Pretty eBay strand I purchased—can y’all tell me more about it?

[multichrome]

Hi! I’m Cece! I’ve been lurking recently on the forum, learning so much. I bought Pattye’s knotting kit to restring some family pearls, and now I am fascinated by everything pearl. I guess this has happened before to other people

I ordered this strand on eBay and it arrived today. The seller’s photos were very accurate. I will include a couple of hers and mine, too. I’m wondering what you can share with me about them. They have the proper “gritty” texture to the tooth. The strand is 18.5” long. The fish hook clasp is 14k, marked 585, and contains another mark that is not readable by me. The pearls are alternating 7mm and 5mm. The larger pearls are whiter, and the smaller are more of a pinky champagne color. Some little ripples and irregularities are visible. The thread is knotted nicely, and the ends near the clasp show French wire.

The eBay listing gave no info at all about there they came from—they were sent from the US East Coast to me, also on the East Coast. No box or tags. They were pretty dirty/gummy when they arrived, but I gave them a gentle bath in diluted castile soap and purified water, and dried them carefully with a soft lint-free cloth. I would appreciate any observations you might have! Thank you so much for your time!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Hi Cece, and welcome to Pearl Guide!

As to the necklace, it looks to me like someone combined 2 strands of akoyas, one larger /whiter and one smaller / yellowed, to make a single strand. Perhaps they chose the best pearls from 2 necklaces.

 

[multichrome]

Thank you for the welcome and your observations. I did wonder about the two different sizes and colors of pearls. I didn’t have super high expectations of this strand when I purchased it—I was mainly sure they weren’t imitation pearls. I like it and I’m satisfied, so any info is bonus and will help me learn. Thank you again!

 

[BWeaves]

Once again, PD said exactly what I was going to say. It looks like someone combined 2 different cultured akoya strands. They do look like real pearls. Definitely wearable.