Interested on value and history on my pearls
- Thread starter sgu3
- Start date
Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2007
- Messages
- 9,530
Hi sgu3,
I found this old discussion thread from 2006 about Heller cultured pearls; perhaps it will help you:
heller certified cultured pearls
They are clearly a graduated strand of akoya pearls.
Also clear is that they would benefit from restringing. Silk becomes weak and dirty due to absorbing skin oils and general pollution; if it breaks the necklace could be lost. Many of us restring our own pearls. It's not hard to do, and it saves money. If you would like to do this, see our tutorials and videos in the Lowly Beader's Club section: https://www.pearl-guide.com/forums/the-lowly-beaders-club.31/
You'd first want to give them a bath in warm water with a bit of mild soap (e.g. Bronner's) to remove skin oils and general grime, and I recommend using distilled water-- hard water will interact with soap to leave a hard-to-remove scum. Use a soft cloth or swabs to get into tight spaces. Rinse in distilled water and lay on a soft towel to dry completely. The thread inside the drill hole takes longer to dry, so give it a day or two.
As to value, there are different kinds of value.
First is family or sentimental value, if these belonged to a loved one. You can't put a price to that.
Then there is replacement value, for insurance purposes. I don't think you need to insure these.
Finally there is resale value. The fact is, older/pre-owned pearls do not tend to sell for a lot of money unless they are a prestigious brand like Mikimoto, or are important / historic pearls. But you can get an idea of what buyers are currently willing to pay for such an item by searching on eBay for SOLD listings of pearls similar to yours (not necessarily same brand.) i.e. "vintage graduated akoya necklace" or similar wording.
I found this old discussion thread from 2006 about Heller cultured pearls; perhaps it will help you:
heller certified cultured pearls
They are clearly a graduated strand of akoya pearls.
Also clear is that they would benefit from restringing. Silk becomes weak and dirty due to absorbing skin oils and general pollution; if it breaks the necklace could be lost. Many of us restring our own pearls. It's not hard to do, and it saves money. If you would like to do this, see our tutorials and videos in the Lowly Beader's Club section: https://www.pearl-guide.com/forums/the-lowly-beaders-club.31/
You'd first want to give them a bath in warm water with a bit of mild soap (e.g. Bronner's) to remove skin oils and general grime, and I recommend using distilled water-- hard water will interact with soap to leave a hard-to-remove scum. Use a soft cloth or swabs to get into tight spaces. Rinse in distilled water and lay on a soft towel to dry completely. The thread inside the drill hole takes longer to dry, so give it a day or two.
As to value, there are different kinds of value.
First is family or sentimental value, if these belonged to a loved one. You can't put a price to that.
Then there is replacement value, for insurance purposes. I don't think you need to insure these.
Finally there is resale value. The fact is, older/pre-owned pearls do not tend to sell for a lot of money unless they are a prestigious brand like Mikimoto, or are important / historic pearls. But you can get an idea of what buyers are currently willing to pay for such an item by searching on eBay for SOLD listings of pearls similar to yours (not necessarily same brand.) i.e. "vintage graduated akoya necklace" or similar wording.
Diamondsareforever
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2023
- Messages
- 78
The hello kitty thing appears to be 100% costume jewelry, as the pearl is not cultured. It is fake. The necklace looks like it could be good quality pearls but it’s hard to tell for sure… the stringing job is not good, they need to be restrung. In the condition it’s in the necklace is worth maybe 50 bucks.
CortezPearls
PG Forum Admin
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2005
- Messages
- 3,644
They sure look like Vintage Akoya pearls to me.
