1924 pearl necklace

[Lynne]

Hi, I have inherited a pearl necklace given to the recipient by her physician father in June 1924 (or perhaps 1925) for her high school graduation. It is 16" in length and has a silver, slide-in type clasp. It looks to be in perfect condition to this untrained eye. It was probably purchased for her in Minneapolis. I would like to know how to have its value established and perhaps sell it. I would appreciate any information on how to proceed. Thanks, Lynne

 

[Zeide Erskine]

1924 necklace

1924 necklace

Dear Lynne,

Could it be that your pearls graduate from 3mm at the clasp to 7mm at the focal pearl, the individual pearls being slightly off round and somewhat beige with a rainbow play of color? Does the slide-in clasp have millgraining along the edges, some engraved decorations and does it say M-sterling on the back?

Zeide G. Erskine

 

[Lynne]

The pearls are equal size (it appears) and probably 6 mm. They are round, have quite a strong luster and in color are probably "pearly white." I know this isn't a good description. The oval clasp is filigreed on both sides. The part that slides into it looks like a deep V, smooth sides until the catch part, there is a mark on one side but even with a magnifying glass I cannot read it.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

1924 pearls

1924 pearls

Hi Lynne,

It sounds like you have a Cartier strand of natural pearls with a platinum clasp. Of course, without actually seeing it, that's hard to tell but only Cartier was offering uniform choker strands (other jewelers only made uniform strands on a custom basis and they were typically of lower quality and greater length) at that time and was also known for minimalist clasp design. If the pearls are "pearly white" they are probably from Gulf of Manaar (also called Tamil Nardu, or Ceylon pearls). All the above only applies if they are indeed from the period as you say and have been kept unaltered since. I highly recommend taking them to a qualified appraiser.

Sincerely,

Zeide G. Erskine

 

[Lynne]

Thank you for the information. I believe these are unaltered. This woman kept everything she owned in perfect condition (single, no kids, high fashion women's-wear buyer). Can you recommend a place to take them or send them? How much should I insure them for if I send them someplace?

I also received a triple strand bracelet with a gold-colored clasp marked "Sterling". The clasp has three little holes on each side for the pearl strands, and there are two gold-colored spacer-guides about 1/3 of the way around from the clasps. This is in perfect condition and are the same size as those in the necklace. The pearls are somewhat whiter than the necklace pearls, very shiny and lustery. It's a beautiful piece.

Also there is a pair of pearl earrings. They are in bold, and each has three chains of gold dangling down with a pearl attached to each chain by beautiful little posts. These pearls are larger than those in the necklace and bracelet by several mms. They have deep luster and are very pretty.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Pearl bracelet

Pearl bracelet

Hi Lynne,

I see, you have not done the tooth test yet. The bracelet description just screams Mallorca pearls (a type of fake, typical brand names are Omar in antique pieces and Majorica in modern ones). Maybe you want to take them to any jeweler first to determine whether you indeed have pearls at all. That would also apply to your uniform strand. I was assuming that you had already determined that they were actually types of pearl be it natural or cultured and now want to find out how much they are worth. Vermeil clasps you only find on costume jewelry or private collection pieces of real pearls that the owner protects against theft that way. Whenever expensive pearls with dingy clasps are offered for sale, red flags go off.

Zeide

 

[Lynne]

I'm sure the single strand are pearls. They are in a box with her handwriting and says "high school graduation." The bracelet may be "fake"; the clasp states it is sterling yet it is gold in color. I think the earrings are real. The gold herringbone chains and gold setting looks and feels like gold. Do I take this stuff to any jewelry store?

