Antique natural wild pearls: an example and a mystery!

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

It might be a cultural thing, American English not being quite the same as UK English, but there’s quite a whiff of newbie bullying along with the skepticism here. I had rather hoped to find a nice place for discussion and sharing of my passion. You will forgive me if I now bail from the conversation and with regret stick with my local experts.

You asked questions and invited comments.

The tenets of objective science are not set aside for feelings.

You were asked to support your assertion with certifiable documentation.

That's not bullying, it's due diligence and a mandatory baseline for investigation. This kind of "turning tables" is suspicious and a common antic used by charlatans. I was skeptical then and more so now. Draw attention to an item with an assertion, invite comments about lesser pieces accompanying them. It's an often used specious tactic, leaving the illusion everyone agrees the assertion is correct at face value, instead of being properly vetted.

Do you not "feel" it more appropriate to simply post the certificates than berate experts who have volunteered time from their lives to respond to your invitation for commentary?

I apologized several times for the tenor of my statements and submit it's not with the intention of bullying, but that doesn't fit your narrative. Hence ending my involvement in discussion about pearls of dubious origin.

 

[jshepherd]

Similarly this three strand bracelet was also an eBay find and fully certified as natural saltwater by Stephen Kennedy in London. Such things are indeed out there.

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This is a great find. I have two natural strands purchased on eBay. One looks very similar to these pearls and the other is an Oriental seed pearl necklace.

 

[Diamondsareforever]

This set of pictures contains images of two antique necklaces. The first is set on an 18ct gold clasp with three fine diamonds and French hallmarks. The pearls on this necklace are natural saltwater pearls with a slight barrel shape and averaging about 5mm in length. They are a cream colour with the expected variations you’d see in a natural string.

The second necklace is a mystery! Again strung on a gold clasp of French design, but older. The pearls are slightly larger (around 6mm in length) and more varied in shape with a very high lustre and pink overtones. I’ve photographed both necklaces together for comparison with the known natural pearls. Dental X-rays show similar patterns for both with no evidence of bead nucleation and I drilled one bead in half to take a look inside but I’m not trained in identification of tissue-nucleated pearls. I wondered if anyone more knowledgeable might be able to comment? My sincere thanks in advance. Catherine (a newbie here, but a long term lurker!)
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I am commenting on the diamonds as I am a diamond person ;-)
They are “Rose Cut” with large culet. They look to be a decent size and dates back to early 1900’s.
Very special

 

[Diamondsareforever]

It might be a cultural thing, American English not being quite the same as UK English, but there’s quite a whiff of newbie bullying along with the skepticism here. I had rather hoped to find a nice place for discussion and sharing of my passion. You will forgive me if I now bail from the conversation and with regret stick with my local experts.

I agree. But not everyone on here is like that.

 

[MSC]

I've gotten a very early set of akoya pearls on eBay and had many graduate gemologists say they were natural. Some of the pearls were barrel shaped. I was skeptical so I sent to GIA for certification and they were revealed to be cultured. High quality cultured pearls can be hard to ID from naturals of excellent quality. I would remain skeptical when purchasing so called antique natural pearls and get a certificate from a reputable lab to get to the facts. After my experience, I would not rely on barreling of pearls to ID as natural. Also please post your certificates so we can study how the lab came to it's conclusion.

 

[CortezPearls]

I've gotten a very early set of akoya pearls on eBay and had many graduate gemologists say they were natural. Some of the pearls were barrel shaped. I was skeptical so I sent to GIA for certification and they were revealed to be cultured. High quality cultured pearls can be hard to ID from naturals of excellent quality. I would remain skeptical when purchasing so called antique natural pearls and get a certificate from a reputable lab to get to the facts. After my experience, I would not rely on barreling of pearls to ID as natural. Also please post your certificates so we can study how the lab came to it's conclusion.

You've said it: Graduate Gemologists...but definitively not pearl experts. Maybe good with diamonds, emeralds and other stones, but not with pearls!