My "Pearling" Story...

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

So this South Sea Golden pendant was for sale on EBay at a price I couldn't pass up. It is a genuine 13mm South Sea Golden and has a 14K white gold finding with 2 small diamonds. I wear it with my 2mm (yep...only 2mm) strand of Akoya pearls that I strung to use as a "chain" for certain pendants. I always get so many nice comments on this simple necklace.

 

[Happy Huku]

Love your thread, MotherOfPearlTrumpet, your stories make great reading and of course it is a pleasure to look at all your beautiful pearls.
I look regularly at the new posts but only log in to comment every now and again.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Love your thread, MotherOfPearlTrumpet, your stories make great reading and of course it is a pleasure to look at all your beautiful pearls.
I look regularly at the new posts but only log in to comment every now and again.

Wow, you are all the way in Austraila! So cool! Thank you for your affirmation and for saying Hello!Love to get to know you better. I follow several of your posts as well.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

The winds are blowing hard today! Lots of yellow pollen all over what was, my freshly washed white car.
Here is an 11.6 South Sea Golden Pearl that I purchased loose. I decided to use it with an enhancer finding. I love wearing this one on my gold omega necklace, but it also looks great with my black pearls.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I ran across this lovely pair of South Sea Golden earrings on EBay and was able to negotiate a wonderful price. They are a slightly drop shape and have 18K White Gold settings with tiny diamonds (F VS1) and a truly outstanding luster. The only problem with purchasing them was I was soon on a quest to find a matching necklace in the same lighter/champagne tone. That strand will be posted soon, but for now, enjoy the earrings, I sure do!
Pollen continues to cover everything, including your shoes if you walk across the grass. I feel so sorry for the people around me who are very allergic to this oak pollen. Sneezing everywhere! Thanks to the pollen, my white car is almost the color of these pearls too.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

OK, one more post tonight. So here is a funny story. I was looking for a larger South Sea Golden pearl to put in my new "net pendant" that "jeg" had featured in the thread, "Show us Your Pearls in Action!!!". I fell in love with this unusual pendant and messaged her about where she obtained it. I had seen a similar one on Paspaley that was over $10,000 (with diamonds) so I was pleased when "jeg" told me hers had been custom made by a seller on Instagram for a more reasonable price. She gave me the link to inquire about purchasing one.
In the meantime, I was looking for an assortment of colors to place inside this new pendant. I realized that I most likely couldn't afford a 13-15mm pearls for this pendant so I started looking for settings of pearls on EBay where I could remove the pearl and plug the drill hole with a pretty plug.
I found this vintage ring. It is 18K gold OVER sterling silver with white sapphires (instead of diamonds) and featured a Golden SS pearl that is 13mm. The price was in my range so it was worth the risk of purchasing it with the intention of removing the pearl to use in the pendant. When the ring arrived, it appeared the pearl was indeed real. So, I removed the pearl (which did come off safely), but to my dismay the pearl had been basically "shaved off flat" (which didn't need to be done, as he setting was already curved to accommodate a full round pearl). Oh well, I was able to re-glue it back onto the ring. And, because the ring is my size, I wear it with my south sea pearls. It is a very lovely ring and it is a genuine South Sea Pearl! So...my quest for another South Sea Golden for my net pendant continued.
I also took pictures of the pearl when it was removed. Look at the cut and nacre line...South Sea pearls truly do have a thick nacre!

 

[jshepherd]

When pearls are shaved like that, they're referred to as 3/4 pearls. It's something that was pretty common with akoya pearls back in the 1990s and earlier. I haven't seen them around for some time.

3/4s are pearls that had a heavy blemish or pointed tip. They are cut so they can be set into jewelry and give the appearance of being round.

 

[eolian pearls]

Beautiful goldens @MotherOfPearlTrumpet!

Funny about the “shaved“pearl, it happened to me just last week as well!!! I bought a pearl ring from a lovely vendor Tehotumana at Etsy, it was a new piece and as I like to play with my pearls and mix them up I was thinking about making this pearl a pendant for a while but as I took off the pearl I was surprised to see it was “shaved” as yours. So I just reglued i again I am happy with the ring and the pearl, it was just a new experience for me and I can really say I know exactly what you mean ;-)

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

When pearls are shaved like that, they're referred to as 3/4 pearls. It's something that was pretty common with akoya pearls back in the 1990s and earlier. I haven't seen them around for some time.

3/4s are pearls that had a heavy blemish or pointed tip. They are cut so they can be set into jewelry and give the appearance of being round.

Well then, that makes sense. This ring actually came with a history. It was purchased in the 1960's in San Francisco. So the fact that it was an "older" practice makes perfect sense. I was pretty excited to be able to remove the pearl and then get it re-mounted accurately. I do really like the ring and the pearl. For it's age, it is wonderful condition.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Beautiful goldens @MotherOfPearlTrumpet!

Funny about the “shaved“pearl, it happened to me just last week as well!!! I bought a pearl ring from a lovely vendor Tehotumana at Etsy, it was a new piece and as I like to play with my pearls and mix them up I was thinking about making this pearl a pendant for a while but as I took off the pearl I was surprised to see it was “shaved” as yours. So I just reglued i again I am happy with the ring and the pearl, it was just a new experience for me and I can really say I know exactly what you mean ;-)View attachment 463344

So good to hear that I'm not the only one who takes apart jewelry to re-work it on other pieces! And that is a beautiful Tahitian pearl!!! Great luster.

 

[CortezPearls]

So good to hear that I'm not the only one who takes apart jewelry to re-work it on other pieces! And that is a beautiful Tahitian pearl!!! Great luster.

