Different types of pearls. Wondering age and value.

spoonpearl

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Jun 21, 2026
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Hello, just found this community and I love the passion people have for pearls. I came across a few sets in a estate sale. Just wondering if anyone has an idea on age and value. The claps do have a marking for gold. One has a marking for gold and silver on different clasps. I can take more pictures when home. also have a jade set. Thanks, they also need a cleaning which I would leave to a professional. Any info helps.
 

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Welcome to Pearl Guide!

Photos 1 and 2, look like imitation pearls.
Photo 3, earrings, Chinese freshwater pearls; the color is natural.
Photos 4, 7 and 8 (same piece?) Chinese freshwater pearls. No bead inside to make them round.
Photos 5 and 6-- marked Coldwater Creek-- likely Chinese FWP, but I see online that Coldwater Creek also sells/sold imitation pearls. Try rubbing 2 pearls together gently. If they feel gritty, real; if they glide smoothly, fake. Or try the Temperature Test described below.
Photos 9 and 10 look like shell beads.

If in doubt about real vs. fake, one simple test is the Temperature Test. Real pearls feel cooler than fake pearls that are made of glass or plastic. You have some real pearls there, that you can use for comparison.
Lips are very sensitive to temperature. Touch the pearls in question to your lips briefly, and compare their temperature with pearls that you know are real (or that you know are fake.)

I don't think any of these have much value for resale purposes, to be honest. Of course, the gold has some resale value.

As for cleaning-- why pay a professional? It's so easy to clean them yourself. Put a little mild soap in some distilled water (to avoid both chlorine and hard water minerals that can interact with soaps to form a scum that is hard to remove). Soak the pearls for 15 minutes or so, then wipe clean with a soft cloth. I like to use microfiber. Rinse with more distilled water, then lay them out to dry on a soft clean towel for 24 hours. (You want to be sure the thread has dried; if it's silk, it can stretch when wet.)

You can also restring them yourself -- I recommend doing that, if you want to wear them. Old thread can break. See my tutorial that is a sticky on the Lowly Beaders' Club forum.
 
If you have a loupe (10x magnifier) you can also look at the surface of the pearls. Real pearl nacre looks very smooth at 10x magnification, while imitation pearl coating looks more textured; coarser.

This is a photo of Renee Newman's that shows the difference (top pearl is the fake one):

Renee Newman's photo of imitation (top) and cultured (bottom) pearls at 10x magnification.jpg
 
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