Guy finds south sea pearl necklace at thrift store!!!

[Thrifted Pearls]

Hi everyone so I recently sold a strand of South Sea pearls online, I unknowingly didn’t realize the value of them so I believe I sold them for way too cheap giving someone an incredible deal, after realizing my mistake I educated myself on identifying pears as too not make the same mistake again. After learning a ton and becoming an “expert” I just so happened to find another larger strand of pearls at Savers thrift store for $7!!! Too good to be true right? Well after carefully examining and testing each and every pearl I along with a few other “experts” have came to the conclusion that these are genuine South Sea pearls!!! Living in a small town it has been near impossible for me to find a buyer for them which is why I’m posting here hoping someone with the right connections can help me sell these or point me in the right direction to a potential buyer, thanks!

 

[SteveM]

The proliferation of shell pearls here in recent weeks illuminates a market trend. This enlightened group has volunteered the candled corroboration.

 

[Thrifted Pearls]

The proliferation of shell pearls here in recent weeks illuminates a market trend. This enlightened group has volunteered the candled corroboration.

These have been confirmed to be authentic South Sea pearls and not in fact shell pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

These appear to be shell beads with an imitation pearl coating. See the striations in the bead? -- that is characteristic of shell.
Just because the bead is shell does not mean the coating must be real nacre.

These kinds of "shell [imitation] pearls" have been around for a while. Mark Brown was marketing them on QVC at one point, years ago.

Edited to add:
• the coating is thin (real SSP have thick nacre)
• they are finished in a very cheap way (SSP would not be finished that way)
• the marks on the surface look like the marks we see in imitation coatings.

Maybe the pearls you think you undersold were also not valuable-- take heart!

 

[SteveM]

GIA fleshed out the characteristics of shell pearls in this 2014 article.

There is seemingly nothing the trade can effectively do to enforce use of the terms imitation, simulation or (for that matter) shell in their commercialization. Perhaps the difference between shell pearls and thin-nacred cultured pearls is too narrow for comfort.

 

[A Breaker]

Hi everyone so I recently sold a strand of South Sea pearls online, I unknowingly didn’t realize the value of them so I believe I sold them for way too cheap giving someone an incredible deal, after realizing my mistake I educated myself on identifying pears as too not make the same mistake again. After learning a ton and becoming an “expert” I just so happened to find another larger strand of pearls at Savers thrift store for $7!!! Too good to be true right? Well after carefully examining and testing each and every pearl I along with a few other “experts” have came to the conclusion that these are genuine South Sea pearls!!! Living in a small town it has been near impossible for me to find a buyer for them which is why I’m posting here hoping someone with the right connections can help me sell these or point me in the right direction to a potential buyer, thanks!

I have "bought" 4 strands that were ID by jewelers & auction houses that were faux with NO grittiness in the "nacre" at all... the drill holes show coating build up or missing. (I was able to return all of them) Real pearls have at least slight grit, even 1 way grit because of actual mollusk shell structure. So a jeweler or "expert" IDing pearls may still be wrong. It really helps to take the Pearls as One class... I always check for grit first...then look at holes...if they pass all those tests & are too perfect...I keep checking & post here! Faux Shell pearls are often sold as Real on Etsy & eBay as New. Once the owner gets tired of them or figures out they are faux...they go to a thrift store.