Grandma's pearls

SheilaN

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2013
Messages
6
Hi all,
I've been lurking around this forum for a few days, but have decided to jump on in (-: The reason being that I inherited a string of Pearls from my Grandmother 30+ yrs ago and am interested in getting them appraised/certified and possibly selling them ( the house needs new roof, and as I am a farmer by trade, I rarely wear them...just often enough to keep the luster nice) They were valued by a jeweler in '99 for $2800.00, but I understand that now natural Pearls have gone up in value, and am looking for a more accurate evaluation...I figure that someone here could point me in the right direction (-:
What I have are a set of "42 9/9.5 Pearls, with a 14K clasp w/ 7mm pearl on it". Jeweler says they are " out of round, well matched, even color, high luster, lightly blemished, white w/rose" These were the pearls my Grandmother frequently wore herself, and she was a very keen collector of all things jewelry and a very good eye for quality. She took several trips to the Orient ( between the late 40's and the early 70's) and bought quite a bit of fine gold jewelry and also pearls in Hong Kong. I was told by mom ( also a jewelry maven...somehow I missed out on that gene!) that these pearls are natural, not cultured, but as I understand it, they would need to be x-rayed to verify that. Anyway, I'm interested in finding a value on them; even if I don't decide to sell them, I still should update the insurance on them. I can try to get pics if I can figure out how to load them ( I'm a bit techno-tarded!) I looked up the GAI labs in the US and of course, none are very close, and both are VERY expensive...cost would be over $500.00, so it would be good to get an idea from the experts here if they are Naturals, and if it's worth paying that sort of money to have them certified. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
 
SheilaN,

Your pearls are clearly very special! We'd love to see photos of them, on white paper towel or something similar, without flash. Photos of full strand, close up of any blemishes, clasp, etc. Without the photos, it's almost impossible to help you.

The appraisal value given is most likely the retail replacement cost for insurance purposes, generally what the item would actually sell for is no more than 25%-30% of that value.
 
What I have are a set of "42 9/9.5 Pearls, with a 14K clasp w/ 7mm pearl on it". Jeweler says they are " out of round, well matched, even color, high luster, lightly blemished, white w/rose"

To me, you are describing cultured pearls. 42 9-9.5mm is virtually unheard of in a strand of naturals. Most certified natural strands are graduated from 7mm to 2mm and can fetch 6 figures.

Likely a strand of vintage akoyas, but I'll wait on additional information and photos.
 
I had to wait until daytime to get some pics in natural light...thanks to anyone that can give me their thoughts about them. If they are only worth 30% of the estimated value, I guess they'll just stay in my jewelry box for those rare occasions that I need to dress up:rolleyes:
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Hmmm...Posted pics about 2 hours ago, and they seem to have vanished waiting for the post to be approved. Are they gone forever? Did I do something wrong in psoting them?
 
Hi Caitlin,
Glad to see I didn't do it wrong (-:
Thanks for alerting me that they're up
 
Sheila, your pearls are beautiful. I hope you will keep them and wear them, love the clasp. I am not one of the experts as to whether these are natural or not, the time frame when these were acquired and their being so well matched would make me guess they are cultured , and very good ones at that. Even back in the 40's-70's a strand of natural pearls so well matched would have been unbelievably rare with an astronomical price tag. I do see one or two of the pearls in the photos that do have that "natural" shape just from what I have been viewing on Antiques Roadshow and some of the major auction houses, but cultured pearls also have that shape. Looking forward to hearing from the forum pearl experts on this one. Thanks for sharing such a variety of photos for us!
 
SheilaN,

Very good photos and a beautiful strand of vintage Akoya pearls, just as Dave predicted! They appear to have exceptionally thick nacre, which accounts for the pearls being both "out of round," and having high luster.

Hopefully you are not too disappointed, they are truly a treasure.
 
Hi Pattye and DLP,
Thanks so much for the input! No I'm not disappointed at all...actually I'm kind of relieved, since now I don't feel pressured to sell them to help pay for the roof. I'm glad that the mystery of what they are is solved and that I don't need to have them x-rayed. My grandma, who was a very practical and pragmatic woman, would have told me to sell them if I needed the money for something important, but I'm just as glad not to have to. ( anyway, I kind of like it when I wear them around the house to keep the luster nice...I feel a bit like June Cleaver!)
 
You lucky dogs! I'm June Cleaver in snow boots and a parka, who just got done shoveling out from under a 11 inch snowfall:eek: Flip-flops sound good right now.
Trade you locations!
 
Them thar pearls will grow on you

Them thar pearls will grow on you

Hi Pattye and DLP,
Thanks so much for the input! No I'm not disappointed at all...actually I'm kind of relieved, since now I don't feel pressured to sell them to help pay for the roof. I'm glad that the mystery of what they are is solved and that I don't need to have them x-rayed. My grandma, who was a very practical and pragmatic woman, would have told me to sell them if I needed the money for something important, but I'm just as glad not to have to. ( anyway, I kind of like it when I wear them around the house to keep the luster nice...I feel a bit like June Cleaver!)

That is the magic of pearls! Unlike diamonds, gold and other precious metal pearls have a "life" story and as such I think they become harder to part with! I find I have grown emotionally attached to my pearls and look forward to the day I can pass them on to my daughter.
 
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