Hi all! I picked up this pearl necklace from an estate sale (I fell in love with the beautiful clasp) and I’m hoping to get some opinions on the pearl type and roughly how old it might be.
The necklace is 16.5 inches long (choker length) with pearls that are about 6-7mm, pretty uniform in size, and mostly round. The color is a cream/white with rosy pink overtones, and the luster is really high, almost mirror-like in good light. They’re individually hand-knotted, and there are a few small surface nicks here and there that you can see in the photos.
The clasp is sterling silver, a box style with a fishhook safety catch. It’s got this ornate hand-engraved look with a milgrain/beaded edge and a geometric shape, plus a single small pearl set into the center of the clasp face. It’s stamped “STERLING” along with a small maker’s mark that looks like a “K” inside an oyster shell outline.
A few things I’m hoping someone can help with: does this look like genuine cultured Akoya (saltwater) pearls to you, or could they be freshwater? Does anyone recognize that “K in oyster shell” clasp mark? And based on the clasp style, does it read as more Art Deco (1920s-40s) to you, or more mid-century (1950s-60s)?
Photos attached, thanks so much in advance for any thoughts!
The necklace is 16.5 inches long (choker length) with pearls that are about 6-7mm, pretty uniform in size, and mostly round. The color is a cream/white with rosy pink overtones, and the luster is really high, almost mirror-like in good light. They’re individually hand-knotted, and there are a few small surface nicks here and there that you can see in the photos.
The clasp is sterling silver, a box style with a fishhook safety catch. It’s got this ornate hand-engraved look with a milgrain/beaded edge and a geometric shape, plus a single small pearl set into the center of the clasp face. It’s stamped “STERLING” along with a small maker’s mark that looks like a “K” inside an oyster shell outline.
A few things I’m hoping someone can help with: does this look like genuine cultured Akoya (saltwater) pearls to you, or could they be freshwater? Does anyone recognize that “K in oyster shell” clasp mark? And based on the clasp style, does it read as more Art Deco (1920s-40s) to you, or more mid-century (1950s-60s)?
Photos attached, thanks so much in advance for any thoughts!
