Antique natural strand

[aerinha]

I've done antique jewelry for awhile and came across a strand of antique pearls circa 1910. The seller lists them as A quality with some surface blemishes, 2.5mm-6.5mm, cream to silver in color and baroque to off-round in shape. Overtones are aubergine, pink and green. Clasp is sliver over 14Kt gold set with 3 pearls and 24 indian face cut diamonds and signed "Ryrie". Strand is 20 inches long with 107 pearls. Comes with a cert that they are natural from a "gemalogical (sp?) institute". Price is $650.

I've never bought natural pearls and am unsure if that is a good price. I'd appreciate some advice. I would post pictures, to see if the opinion was that they are really natural but the site has theirs locked to keep them from being stolen.

Help.

 

[Valeria101]

I am puzzled about the description: what color are the pearls (white with violet overtone sounds unusual) ? And the description of the shape does not relate to a precise image.

At least, what gemological laboratory is that?

20 inch strand of natural pearls in that size could be way more. But again, everything comes down to what those pearls look like.

Probably someone more knowledgeable (i.e. lots of people!) could deduce what this is all about from description alone. I cannot.

If you do have a reserve on the pearls... maybe a link to the seller's site would not hurt any of the parties concerned ?

 

[knotty panda]

Welcome Aerinha: If the pic won't come to us, post the link and we will go to the pic! Have pearls will travel!

 

[aerinha]

Ok, I found a print screen works to save the pictures into word and get around the lock, but it's too big a file to attach. I don't have a hold, beyond asking about lay a way, so I can't post a link. Let me keep fiddling and see what I get.

 

[aerinha]

I emailed and private messaged you both a link. The Word file was just too large no matter what I did. Thanks for your help.

 

[aerinha]

These pics are not making life easy. I cropped them, but it cut some stuff out. Here are some of the larger pearls shown as pearl 2. Clasps is 2/3 of the clasp and the smallest, least round pearls.

 

[Caitlin]

HI Aerinha
Please send me a PM with the link too.

 

[aerinha]

Caitlin I jsut tried to PM you, but it said you exceeded your quota and have to clear space to receive any more.

 

[Caitlin]

If they are from 1910, they would have to be natural. From the few pearls I could see they do look natural. I would pay $650 because it isn't a bad price at all. Better than a lot of Mikimotos that length with a certificate go for.

 

[Caitlin]

I cleaned out my PM box. And I got the link.

 

[aerinha]

This time the PM seemed to work so, Caitlin, the link is waiting for you. I did ask the seller for a hold until I get a group opinion. I like them, but I don't want to make a mistake and buy "junk" pearls or early cultured pearls.

 

[Caitlin]

I think the price is because they are "A" quality pearls. All the better in my opinon. They are very dirty and need to be restrung!

I think they are great.

They are gulf pearls, like mine. Mine also have the same colors playing on the surface as described in the blurb. Don't know if it is orient or overtone, but it sure is iridescent.

 

[aerinha]

Seller is willing to have the restrung as they looked loose in the pics. As for the pearls, do you think they need to be cleaned? If so, how? I once heard this totally gross quote on a news story about stores selling miki's w/o a license claiming they were new and the reporter insisted they had to be second hand. They then said wearing someone else's pearls was like wearing someone else's underwear since they absorb oils. That was another factor making me hesitate slightly. I have issues using a purse if I don't know where it went before it got to me, but then I have no issues with my other antique jewelry pieces, but they are metal and don't absorb. Weird, I know.

 

[Valeria101]

They then said wearing someone else's pearls was like wearing someone else's underwear since they absorb oils. .

Yuck! No way... Silly! NOPE! Never say that again! Please...
Can't imagine why would anyone say that if it wasn't to make someone buy new pearl by scaring them away from the old, with no matter what disgusting piece of BS.

If the shop restrings them for you, they should clean the pearls before, I would imagine. So that the silk does not have to get wet.

There is a thread about cleaning natural pearls (Caitlin's). THIS ONE, I think.

 

[Caitlin]

Yup, that silk thread is full of gunk and old dna flakes.....

The pearls can get a dirty build up, but oils won't penetrate the pearls, they just coat them.

Perhaps you can just take posession of them and have them restrung yourself. You don't want them cleaned in a sonic cleaner, for instance.

Those pearls look very old,they are at least 100 years old and some of them seem to be worn on the ends making them a bit barrel shaped. You'd need to look at the end closer to really tell, though. They may be much older than 100 years and just got restrung with a new clasp in 1910. I also saw a slight pealing part on one pearl (very very, thin, thin, but it looks just like the way my Bahraini pearls peal). But right underneath the pealing part is more bright nacre.

I'd rinse those in non-clorinated water. If any of the holes are clogged up and blackened, it would be time for a short sloosh in a thick salt slurry. Then several rinses in the chlorine-free water.

They don't look greasy to me, but if they are, a quick sloosh with some very mild natural castile soapy water. then rinse.

They actually look a little dry, like they would love a nice neck to adorn.

 

[Valeria101]

Caitlin, your thread with natural pearl cleaning is getting its fair share of use!

Perhaps we should have a special service for cleaning & restringing natural pearls 'round here!

 

[aerinha]

Ok Valeria, underwear comment henceforth deleted from my vocabulary, if only I could delete it from my mind I write (not that I'm published, but I attempt to write my novel every night) so mental images tend to stick with me.

Caitlin, if the pearls look dry, I've heard near constant wearing next to skin will help? Actually I've heard mixed things on this. One place says skin oils are bad for pearls and another says skin oils make them shine. Is this a cultured vs. natural difference? My boss will love all the low-cut tops I'll have to wear to keep a matinee length strand against bare skin. Although 20 inches isn't that much longer then my 18 inch strands.

I'm curious to see how I look in smaller pearls, my smallest strands 6.5-7.5mm pink and lavender from PP's mother's day offering in 2006 so 2.5-6.5 will be a change. The rest of my pearls are 7-8 and up.

 

[Perle]

Caitlin,

Can you see down the drill holes of your naturals? What do they look like? (I've heard mixed/conflicting reports as to whether you can distinguish between naturals and bead nucleated cultured pearls that way.)

Perle

 

[Caitlin]

Here is a picture of 2 of them where you can see down the holes. The orange holed one... that's a glow not visible on the surface. Our favor bs artist said it could be from Qatarri waters which apparently have a high gold content. I don't know if that is an urban legend, a lie or the truth.

The other one in this picture has nacre the same color as the outside as far as I can see into it.

What is definitive to me is the kind of flaking where Gulf pearls are worn down a bit. It just looks like a Gulf pearl (Pinctada radiata). There is a picture of that pealing in the first photo of the pearls on this strand and the one on the right below shows it also.

 

[Caitlin]

Most people don't have oily necks, so I don't know where that came from. Sweat is not good. Nor is sunscreen, I would imagine. (Take them off before playing tennis) I think alcohol is the most harmful ingredient in cosmetics, but I bet many perfume ingredents would stain pearls. Maybe hair sprays would be bad too.

Many oils applied to the skin or the pearls are on the acid side of the ph scale, but don't seem acid enough to be visibly harmful.

Jeremy used corn oil on one strand I got, but you couldn't feel a thing, so it was a mighty thin coat.