Can these be cleaned?

[Manicmumday]

Hello! Ive recently inherited my grandmother’s pearl necklace. I vividly remember being with my grandfather when he purchased them for her in the early 1980s (maybe 1982) in Vancouver BC from a jewelry shop in the mall so the sentimental value is there for me.

My grandmother likely didn’t adhere to the ‘last on first off’ process like my mum and I do with our pearls and the pearls I have inherited have lost their lustre. When I opened the box they were kept in they ‘smelled like grandma’… so they were probably subjected to who knows what in terms of cream and perfumes.

I do know they need restringing; when I looked at them under my editor’s loupe (I’m a layout editor so I have a 10x handy on the regular) I can see that the knots are frayed and look gunky. I believe the pearls to be real because I was there when they were purchased and they pass the gritty feel test. The strand itself is 13” long and sadly too small for my neck and the pearls are 5mm in diameter.

Tl;dr
I’m wondering if they are salvageable through cleaning or if they’re ruined.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I can certainly understand the sentimental value in these.

How would you feel about making a bracelet out of them instead of a necklace? Or a tin cup (station) necklace? I suggest this because it looks to me like some of the pearls may have lost some of their nacre and may need to be omitted. It also looks like their nacre is thin overall, so there's not a lot of luster to be restored. (Adequate nacre thickness is necessary for there to be good luster.)

You will be better able to assess if they look good enough to restring and wear after you give them a bath. Use slightly warm distilled water with some mild soap added, and let them sit in the bath for 15 minutes or so to loosen the grime. Then wipe them gently with a soft microfiber cloth and swabs between the pearls. Rinse with more distilled water, then lay them on a towel to dry fully. Then see how they look.