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My mother gave me a strand of FW pearls Christmas of1980, which were marked Biwa pearls, but I now believe they were from China, not Japan, despite the label. They didn't look like your ring pearl. I'm just saying, labels are not always correct. "Biwa" may have been being used as a general...

Dyed freshwaters, no question. Congrats on restringing them! It's such a useful skill, and you did a nice job.

That strand has the kind of appearance that raises my hopes that they may be naturals.:unsure: :)

I assume you think they could be natural pearls? Paging Dave @Lagoon Island Pearls

Then congratulations, you have a long strand of freshwater pearls! (But just so you know, glass pearls are as heavy as real ones-- sometimes heavier, depending on the type of glass. Swarovski uses lead glass.) I would restring them. It's up to you if you want to knot between all of them-- that...

Here's a photo of Renee Newman's that shows fake (top) vs. real (bottom) pearl surface at 10x magnification:

I'm a bit conflicted. The fact that the clasp is gold and that the shapes are varied makes me lean toward their being cultured freshwater pearls from China. But the appearance of the surface and the uniformity of the color and luster make them look like imitations. I'm wondering about the...

If you send your necklace to them they can better match the pearls.

If they are pearls, they are dyed-- but are you sure they are pearls and not some other kind of bead? They look like some sort of stone bead.

Yes, a good price for Mikimoto pearls! They need to be cleaned and restrung. Mikimoto can do that for a rather high price, and they can issue a certificate to go with them for an extra fee. Alternatively you can just have another jeweler restring them. I know Pearl Paradise offers (or used to...

I recommend restringing them. The silk is old and frayed and could break. You'd want to give them a bath first. Swish a little mild soap (I like to use Dr. Bronner's Baby Soap, which is free of dyes and scent) in some distilled water (to avoid both chlorine and hard water minerals that would...

Greaat photos and information-- thank you! They look like akoyas to me, based on a few surface characteristics and some variation on the colors and overtones of the pearls. The gold clasp also argues for their likely being real pearls. Not everyone feels the grittiness of pearls. Here are some...

Dyed freshwater pearls from China.

While you're at it, you might have a look at my stringing tutorial, for when it's time to restring it: https://www.pearl-guide.com/threads/stringing-tutorial-with-photos-stringing-on-serafil-beaders-secret-power-pro.6604/ It's not hard to string pearls! The knots are easy to make. :)

If you look at vintage graduated akoya necklaces, many of them are only knotted at the ends, where the pearls are smallest. This was a commonly used Japanese method. I believe many Japanese akoya necklaces are still only knotted at the ends. It produces a smoother look.

Knotted/not knotted cannot be used to determine if a necklace's pearls are real or fake. There are many fake pearls that are knotted throughout, and many real pearls that are only knotted at the ends.

Circled SSP are the least expensive shape, and the pearls in your necklace are quite diverse in shape and surface characteristics, so it may not be so hard to find pearls that fit the overall look with which to lengthen it. I would go on Etsy and search for baroque/circled WSSP. If you can't...

Would you like to take the Cultured Pearl Association's course on pearls? I'll message you a code to take it for free. Here is the website: www.pearlsasone.org

The pearls are also pretty. It used to be very common for women to buy and wear imitation pearls.

True. At my first summer job, 1972, I earned $2/hr. (although minimum wage then was $1.85)-- and I earned the same each summer through 1976. When I began working as a PT the summer of 1977, I earned $4.85/hour, which was more than my father was making as a tailor.