Pearl pricing info

[Abdeen]

Hi Everybody,

need a little help here. I fell upon a few hundred japanese cultured pearls
(seaWater) they vary in diameter from 7mm to 9mm most are round completely with no holes in them (unstranded) the surface in the fully round
ones is clean but the others have a slight bulg on the side i don't know why?

the colour is pinkish white, a few small papers with the pearls were in japanese so i couldn't understand it but some papers mensioned the numbers
84P, 1.554, 508 does this mean anything?

also another sticker has a stamp that says KOBE 1987 Grade H? signed by
the Japanese Government pearl inspection office?

By the way I am not interested in selling them for those wondering I just want to know there true value today!

thanks to those honest guys around!

 

[jshepherd]

Pearl Pricing

Pearl Pricing

This is a bit difficult to answer without actually seeing the pearls. But from your description I can give you some information.

The pearls with the most value would of course be the perfectly round pearls. It appears as though it is a mixed lot, because round pearls would not mix with the pearls with the 'bulge' in the side. Pearls are typically stamped by the Japanese agency before export after they have been examined for quality and other varying factors. A grade of 'H' would not be referring to the lot as a whole, as these grades are typically reserved for loose hanks (drilled, sorted, temporarily strung pearls), and matched lots.

The pearls with the slight 'bulge' are probably Akoya baroques. Do the pearls have a slight 'tail' of sorts as well? This is simply because of the nucleus. Each of the pearls has a perfect round nucleus in its center, and if the nacre did not deposit spherically around the nucleus the pearls tend to have a bit of a bulge and tail.

Kobe is a large trade center of Japan in the pearling industry. Presumably the pearls came from this area. The farms are not actually in Kobe, but many factories and wholesalers are located here. This may be explained in more detail in the Japanese writing that is included with the pearls. If you would like to fax this paper to me I will read it for you to possibly give you additional information (310-393-3106).

The value of the round pearls will depend very heavily on the quality. Have the pearls been well-preserved? If they have been in an extremely dry environment (safe, water-proof box) the nacre may be very brittle and the pearls may not withstand a drill. If the pearls are in good condition the next factors to consider are the luster, the depth of the nacre, and the surface cleanliness of the pearls. If the pearls are from 1987 the nacre should be very good. The Japanese were utilizing a longer culturing period at this time, and this was before the major devastation of the pearling industry late in the last century.

This is only an estimate, but at a wholesale level (as the lot is a wholesale lot) the value would probably range from $35-$100 per pearl depending on size. This is assuming the pearls are clean, with high luster and shine. If the pearls have dulled a better estimate would be approximately half. These estimates are in 'today's' prices, which vary a great deal from that of nearly 20 years ago. But as the pearls are unworked it would be difficult to obtain more than a market price for the lot.

As for the numbers associated with the lot I am not sure. Typically sorted lots have a number such as the 84p to describe the number of pearls. Other numbers typically signify weight which would be in momme. But 84 pearls in this size range would be closer to 25 momme, so the numbers must describe another factor - maybe a lot number?

I hope this helps you out. Let me know if you have any additional information and I will try to give you a better valuation.