Please tell me these are Akoya 🫣

[Izzie]

I bought this 2 years ago as just a pearl necklace and I put them away. But since joining this amazing forum I’ve been digging out all the pearls I’ve collected and trying to figure out if they are just Chinese fresh water pearls or something more special.
This one looks to me like Vintage Akoya because the mark on the clasps says silver which is the Japanese way of marking sterling silver and the baby pearl on the clasp kind of indicates to me that it might just be Akoya. Is it?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think they look like freshwaters.

 

[Perle magnifique]

Я думаю, они похожи на пресноводных.

Я согласен с вами

 

[Izzie]

Just out of curiousity and to also gain more knowledge on identifying these pearls, why do you think it’s freshwater and not Akoya?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Я согласен с вами

Using Google to translate from Russian, this reads:

"I agree with you".

Just out of curiousity and to also gain more knowledge on identifying these pearls, why do you think it’s freshwater and not Akoya?

The surface characteristics, the shape, the color, even the way it's connected to the clasp.
Basically it's experience, from seeing a lot of pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Since you are interested in learning more about pearls, you may enjoy taking the CPAA's excellent "Pearls As One" course.
This is the website and I will message you a code to take it for free.
Home (https://www.pearlsasone.org)

 

[A Breaker]

I bought this 2 years ago as just a pearl necklace and I put them away. But since joining this amazing forum I’ve been digging out all the pearls I’ve collected and trying to figure out if they are just Chinese fresh water pearls or something more special.
This one looks to me like Vintage Akoya because the mark on the clasps says silver which is the Japanese way of marking sterling silver and the baby pearl on the clasp kind of indicates to me that it might just be Akoya. Is it?

Here is the problem... They have been restrung... which could mean several of things: new pearls on an old clasp? or just restring in a more modern way. The other BIG issue is that the camera will make pearls look a little off round in your hand. Put them on a papertowel (It helps the camera) & take one straight on with lots of white surrounding the pearls (a towel?) to bounce light. That gives a much better idea of how round the pearls are. I have some Akoyas that are about the age of your clasp that are not as round as I would like...but I can tell that the nacre is fairly thick and made some pearls a bit more oblong than I would like...but overall my pearls are round Akoyas. (As always make sure you test grit & look at drill holes to make sure there is no paint build up... some fauxs are pretty good...even the same clasp.)