My mom just gave me this necklace she got from a friend in Hong Kong a very long time ago. Chinese freshwater “rice krispies”? They are quite tiny pearls. Last photo with an 8-8.5 mm pearl for size comparison.
I may be wrong MintyFresh but these look to me to be early tissue nucleated Chinese freshwater rice pearls. The "rice krispies" do not have the smooth nacre which these exhibit. Rather, they are all crinkly for want of a better word.
