My new best friend

[barbaradilek]

Here are my new( to me!) pearls.The strand is 55cm long,they were a wedding gift to a bride in the Lebanon in the 90s.The clasp is 18 ct gold set with diamonds( one is missing) I was surprised at how the small pearls have a high mirror reflection.I tried to photograph it but wasn’t successful.They apparently were never worn,not the brides taste,and the strands have been tightly strung.so much so that one strand doesn’t lay flat.I wonder of it would be worth getting them resting,or whether they will relax over time and wear.

 

[barbaradilek]

Blooming spellchecker thinks it can second best me huh.I meant restrung,not rest.Spellchecker now on naughty seat

 

[barbaradilek]

Blooming spellchecker thinks it can second best me huh.I meant restrung,not rest.Spellchecker now on naughty seat

 

[ennui]

Very pretty! I think the strands should relax with wear. Try hanging them from a doorknob when you're not wearing them, and maybe the weight of the pearls will help.

 

[BWeaves]

They should relax with wear, but they may be naturals. They are baroque in shape and the drill holes are often at a bit of an angle to whatever axis of symmetry they may have. So they'll never hang smoothly like a strand of round pearls. But they should relax enough to not look kinky.

The diamond should be easy to replace, even with a lab grown one. I just had a small labgrown sapphire replaced in a pearl clasp while it was still strung.

 

[barbaradilek]

Thank you both for your comments,I think they are probably naturals,I posted a few years ago about some puzzling pearls of unusual length(10 inches) that had been a wedding gift to an Indian bride.Douglas replied that he had once had a client who came each year to buy any little naturals to add to a necklace,probably for her daughter.Both she and the lady that sold me the short length wrote that in their culture “real” pearls ware given as wedding gifts,a sign of purity!.The pearls in this necklace look identical to the ones in the short length,though I know that isn’t real proof,but they also candle as individually different.Anyways,I will enjoy wearing them,with or without the diamonds…..

 

[A Breaker]

Restringing it actually pretty easy..if you ever decide to restring. You can also add knots in between to make it all hang straighter. But unique is also fun!

 

[barbaradilek]

Thankyou for your comment,I think they would present better if they were knotted.I gave them a gentle bath,which they greatly enjoyed,splashing about like seasoned swimmers,but considering they possibly came from the warm waters of the Arabian peninsula they probably thought they had come back home.Another bonus is the small rather dismal oldcut diamonds are sparkling away in this afternoons Scottish sunshine,trying to outdo the lustre of the little pearls.Some chance! I know I’m sounding over imaginative,but a large glass of white wine and a hunk of French cheese and oatcakes for lunch and I’m watching Nextdoors garden gnomes congering round the fish pond.Bon appetite!

 

[pattye]

What a find, Barbara! Yes, they look like naturals to me also. My concern is that the thread is probably silk and deteriorating from age, even though unworn. The pearls are very small and unlikely to have enough weight to improve the drape of the necklace over time, imo. also it looks to me like the pearls are pulled tight on their thread so restringing and adding knots, perhaps every 10 pearls or so would release the tension. Appreciate your humor!