Antique imitation pearls

[MrGray]

Hello to everyone!
I just came in a possesion of two about 100 years old short pearl necklaces for which I knew they are imitations (one has very nice 935 antique silver clasp with a white topaz, and that was the reason I bought them).
By cleaning them, I saw that the paint does not come off, but I also noted fragments of a jelly material for which, at first, I thought was a dirt.
Later, after drying them, I noticed one clear glass bead and I realised they are all made of very tiny and thin clear glass that is filled with pearlescent material.
I have never seen something like that before.
On the internet I found that it is very old technique when glass beads were filled with essence d'orient (made of a fish scales) and wax, and now I am very interested to hear more about it
I included pictures, on the last is shown an empty glass bead..

 

[ennui]

The first image reminds me of Murano glass. I hope cleaning didn't harm them too much?

 

[ennui]

CoPilot says:
Glass Beads Filled with Essence d’Orient

Glass beads filled with essence d’orient were a type of wax-filled imitation pearl developed in 17th‑century France as a safer, mercury‑free alternative to earlier methods of creating pearl‑like beads journals.uoregon.edu+1.

Historical origin

Before 1686, French beadmakers often used mercury to give hollow clear glass beads a pearl‑like luster. However, mercury was toxic, posing health risks to both makers and wearers journals.uoregon.edu. In that year, Jacquin, a glass merchant, was prompted by his daughter‑in‑law’s request for a necklace of false pearls to invent a new method. He discovered that mixing ammonia with the scales of the bleak (a European freshwater fish) produced a paste that mimicked the luster of pearls journals.uoregon.edu. This paste became known as essence d’orient.

Production process

• Hollow glass beads were blown and left with an internal cavity.
• The inside surface was coated with essence d’orient to give a pearlescent, nacreous appearance journals.uoregon.edu+1.
• The beads were then filled with wax to add weight and a smooth, pearl‑like feel Wikipedia.
• The coating could be applied multiple times (up to 10 coats) to enhance the iridescence Springer.

Variations and names

These beads were also called:

• Parisian pearls
• French pearls
• Bourguignon pearls
• Venetian pearls (solid glass beads sprayed with essence d’orient) Wikipedia+1.

Cultural and commercial use

• In the 19th and early 20th centuries, wax‑filled glass beads became popular in costume jewelry, especially worn by stage performers and fashionable women journals.uoregon.edu+1.
• They were valued for their affordability and elegant appearance, making them accessible to a wider market than real pearls journals.uoregon.edu.
• By the 1920s–1930s, imitation pearls like these were a staple in Parisian and Roman beadmaking industries Academia.edu.

Distinction from other faux pearls

Unlike mother‑of‑pearl or plastic‑coated beads, essence d’orient beads were glass cores with a pearlescent coating and wax filling, giving them a smooth, non‑gritty surface that differed from natural pearls Wikipedia+1.

In short, glass beads filled with essence d’orient were a hallmark of French beadmaking innovation, replacing toxic mercury with a fish‑scale‑based paste to create affordable, elegant, and safe faux pearls.

 

[MrGray]

Thank you for your very studious answer!
They do not look different then before washing, you can see when i restringed them.
They are in two sizes, one slightly larger than another...
And you can see the clasp that was the reason I bought them, it is made from 935 silver which was used in Germany and Austria in the 1920. period. That is how I assume they are about a hundred years old.
I think it is so simple and elegant, with that vintage setting, with a white topaz which is confirmed on my gem identifier.