Creamy Pink Golden white pearls

[Ark]

Hello

Would anyone know if these cultured pearls are worth appraising. I am guessing south seas?

The round one is 7.5mm with a golden pink white overtone necklace with 187 pearls. The colors change depending on the angle and light which was so hard to capture. I placed them on a white towel and photo'd them from 2 angles. No color corrections were done. Photo was taken at night under a daylight led as main source in room. I am guessing they were from the 1980s.

The Baroque pearls are about 8.5mm golden white with a touch of pink, 88 pearls total. the original owner had them listed as antiques. I wonder if the clasp would be some indication of age, it is stamped 14kg.

 

[pattye]

Ark,

Thanks for the photos. Very pretty pearls, my opinion is the size would indicate cultured akoya for both strands. Older akoyas are often valued for their thicker nacre as they were left in the water longer than they are these days. I doubt the second strand is an actual antique (over 100 years old?) but possibly vintage, similar to the other strand.

As for the clasp, it is similar to ones that can be purchased these days, and sometimes a chasp is changed out when the pearls are restrung.

An appraisal for insurance purpose (retail replacement value) would be much higher than the necklaces could actually be sold for.

I hope some of our vintage and antique pearl experts stop by to look and comment.

Will you be wearing these and enjoying the compliments? Pearls are so classy and not saved for special occasions only these days.

 

[AMc]

Those are all definitely cultured akoya pearls; the clasp doesn't appear to me to be vintage ... I found a very similar one from one of my clasp suppliers in 14KW.



It's hard to tell from the photos, but antique akoya pearls take on a very distinct deep cream color that I'm just not picking up. Additionally, antique strands are typically graduated - this was to use as many matching pearls as possible on a strand, as pearliculture was not as prolific or as regular in terms of harvest volume in the early 1910s and 1920s. These strands appear to me to be non-graduated (graduated within one-half to one millimeter), which is a fairly modern practice beginning in the 1970s I believe.

The term 'antique' specifically refers to items that are 100 years or older; I don't think these pearls could be officially called antique. I am not an antique jewelry specialist but I am pretty sure that is the standard definition.

 

[Ark]

Wow thanks so much I learn a lot from you experts. I will be listing them on the market and label them as Akoyas.