoya pearls, with a really exceptional clasp. It's very rare to see the double hook and extra lock. The stones are almost certainly diamonds (easily tested by a jeweler). The color of the metal, if it has not been cleaned, indicates it may be platinum. It is much more likely to find unmarked platinum than gold, and white gold generally gets a nasty-looking tarnish over the decades.

 

[CowPrincess]

Marianne, thank you Alison, that's an interesting idea! The metal has not been cleaned while in my possession.

 

[CowPrincess]

An update -- someone I trust implicitly is going to restring these for me. I'll report back with what she tells me about them.

 

[pattye]

CP,

Hopefully your friend will look them over closely with you, and be able to point out some details about the pearls in person. My bracelet with the similar clasp is from early 90's, but haven't seen many like that since then, am guessing that type clasp was likely used for at least several decades previous. Looking forward to your report.