 

[Lynne]

The bracelet has a chain guard built into the clasp. This is not usually seen on costume jewelry. The front of the clasp has a filigree pattern and the back is solid. I wonder why it says Sterling when it looks like it is gold.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Heirloom pieces

Heirloom pieces

Dear Lynne,

The chain thing is detrimental to real pearls and typical of fakes to give them a greater value impression. The same applies to vermeil which is gold plated silver. Any jeweler will eyeball them for you. A uniform strand of real pearls be they cultured or natural for high school graduation would have been a serious capital investment in 1924 and should make one wonder. A 3-7mm graduated Mikimoto choker with a silver clasp sold for US$30 in the 1920s and US$50 at the end of WWII. A 6mm uniform strand of cultured pearls would have been a custom job in 1924 and significantly more expensive because all the pre-matched strands coming out of Japan were graduated and the rest sold loose for per-pearl prices. Still, that was a lot of money at the time. Natural pearls cost in the real estate range in the early 1920s. Cartier purchased their 5th Avenue mansion from Masie Plant for a double strand (9-12mm graduated 16 and 18 inches) valued at US$1.2million in the early 1920s.

Zeide

 

[Lynne]

Thank you for all the information. We actually have a Tiffany store here. Maybe I could take these things there next week. Lynne

 

[jerin]

Graduation pearls

Graduation pearls

Hi, Lynne,

please let us know the result of your inquiries at Tiffany´s. Have you done the "tooth-test"?

If the pearls are not fake, could you possibly take som photos for this forum?

kind regards

jerin

 

[jshepherd]

I do not think anyone at Tiffany's will be able to give you a definitive answer. I actually advise against taking them there. They will give you an answer with conviction, but unless the pearls are fake, it would be an uneducated guess.
How is the knotting in the strand? Are you able to peer down any of the drill holes? Are there any inconsistencies in the surface of the pearls? You mentioned that the pearls were 'pearly' white. Would a light cream color be an accurate description or a bright white?

 

[Zeide Erskine]

1924 pearls

1924 pearls

Hi Jeremy,

Any jeweler including Tiffany should be able to tell her whether they are pearls or not. If they are indeed pearls and actually from 1924, the best place to get a real valuation or sell them will be Van Cleef & Arpels in New York. They still have an expert on staff.

Zeide

 

[jshepherd]

That is actually what I said. If the pearls are fake the jeweler will know it. If the pearls are naturals I doubt very seriously the counter rep will be able to determine it.

 

[Lynne]

What is the tooth test?

Yes, the color is more light cream, very lustrous and kind of "deep" appearing. The knots are consistent in size, the necklace looks to be nearly new. I think she kept it in her drawer and never wore it. I have a digital camera. I will try to photograph the necklace and download the picture to my hard drive. How do I then attach it or upload it here?

Lynne

 

[Lynne]

pictures

pictures

Okay I took some pictures. Some are with sunlight, one with without sunlight. I know they are not very good. I tried to upload and it says the size of 1.27 kg exceeds the allowed size of .97 kg. I don't know how to downsize it. If you want me to email you the three pictures, you can send your email address to my private mailbox. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Lynne]

lynneploetz@comcast.net

 

[Lynne]

New Info

New Info

Hi, I've been to two jewelry stores today, one of them an extremely high end, high quality store in Edina (not Tiffany). Here's the scoop on the pearls:

1. Single strand necklace--7mm cultured pearls, original string with 10K white gold clasp. In new/mint condition. Undoubtely dates to 1924.

2. Triple strand bracelet--7 mm cultured pearls, from the 1940s or 1950s, mint condition. Clasp and two guides are sterling covered with gold.

 

[jshepherd]

Mint condition? That would be exceedingly rare, especially for two uniform cultured pieces (not graduated) dating in the 20's and 40's.

When they said mint condition did they expound on it? Did the determine that the creamy color was original?

Regarding the strand being cultured and not a natural, how did they determine this? Were they able to distinguish the nucleus?

You had mentioned that you have a couple of photos. Would you mind sending them over to me? I would be interested in seeing them.

jeremypshepherd@yahoo.com

Thanks!

 

[Zeide Erskine]

1924 pearls

1924 pearls

Hi Lynne,

Maybe you can post some pictures on a white background. The clasp on the necklace certainly did not date back to 1924. Its a much newer stamped design still sold by Rio Grande and Stuller etc.. I think this requires further investigation. Uniform cultured strands were virtually non-existent until 1960. There were only two ways to get a uniform strand of cultured pearls in those days, custom matching and add-a-pearl. This information does not jive.

Zeide