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  1. Pearl Dreams

    Advice on lengthening pearl necklace

    If you send your necklace to them they can better match the pearls.
  2. Pearl Dreams

    7 inch blue pearl necklace with matching earings from Ming's in Hawaii from the 1940-50s

    If they are pearls, they are dyed-- but are you sure they are pearls and not some other kind of bead? They look like some sort of stone bead.
  3. Pearl Dreams

    First Pearl Necklace for my high school daughter.

    Yes, a good price for Mikimoto pearls! They need to be cleaned and restrung. Mikimoto can do that for a rather high price, and they can issue a certificate to go with them for an extra fee. Alternatively you can just have another jeweler restring them. I know Pearl Paradise offers (or used to...
  4. Pearl Dreams

    Family Heirloom Pearls (purchased in Japan in the late '40s)

    I recommend restringing them. The silk is old and frayed and could break. You'd want to give them a bath first. Swish a little mild soap (I like to use Dr. Bronner's Baby Soap, which is free of dyes and scent) in some distilled water (to avoid both chlorine and hard water minerals that would...
  5. Pearl Dreams

    Family Heirloom Pearls (purchased in Japan in the late '40s)

    Greaat photos and information-- thank you! They look like akoyas to me, based on a few surface characteristics and some variation on the colors and overtones of the pearls. The gold clasp also argues for their likely being real pearls. Not everyone feels the grittiness of pearls. Here are some...
  6. Pearl Dreams

    Trying to Identify the type of pearls I have

    Dyed freshwater pearls from China.
  7. Pearl Dreams

    Advice on lengthening pearl necklace

    While you're at it, you might have a look at my stringing tutorial, for when it's time to restring it: https://www.pearl-guide.com/threads/stringing-tutorial-with-photos-stringing-on-serafil-beaders-secret-power-pro.6604/ It's not hard to string pearls! The knots are easy to make. :)
  8. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    If you look at vintage graduated akoya necklaces, many of them are only knotted at the ends, where the pearls are smallest. This was a commonly used Japanese method. I believe many Japanese akoya necklaces are still only knotted at the ends. It produces a smoother look.
  9. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    Knotted/not knotted cannot be used to determine if a necklace's pearls are real or fake. There are many fake pearls that are knotted throughout, and many real pearls that are only knotted at the ends.
  10. Pearl Dreams

    Advice on lengthening pearl necklace

    Circled SSP are the least expensive shape, and the pearls in your necklace are quite diverse in shape and surface characteristics, so it may not be so hard to find pearls that fit the overall look with which to lengthen it. I would go on Etsy and search for baroque/circled WSSP. If you can't...
  11. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    Would you like to take the Cultured Pearl Association's course on pearls? I'll message you a code to take it for free. Here is the website: www.pearlsasone.org
  12. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    The pearls are also pretty. It used to be very common for women to buy and wear imitation pearls.
  13. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    True. At my first summer job, 1972, I earned $2/hr. (although minimum wage then was $1.85)-- and I earned the same each summer through 1976. When I began working as a PT the summer of 1977, I earned $4.85/hour, which was more than my father was making as a tailor.
  14. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    Gold was $30/oz in the 1970s which was fairly inexpensive if you think about it. :rolleyes: I was in college then and remember how little it would have cost for me to buy a gold pin for my college's P.T. department. (Being a college student with a budget, I didn't buy it though.)
  15. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    It may not be the original clasp. It's not unusual for clasps to be changed when restringing. Or maybe it is the original and it is gold. I have 3 imitation pearls items (2 necklaces and one bracelet) with 18K gold clasps. My grandmother had "aquamarine" stud earrings in 18K gold settings...
  16. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    Here are a few simple tests you can do yourself to distinguish real pearls from fake: 1. Rubbing test: Gently rub one pearl against another. Real pearls feel a bit gritty but fake pearls glide more smoothly. 2. Temperature test. You will need other pearls (that you know to be real or fake) for...
  17. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    I'd have the clasp metal tested, but remember, gold used to be inexpensive. The stone may be a rhinestone. A jeweler can test it.
  18. Pearl Dreams

    Vintage Deltah Pearl Necklace with Original Box & 14KT Gold Clasp

    Imitation. The color, luster and overall appearance of the pearls are all the same. There are no color overtones. The area around the drill holes looks like imitation coating. And the drill holes appear a bit large. The way the necklace is finished near the clasp is low end.
  19. Pearl Dreams

    What sort of pearl is this?

    It occurs to me that you may like to learn more about pearls by taking the Cultured Pearl Association's "Pearls As One" course. It's a great course-- full of videos, photos and a great Q&A section after each chapter. This is the website: www.pearlsasone.org I will message you a code to take the...
  20. Pearl Dreams

    What sort of pearl is this?

    They are Chinese freshwaters. Perhaps the flat dull area was against the shell.
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