Gifted Pearls

So, here's the deal: my bestie inherited these pearls (double-strand, in case you can't tell from the photos) from her great-aunt after she died. They were shipped here from London in a locked metal safe-deposit box and were delicately concealed within a satin/velvet drawstring jewelry bag. Her great-aunt (I wish I knew her name) was very well-known amongst the upper, upper-upper class over there, and, that's all I know about their backstory.
My girlfriend knows how much I ABSOLUTELY ADORE pearls (timeless elegance..) and, even though this was something she'd inherited from a relative (one that she barely knew, as well), she knew that I would get SO MUCH MORE use and joy out of them than she EVER would, as pearls aren't her style, like, AT ALL.
So, yeah.. Please send me any of your opinions/info/etc on them- real or not, brand, type of pearls, region/country they (may/most likely) hail from, how old do you think the necklace is, etc etc-- all that good stuff, LOL!! Thanks, y'all

To me they look like freshwater pearls from China, the dark ones being dyed.
Is there a metal mark on the clasp, such as 925 (for sterling silver)?
My guess is that they are recent. Honora, for example, still sells pearls that are more or less like that.

I agree, they appear to be freshwater pearls. When you say "double strand," are you referring to the length?

How fortunate to be gifted this versatile strand of pearls! I agree with the others ~ Chinese freshwater pearls. They are basically all nacre, no bead inside, so very wearable. I see lots of "button" shape pearls, which makes me think these are somewhere around 25 - 30 years old. They don't appear to need restringing, so wear and enjoy!

ennui said:

I agree, they appear to be freshwater pearls. When you say "double strand," are you referring to the length?

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Yes- that's in reference to the length. As in, you can easily double-loop the single long strand around your neck twice to double it up, if you wanted to

pattye said:

How fortunate to be gifted this versatile strand of pearls! I agree with the others ~ Chinese freshwater pearls. They are basically all nacre, no bead inside, so very wearable. I see lots of "button" shape pearls, which makes me think these are somewhere around 25 - 30 years old. They don't appear to need restringing, so wear and enjoy!

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Is 'button' referring to the pearls that are essentially 'round' in shape, but have a small, slightly 'flattened' area on one side? If so, if you look closely, that's actually the shape of the majority of the pearls, both the white and the brown, with the exception of a small handful of perfectly spherical ones, which so happen to only be white. I love the way you described their shape! It truly is a BEAUTIFUL piece and has been kept in pristine condition. I feel very fortunate to have them Thanks so much for your info! Any idea on who (if any) the designer could have been for a necklace like this, given the pearls (type/shape) used and the age at which you estimated it to be? I just want to learn as much as possible about these beauties as I can