Search results

I can't use vermeil. It wears off super fast. I avoid gold plated for the same reason. Gold filled works well for me.

Another sign that they are Akoya :-) They are traditionally pinked.

Very nice clasps! I'd get some plain silver jumprings in a larger diameter.

I'm guessing baroque Akoya. I don't see any freshwater signs.

Members who also sell pearls usually have a link in their signature.

That's a good one, Douglas! I agree that freshwater pearls are probably the way to go. You can get some lovely ones. You could try to browse some of the online shops from the people posting here.

It's really hard to make a perfect match in terms of size and exact color. If I was you, i would consider buying a new strand (try look at some of the online vendors posting here) and then learn to string and make a bracelet of the left-over pearls.

I did see a bunch of the those in the picture but none as findings and none with pearls.

I still lament about the rings Kojima had where Tahiti pearls were set in dragon claws that I didn't buy in time. Today this led to me to see what else is around that I can use to take some of the 'nice' out of wearing pearls. My only claw catch are these on Etsy...

There are couple of things to start out with and reading the sticky posts in this topic is a good start but I'll recap some of it here. You can investigate yourself if the pearls are real or fake. First of all, you should find out what the clasps are made of. Basemetal points toward fake...

Have you tried with a loupe? I have heard that fake pearls will look smooth and real pearls will look uneven under a loupe. If you have one, you can also use it to take a closer look at the drill holes. I haven't heard of real pearls strung on nylon - but then I haven't heard everything :-)

Right off, they look like beads and not pearls. Also know that almost all pearls are cultured pearls and not worth much by themselves. It takes a good quality strand of matching pearls to add any value. You can try to rub two of them gently together. If the feeling is smooth, they are not pearls.

Then I agree that it's likely South Sea Pearls :-)

Many of us here restring our own pearls. That would be an option.

Is it diamonds in the settings?

That's not a bonbon in the picture :-) That's a Danish (and, I think, German) sweet, in Danish called 'flødebolle', that will squash just by looking at it. The filling is a kind of egg white on a thin waffle bottom covered with thin chocolate. It's light as air and soooo good.

I agree that they do not look like pearls. The attachment to the clasp also seems like something you would not do with pearls. Are they heavy? Stone beads would weigh a lot more than most pearls.

Lovely necklace! As far as I understand, Biwa pearls were cultivated in Lake Biwa but I've seen these kind of 'stick' pearls been called Biwa before. They are freshwater pearls and their value is in a good looking necklace with orient and luster. The gold value of the clasp is probably a fair...

Let me drop 'natural white' in the pot. Most Akoya pearls are dyed very lightly pink. But some are naturally white. I haven't seen the Hanadama natural white myself but I've heard them described as little light bulbs.

It may be very difficult to get an exact match of the pearls if you can't see them in person. An idea would be to make the old pearls stand out and be a part of the design rather than try to make them blend in.