Please help identify a pretty pearl necklace

[pearlies29]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a very pretty pearl necklace. The seller didn’t know what kind of pearl it was and said that it belonged to her grandmother and has been in storage for decades.
These are very very shiny pearls, i thought it was fake when i first saw it. It passed the teeth test. The clasp is 14K. I have several fwp necklace and this is nothing like them at all. It so shiny it almost looks iridescent.
Please help me identify what kind of pearl it is. TIA

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They do look like they could be genuine pearls-- I see some variation in the overtones. With that luster they would be akoyas, since you said you tested and they passed the tooth test.

I count 85 pearls. Do they graduate in size?
How long is the necklace?

The way the clasp is attached is low-end, not what I'd be looking for in a good akoya strand. It is possible they were restrung at some point, but they look like they could use restringing again. If you are inclined to try doing it yourself, we have tutorials on the Lowly Beaders Forum. Many of us restring our own necklaces. It isn't hard and it does save money!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Could you take a close up photo of any blemishes you see? Just checking because we have occasionally had people think their pearls were gritty but they were imitation. Look in particular near the drill holes. Some blemishes are typical of imitation pearls.

 

[pearlies29]

They do look like genuine pearls-- I see some nice variation in the overtones. With that luster they would be akoyas, since you said you tested and they passed the tooth test.

I count 85 pearls. Do they graduate in size?
How long is the necklace?

The way the clasp is attached is low-end, not what I'd be looking for in a good akoya strand. It is possible they were restrung at some point, but they look like they could use restringing again. If you are inclined to try doing it yourself, we have tutorials on the Lowly Beaders Forum. Many of us restring our own necklaces. It isn't hard and it does save money!

Thank you for your reply. The pearls do not graduate in size, they’re about 7mm in diameter. The necklace itself is 28 1/4 inches long not including the clasp. The seller doesn’t know whether they’ve been restrung, they said it’s been in the storage for 50years. Attached are the closeup pictures of the clasp.

Thank you for the suggestion to restring, it sounds a little bit intimidating for me. I’ll go have a look at the forum hopefully i can learn a thing or two.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

So the size is uniform...hmmm. And the luster is very high and rather uniform. More typical of fakes than real.

See my post #3. I am rethinking whether they could be imitation. I see a blemish on the last photo of your first post that looks like the sort of flaking of coating typical of imitation pearls. See the pearl that is just below the center of the photo? Can you take a closer look and post a close up of that? If they are fake you won't want to bother to pay to restring.

 

[pearlies29]

There are some blemishes overall

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Those look like surface characteristics typical of real akoyas but that pearl that has lost its nacre...wow, that is some really thin nacre. So thin that if I'd only seen that one pearl I'd have thought it was fake.
But the luster-- killer!

So, the strand is long enough that you can easily eliminate that pearl when restringing. Don't be intimidated-- it's not that hard to make a knot, pull it tight, make another knot, etc. And it's so easy to make knots with synthetic threads Serafil and Beaders Secret -- they just slide into place.
Stringing Tutorial with photos: Stringing on Serafil, Beaders Secret & Power Pro

 

[pearlies29]

So I got an akoya necklace? Yay!! It’s beautiful too! Yes that one pearl looks like it scratched on something. You said something about paying to restring, how much would that be? is that expensive? Or else i’ll just have to learn how to restring! Thanks so much!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Yes, akoyas! Congratulations!

It's not unusual to pay $3/inch for restringing, but prices vary. You could always ask locally, but it's much cheaper to do it yourself, plus you'll gain a new skill! Pearls are addictive...this will probably not be the last strand you buy.

 

[pearlies29]

Hmm.. with that rate i would end up paying more than the necklace itself. I guess I will need to learn how to restring! And you’re right about this not being the last strand i buy, I decided to buy the matching bracelet from the same seller!

Thanks for the link to the tutorials!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you restring the bracelet and necklace with matching clasps you can even connect them end to end for a longer necklace.

Hmm, I'm having trouble editing this post. 3rd attempt:

You could also combine the pearls from both pieces to make one long rope, or a 2 strand necklace.

 

[pearlies29]

Those are good ideas! Assuming I can successfully understand how to do it properly. Is there a video tutorial that you recommend?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

LloydsJewelry (a Pearl-Guide member) posted this video, which may help:

 

[Pearl Dreams]

If you can visualize it, you can do it. You reverse directions twice.

Basically it's like this:
Preparation
This is where you clean the pearls, cut them off the old thread, and line them up in order for restringing.
You measure how much thread to use and thread the needle.

The start
You string on the end 4 pearls in reverse order without knotting in between them,
then you string on the little piece of gimp (which acts like armor, forming a little loop and protecting the thread where it meets the clasp),
then you string on one end of the clasp,
then you double back through the 1st 4 pearls, knotting between them.

The middle part
Then you string on all the rest of the pearls except the last 4, knotting between them as you go.

The end
Basically you repeat what you did at the start.
String on the last 4 pearls without knotting,
then the gimp,
then the other end of the clasp,
then double back through those last 4 pearls, knotting as you go.
and then you are done.

There is also some trimming of thread ends, but basically that's it.

Take your time and you'll be okay. The more you do it the better you'll get at it.

 

[pearlies29]

Thank u! That video is actually very helpful for me to visualize!

 

[Parrot Lady]

Restring the bracelet first. Likely you’ll make a mistake or two and have to start over, so better to learn on something short!

 

[SydK]

Wow, such luster!

 

[pearlies29]

good point! thanks!

 

[pearlies29]

Yes it’s beautiful. I always liked pearls but never knew they could be this pretty. This is a game changer for me.

 

[sobellejanet]

pearlies29, do study the pearl restringing forum entries and the videos. I found several online and kept practicing until my fingers learned what to do. Now I restring for all my friends and give all my friends handmade pearl necklaces. They love me and them! It's a wonderful skill to learn and well worth overcoming the initial frustration.