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those are baroque freshwater pearls from China.

those would be Chinese Freshwater pearls

Fantastic photos! What a collection of unusual pearls and jewelry, nice work collecting Sarah!

I agree with that, 100% chinese Freshwater pearls.

Just curious, but what makes you sure this is a pearl?

I really like them, and that bubble like illusion they get is really cool in person. Not really a fan of the faceted strands of Freshwater, but dark pearls can be pretty sexy...

I've seen these for sale a lot at the gem shows, they're actually very pretty. But... when you look at them, it's clear the nacre is paper thin. I've never noticed a colored implant, but the resin used to fill the back is usually white. I'll have to have a closer look in march and see if...

It's a technique used to insert the bead but also make sure the mantle tissue stays with the bead. http://pacificpearls.us/in-body-bead-nucleated-pearls/2/ Keeping in mind that specific techniques for growing bead nuked FWP are not openly shared, but this is the best information available.

I'm no expert on vintage jewelry, but the clam shell Mikimoto marking looks correct.

Wow, you're good PD! sure .5mm is considered very thick for Akoya, but not uncommon. If the pearls are bead nuked and 7.7mm, really the only option is Akoya. And the luster does look much more like Akoya than South Sea, so...

There WAS an issue, but now the Chinese Akoya pearl industry has collapsed. In the past Chinese pearls were brought into Japan as loose pearls, but exiting Japan as finished jewelry, along with a "product of Japan" label. There was a couple of sellers that would display a blue "product of...

And it's photos like these that have the entire South Sea pearl industry VERY nervous.

That's my vote. Looks like silver Tahitian pearls. Definitely not South Sea

Great article Blaire. It's really crazy to see what colors are available now vs. just a few years ago. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years brings....

Just dealt with this, USPS lost a $2000+ strand(ouch). It stings, but the only option is to send out a new order for the customer. It's not their fault the carrier lost it. Cost of doing business unfortunately.

Congrats Hisano! You deserve it!

You mean Japan Airlines right? They're likely genuine Mikimoto pearls, but you aren't getting the "good stuff" in the sky mall catalog. Remember Mikimoto is a brand name, not a quality level. They sell fantastic pearls in their boutiques, but there's a range of qualities that come under the...

well that isn't really accurate. You can buy pearls online for a fraction of what they might cost in brick and mortar. But It would be it is safe to say, there are very few if any true bargains on Ebay in terms of pearls. There may be a couple of legit sellers, but 99% of them are offshore...

I think it's in a couple of weeks, if not less.

Something about the color doesn't seem right, these MAY be color treated. It's hard to say from pictures, but I would ask if they are color treated. They may not know or tell you if they were, but I would at least ask.