Pearls! Pearls? Please help!

[BaffledClam]

I would be much obliged if anyone could please help me, a complete neophyte, figure out what I'm looking at!

1. Except for the uniform, comparatively large strand that I assume are faux, each of the others felt slightly gritty when rubbed together (though I'm too ignorant to rule out the possibility of irregular beads/stones).
2. Photos attached. Only the apparently faux strand has a clasp. No tags or boxes.
3. I'm afraid all I know is that my mom acquired them over the course of several decades. I suspect the most recent is at least a decade old.
4. The mark on the one clasp appears to just say "PAT".
5. Measurements (ranges to reflect irregular shapes): faux, 8mm | small white (crinkled), 3-4mm (narrow diameters) | silver-gray, 4-5mm | dark bronze, 5-6mm | light blue, 5-9mm | off-white, 6-7mm | dark silver-blue and tan, 7-8mm

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The 1st and 2nd photos-- yes, fake pearls.
3rd and 4th -- "rice krispie" pearls-- cultured freshwater pearls from China, created by the mussel Cristaria plicata (Cockscomb mussel). These were common in the 1970s and 1980s.
All the rest: dyed cultured freshwater pearls from China cultured in Hyriopsis cumingii, (Trianglesail mussel). The off-white ones appear to be dyed in the photos, unless the photos are just making them look that color and they are less yellowish than they appear,
All the freshwaters here are solid nacre.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Oh, and "PAT" refers to patent.