I believe one to be cultured, and the other one to be.... not. LOL. The more yellow gold clasp has a 14K on it and it belongs to a 20" strand of ~6.5mm pearls. It feels glassy, heavy. This ex said he bought them at Bailey, Banks and Biddle. The other strand, more of a dark gold, or brass, has no markings. They are a bit brighter (whiter) than the other. And of course the clasp won't unjam right now, so I can't measure them, but they seem to be about 23" with maybe 7.5mm. Also knotted, but they just feel cheaper. Appreciate your help!
2 exes - 2 different strands of pearls! What do I have?
- Thread starter avarsanyi
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Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
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- Sep 24, 2007
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The bottom photo is cultured akoya pearls...typical surface characteristics, and very round due to the bead nucleus inside.
The top photo with the jammed clasp could be cultured pearls or could be imitations. Can you take a few more photos, including closeups of any flaws you see? You could also try rubbing 2 of the pearls together gently so see if they feel a bit gritty or resistant. Or you could rub one pearl gently against the edge of your tooth. Imitation pearls glide smoothly against each other, or against one's tooth, while real nacre is a bit gritty feeling.
If you have a 10x loupe, you could also look at the surface. Imitation pearls look rough at that power of magnification, while real pearls look smooth. (Real pearls look smooth but feel rough; fake pearls look rough but feel smooth.)
The top photo with the jammed clasp could be cultured pearls or could be imitations. Can you take a few more photos, including closeups of any flaws you see? You could also try rubbing 2 of the pearls together gently so see if they feel a bit gritty or resistant. Or you could rub one pearl gently against the edge of your tooth. Imitation pearls glide smoothly against each other, or against one's tooth, while real nacre is a bit gritty feeling.
If you have a 10x loupe, you could also look at the surface. Imitation pearls look rough at that power of magnification, while real pearls look smooth. (Real pearls look smooth but feel rough; fake pearls look rough but feel smooth.)