You will find that many of our members are FANTASTIC at it, and there are many threads you can join to see what they are working on and even ask for advice/help!
Have fun with the forum! It's all about sharing

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the pollen is now in absolute full force. Yikes. So many people sneezing and rubbing red itchy eyes. Too bad it's the MOST BEAUTIFUL time of year (temperature wise) in South Texas. The rodeo is going on right now and even though the State Flower is the Bluebonnet, there is a favorite song called "The Yellow Rose of Texas." So here is one of my most treasured strands that I call my "Yellow Rose" Strand. I found it to match those previously listed South Sea Champagne Golden Pearl Earrings. I was so thrilled when the pearl strand arrived and they were an absolute perfect match for the earrings. The clasp was from another strand I found in Germany. You'll notice the diamond "B" that I wear on the back of this strand. I created this from a diamond charm that I was able to attached to an enhancer so I can wear it on any strand. It's my own version of Mikimoto's "M" charm! I do sometimes put plain gold "B" charms on a strands as well, just for fun.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Like so many of you, I am saddened each time we hear more about the war in Ukraine, especially on the recent 1 year anniversary in late February. As I hear the ongoing news stories my heart is heavy with sadness for all the many destroyed lives, families, towns, businesses and homes. Early in the conflict, I learned that Jill Biden wore a "Sunflower" in solidarity for Ukraine, as the sunflower is associated with that country. I decided to restring a simple "Baby" South Sea strand with a pretty little gold Sunflower Clasp. I created this at the beginning of the War and it is a reminder to me of the fragile nature of peace, as well as a reminder to pray for peace in our world.

 

[CortezPearls]

Those baby SSPs are very pretty!
Oh Lord...the Springtime Allergies times are here to stay! I have a filter in my office running almost all day long just to protect me from developing more intense reactions. I hear you!

 

[treasurefixation]

I love all your pieces! thank you so much for sharing. I was especially swooning over that deco platinum diamond and emerald clasp and your "yellow rose" necklace. I am a collector of vintage and antique jewelry too and I am such a sucker for pearls! I would love to find some nice South Sea necklaces to add to my collection. The search continues! One day soon I should take the time to share my collection with the lovely people on this website...

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I love all your pieces! thank you so much for sharing. I was especially swooning over that deco platinum diamond and emerald clasp and your "yellow rose" necklace. I am a collector of vintage and antique jewelry too and I am such a sucker for pearls! I would love to find some nice South Sea necklaces to add to my collection. The search continues! One day soon I should take the time to share my collection with the lovely people on this website...

Oh, please do share. I'd love to see your collection!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Spring Break! I guess I'll post my final South Sea Golden today...the pollen is still falling and cars are still a golden yellow but soon it will be over and the trees will be fully decked out with their new leaves and everything will be a very rich green.
The inspiration for this pendant was from @jeg. She has the MOST BEAUTIFUL and diverse pearl collection I could ever imagine. I just love all her photos both against her outfits and beautifully photographed laid out as well. She has a lovely pearl net pendant she had made and I reached out for information about how to purchase one. I made a couple of small design changes that Takahashi Pearl was able to accommodate. It was my first "Instagram" purchase. This pendant best displays pearls from 13mm to 15mm. The little gold bead on the top slides up to allow the gold chain netting to open so you can slide pearls in and out. I have collected a few larger pearls for this pendant but will display those later. Here is my net pendant with my 15mm South Sea Golden (undrilled) pearl. It looks so nice by itself or layered with other pearls. Thanks jeg for sharing how to get one! I have a 24" lovely rope chain but it was a little too long for most of my outfits. So, I had my jeweler cut off 2" and add an additional lobster clasp and ending to the 2" piece so I can use it to lengthen back to 24" when needed. 22" is the perfect length for this pendant when layering with other necklaces.

 

[CortezPearls]

@jeg has AMAZING pearls and we LOVE seeing her wear them. For sure!
Your pendant looks LOVELY! This style of "Net Jewelry" is something I never tried when I was in charge of the Cortez Pearl store. Wish I had tried. They look lovely and you can gaze on the pearl's perfection.

 

[jeg]

Wow, thank you so much, MOPTrumpet and Douglas for the very very nice compliments! Such a wonderful way to start my morning! MOPTrumpet, your net pendant looks great! I cannot take credit for that one, however. Eolian is the one who let me know Takahashi was making them to order. I love mine, and looks like you will wear yours a lot, too. Enjoy!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

From my earliest memories I've always loved jewelry. I think that appreciation must have come in part from my father. He was a chemist by training but he loved metals, minerals, and, of course, chemicals, especially the basic properties of all of the earth's substances. His fascination extended beyond the oil and gas sector where he worked his entire career into things like precious metals and stones. Once all 4 of us kids were grown and through college he delighted in purchasing some of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry for my mother. These were not hugely extravagant pieces, but rather lovely pieces that always included a new gemstone or unique setting that she could wear to church or out to dinner. I've already posted two of the lovely pearl strands he purchased for her. I just loved how he would learn about the pearls/stones first, their properties, how they were formed and where they were harvested/mined. He was interested in both their beauty as well as all the basic properties of what made them so unique and beautiful, including how they were cut and polished. He especially loved diamonds. I guess I get that from him!
So until recently I didn't even know what an "earring jacket" was, but oh WOW, once I realized how these little accessories would draw attention to an already stunning pearl, I was hooked.
Below is a double row earring jacket that will accommodate a 6mm-10mm pearl.