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Well, today I showed said specimen to our jeweller (a man with 40 plus years of experience in the trade), and he said, nope, not a pearl but a piece of cave stalactite (calcite/ aragonite). They do look quite similar.....I'm slightly embarrassed, but it has added to the knowledge bank...thank...

Dmj, Dave thank you so much for your observations. I think I might try and file an edge to see if it is powdery as pearls are when filed? Going to bed thinking of molluscs and shells, and other minerals made of compressed shells got me dreaming....Have any of you read Patrick Suskinds book...

Oh yes!! dmj, this looks familiar...thank you for taking the time to search it out. It's a big piece. Would it be classed as a pearl? Mine has a slight translucency to it, and a kind of bubbly look to the formation.

Hmmm...I'm stumped! JerseyPearl, I take your view...all is definitely not as I first thought! its got a peculiar kind of bobbly textured surface which doesn't really show in the photos too well. I'm going to have to reassess!! Dave, thank you for your thoughts. I'm obviously going to have to...

Thank you dmj, that's along the lines of what I'd guessed, with my v limited knowledge. I'm thinking from the manufacture, Indian subcontinent, as would have been under English rule at the time when 15ct gold was used. I bought it from a dealer here in the UK for ?35, so it's not broken the...

Thank you Pattye and Marianne, Hmmm...I hadn't thought that it could be something other than a pearl. Thank you for your thoughts. The flat base and sides have been filed to shape I think. I've taken a pic of it sat atop my torch.

Hello Pearlfriends! I've got a curious new find... What I think I have here is a non-nacreous pearl. What this pearl resembles most closely is a lump of dried candle wax, or a very small petrified ghost, but I'm pretty sure some of you knowledgeable peeps here will be able to tell me what this...

Thanks for that Dave. It sounds like an interesting research area for someone like me who sells older pearls. I really don't feel I know enough about the subject, and knowledge about older pearls and the history of pearling seems to be pretty thin on the ground amongst jewellers in general.

Dave, thank you so much for taking the time to compose such a thorough explanation. It's really good to hear what you are looking for when trying to learn about a pearl from candling. It did look to me as though it was freshwater as the lustre looks almost thin and not as opaque in natural light...

I'm wondering if I can pick your brains on this 5mm bouton-shaped pearl which was in with a box of loose antique pearls I bought some time ago? It should have some age to it as all the rest were Georgian/Victorian vintage. Dependent on what it is, it may be perfect to sit in the centre of an...

I think I'm guilty of posting dirty old Pearl pics too! These ones have really gorgeous lustre don't they?

That's an amazing piece! I'm with you, Nora...I'd say they're saltwater from India, in what would have been the 'English' colonies. I think also the date is round about right. A little while ago I had to rethread just one row of a four-row necklace similar to this (customer had bought to give...

Ooh, gorgeous!!! Thank you for the pics Andrea, it's good to see the pieces in relation to other objects, really helpful for judging the size. Lucky you, seeing them 'in person'...but don't you just want to grab them and try them on?!

Wow! Love the gorgeous goldy tones. Thank you for sharing them.

Welcome, Icelover! I'm particularly happy to meet a new member who loves natural pearls. Thank you for sharing these wonderful pieces with us. I'm almost speechless with pearl-lust! Are these older pieces, and if so, do you know anything of their provenance?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30042226

I'm aware of the current hallmarking legislation, but this item was made prior to 1975. Gemset pieces were exempt until 1975 ( I would say perhaps 95% of the prior to 1975 gemset rings etc. we sell in our shop have no hallmark, often just a stamp denoting the carat). Amendments were made to the...

Hehe.....Interesting to read your reactions to this piece! To add my 'ten pence worth'....it looks totally genuine to me. Tay pearls did (and still do) exist...and are to be found in jewellery, particularly Victorian period pieces. Is there anyone who can prove that it is a Tay pearl? It...

This rare and lovely pearl is too good not to share..can't seem to put the link in, but anybody interested should be able to find it by searching for Tay Pearl

Oh MY!! They're so lovely...particularly the variation in colour and shape through the last two strands. I know next to nothing about new pearls, but now I'm feeling I need more exposure to these beauties!