heller certified cultured pearls

[MN PEARL]

Hello all. I am new to this forum and are need of your opinions/assistance.
My Grandmother left me a multistrand of cultured pearls, in a blue original box, with a certification that says Heller certified cultured pearls H350". She also left me a note to sell them? interesting...

Anyway, I have looked this company up on the internet and have found that they were bought and sold severals times and it appears the company is now called Imperial.

I know this is limited info, but can anyone help me figure out a ballpark worth, where I can look for more information about the pearls, and what exactly the H350 certification is used for?
Thanks

 

[jshepherd]

Have you tried contacting Imperial? They would probably be best suited to answer your question.

Contact Us

Visit the post for more.

imperialpearl.com

 

[MN PEARL]

not yet. I know nothing about these pearls and thought I would do a little research... here, first.
What is the significance of pearls being certified or not?

 

[pattye]

Hello MN Pearl

"Certifiied" isn't a standard term used in the industry to my knowledge. So it meant whatever that Heller co defined it to mean. I think that's why Jeremy suggested you contact the co that would possibly have access to the specifics.

Pattye Saab

 

[jshepherd]

Unless the piece is certified by a lab (determining cultured or natural) it really does not mean anything unless you understand what the cert standards for the cert producing company are.

 

[purepearls]

Hi,
The best way to find their worth is to find an expert pearl appraiser. If you just want a ballpark figure, you may want to take them to a jeweler you trust and they may be able to give you a rough estimate of their worth. They should take into consideration the size, quality, type of pearl, quality of matching, and their overall length.

 

[MN PEARL]

Has anyone heard of this company Heller Pearls? What can you tell me about the history, besides the fact that they were ultimately sold several times and finally to Imperial? Thanks!

 

[Caitlin]

Hi MN
Your research seems to be the best available so far. I googled Imperial Pearl. Fieldandrose.com (http://www.fieldandrose.com/shop/brand.html?b=Imperial+Pearl) has a page of pearls they use that name for. I have no idea if it is the same folks, but you could check. The company itself should know best.

Name: Imperial Pearl Company
Address: 24 Hatton Garden
Phone: 020 7242 0575

It is in London, but I did not get the rest of the address.
I got nothing when I googled Heller pearls.

 

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

This could be a set of pearls from L. Heller & Son, Inc. out of New York. They were a company that sold pearls from the mid 30's (I think). They sold cultured pearls as well as imitaiton pearls.

In 1961, the Seventh Circuit Court in Chicago affirmed injunctions against them for "Deceptive failure to reveal the foreign origin of imitation pearls."

The "certification" that you have may only have been to distinguish the cultured pearls from the imitation pearls.

I agree that in order to get a good idea of the product and the value is to have them appraised.

 

[Bugsy]

This could be a set of pearls from L. Heller & Son, Inc. out of New York. They were a company that sold pearls from the mid 30's (I think). They sold cultured pearls as well as imitaiton pearls.

In 1961, the Seventh Circuit Court in Chicago affirmed injunctions against them for "Deceptive failure to reveal the foreign origin of imitation pearls."

The "certification" that you have may only have been to distinguish the cultured pearls from the imitation pearls.

I agree that in order to get a good idea of the product and the value is to have them appraised.

I have L Heller and sons cultured pearls from 1923,,,they were operating b4 this,,, afterward joining with 'Imperial',,,, I think Heller started producing some imitation shortly b4 joining with imperial after which, jointly, producing imitation pearls became more prevelent...

 

[Bugsy]

I have L Heller and sons cultured pearls from 1923,,,they were operating b4 this,,, afterward joining with 'Imperial',,,, I think Heller started producing some imitation shortly b4 joining with imperial after which, jointly, producing imitation pearls became more prevelent...,,, I don't know that producing in lab or nature distinguish cultivated or imitation. I believe they may initially have grown from river plots. Additionally, Heller and sons operating approx 30yrs prior to this.

 

[Angelfishies]

Hello all. I am new to this forum and are need of your opinions/assistance.
My Grandmother left me a multistrand of cultured pearls, in a blue original box, with a certification that says Heller certified cultured pearls H350". She also left me a note to sell them? interesting...

Anyway, I have looked this company up on the internet and have found that they were bought and sold severals times and it appears the company is now called Imperial.

I know this is limited info, but can anyone help me figure out a ballpark worth, where I can look for more information about the pearls, and what exactly the H350 certification is used for?
Thanks

Did you ever get an appraisal? I'm very curious since I have two similar sets still in the boxes. They have cards that state: gaurenteed "Grown in the Living Oyster"... although it is really suspect that they had to put that in quotes lol.