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They appear to be akoyas, one strand more baroque than the others but none completely round. You're right that pearls don't hold value, and unfortunately these are no exception. Their luster and surface quality also leave something to be desired. My advice to you, if you are trying to sell...

On eBay, what you get may not even be what is in the photo. Photos are reused over and over.

That is really interesting! But somehow I think that the so-called shell pearls sold on eBay are not these labor intensive ones described by Kari, based on their low price. e.g. "Rare Huge 12mm Genuine South Sea Shell Pearl Round Beads Necklace 20'' AAA+" now listed on eBay for $6.99 with free...

It's usually the lower quality fakes that have the build up around the drill hole. The better fakes don't. That being said, it looks to me like some of the nacre was lost on that pearl-- and I do think it's a cultured pearl.

I'm tempted to buy some cheap ones just to cut them in half and see exactly what they are.

Typical freshwaters of 7mm would not be fully round, lacking a bead nucleus. There are some new Edisons that have a bead nucleus but they would not be on eBay for $25. And really, freshwaters round enough to look like akoyas would not be sold for $25 either, unless they had mediocre luster or...

It's looking like it has peacock overtones-- greenish with a pink center.

To me they seem to have gray body color. Try photographing them in diffuse light (shade outdoors or farther away from windows indoors); you may be able to bring out the overtones.

That is an interesting omission. Ebay is full of so-called "shell pearls".

Definitely ask for your money back. The sellers may have thought they were real, if they bought them from a vendor who thought they were real. It happens. Ten years ago I found such shell pearls at a very reputable shop where we had previously bought jewelry. Here, read my post about that...

And shell pearls are a type of imitation pearl.

Do you have any other pearls (whether real of fake) to compare their temperature with? Real pearls are cooler than fake ones. To check this, put all the pearls to be compared in the same room for half an hour or so (i.e. same ambient temperture.) Then touch them to your lips briefly. Lips are...

I'm not seeing that; the photos aren't clear enough for my eyes. Could be a pearl with thin nacre. Also I have owned real pearls whose box clasp had no safety. (I replaced the clasp!)

Some time ago I took these two photos to compare what the gold colored FWP (that is the one in my avatar also) looked like compared to my GSS. One photo is dry, the other with the pearls submerged in water in a white dish. But it's interesting to look at the pearls to the right and left of the...

If you have reason to believe they are natural pearls you can send them to the GIA for testing (for a fee.) But cultured pearls were very common in Japan in that era. They could be cultured. Just to be sure you understand pearl terminology: Real pearls can be cultured or natural. Cultured...

I am getting an imitation pearl vibe from them. Try gently rubbing together 2 of the pearls in each item. What do you feel? Imitation pearls feel smooth when rubbed together this way. Real pearls feel rough/gritty.

A little acetone on a swab should dissolve the glue without damaging the pearl. When the glue is gone, wipe the pearl clean with a soft damp cloth.

You can sign up for free (I'll message you and Nilofer the code to take it for free) and have a look yourself. There are no set number of hours-- you just go at your own pace. www.pearlsasone.org

Brad, Michael's (craft store) has loose strands of cultured freshwater pearls (cultured pearls are real pearls) and also imitation pearls; do you have one in your area? Or any bead store? I'd start there. You could also check out firemountaingems.com and artbeads.com.

The right one looks a little bigger, but it will not be noticeable when they are worn as your face is between them-- they won't be seen side by side. You could request a different pair but they may also be slightly different sizes. The size means that both studs fall in the range somewhere...