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@Rosalindjane, Our beloved member Caitlin is no longer with us, but we are all interested in what you learn about your pearls.

Afterthought: If you can't find a 52" necklace to try on for weight, connect three 18" necklaces end to end (= 54" but close enough). Even glass imitation pearls would give you a pretty good idea of the weight. Many department stores have imitation pearls you could try this with.

How do you feel about heavy necklaces? Because pearls are heavy, and 52 inches in the size you are considering will definitely be heavy! If you can try on a 52 inch rope anywhere, I urge you to do so before buying. See if you are comfortable with that weight. One thing about long ropes is that...

Knots are about 0.3mm (each) if the thread is fine, x 92 additional knots if you knot between each pearl = necklace would be about 2 cm longer (about 8/10 of an inch longer) than it is now. If the knots are a little larger it could be an inch longer.

Looks like akoyas (looking at overtones).

Must be 2nd World War-- not first. Cultured akoya pearls were not being sold during the 1st World War.

That is a lovely necklace you've inherited! The clasp appears to be Mikimoto and they are akoyas. Their size range (3mm-7mm) is typical of graduated necklaces sold in wartime Japan (WWII / Korean War era). Many servicemen bought these necklaces for their sweethearts; the necklaces' being...

It's a nice graduated strand of akoya pearls, but without a Mikimoto clasp or documentation, you can't be sure of the brand, since any necklace can be put in any box-- even by sellers. But no matter, they are beautiful and lustrous, and most importantly, a very sentimental piece. These...

I think they are dyed freshwater pearls-- like mine:

Here is the tutorial: https://www.pearl-guide.com/threads/stringing-tutorial-with-photos-stringing-on-serafil-beaders-secret-power-pro.6604/ As far as caring for them: Store them apart from jewelry that can scratch them. Pearls should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take...

That makes sense to me.

The shorter strand appears to be akoya pearls. They need to be restrung; old, grimy silk can break. Many of us do this for ourselves; it's not hard and saves money. I posted a tutorial on the Lowly Beader's Club section of this forum -- you can find it stickied there, and there are also some...

Hi, I'm sorry to tell you that those are imitation pearls. In the 2nd photo, 3rd pearl from the top on the left, you can see where the imitation coating has peeled off, revealing the bead inside. That doesn't mean the pearls aren't sentimental, though. I have some imitation pearls that used to...

Nice stringing job!

I found this in the "Pearls As One" course, but it isn't very specific: Akoyas are harvested in the coldest season. Tahitians are harvested between May and November.

If the swab was saturated it would have at least begun dissolving imitation pearl coating. If you are in doubt, be a bit more generous with the acetone and try again-- it won't hurt real pearls, just fake ones.

If you rubbed them after applying acetone and the coating wasn't dissolved, then they are not imitation.

Is it possible they are imitation pearls in terrible condition? Try wiping one the broken pearl (the obvious choice since it's already damaged) with a cloth or paper towel wet with nail polish remover or acetone. Fake pearl coating will dissolve when rubbed with these solvents, but it won't...

Well that's disappointing! :( Most imitation pearls that feel heavy like real pearls are glass. Very cheap lightweight ones are plastic. The clasp may not be real gold either.

Tahitians. The chocolate colored one may be color treated, although there are some pearls that are naturally that color.