What ARE these?

[fisha]

Hi. I inherited these from my mother. They don't look like any freshwater pearls I have ever seen, but I was wondering if maybe I have just led a sheltered life. Can anyone identify these?

 

[BWeaves]

Chinese freshwater Rice Krispie pearls from the 1980s or 90s. 100% pearl nacre. They don't make this shape anymore. They were usually worn as several strands twisted together into a torsade style necklace.

 

[Pella]

Hi. I inherited these from my mother. They don't look like any freshwater pearls I have ever seen, but I was wondering if maybe I have just led a sheltered life. Can anyone identify these? View attachment 477767

I think these are imitation rice krispies. If you zoom into the "pearls" you will see seams from the mould down the sides of the beads. They may have been made of a shell composite material. On first glance I thought rice krispie pearls, but they do not have the characteristic texture and that is why I zoomed in.

 

[MrGray]

Probably due to uniformity, I think those are artificial pearls.

 

[BWeaves]

Yeah, I was wondering about the smooth surface, too, but I've never seen artificial rice krispies because the real deal wasn't that expensive.