Vintage Cultured Necklace? Help!

[GP115412]

Greetings,

Thank you for the opportunity to post on this forum. I have a necklace that I believe is cultured from China. However, I?m starting to believe that there is possibility it could be natural. What can you tell me about it? Thank you in advance for any reply!

 

[GP115412]

Can one of the experts on here please help?

 

[jshepherd]

It definitely looks like a strand of cultured Chinese freshwater pearls. What about it makes you lean toward naturals?

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

However, I’m starting to believe that there is possibility it could be natural. What can you tell me about it?

I had a hard time scoring a single point supporting natural origin. These are not natural.

Natural vs Chinese FWP

Luster ----------- 0.0 - 1.0 Luster is more consistent with CFWP
Shape ----------- 0.0 - 1.0 More common in CFWP
Inclusions ------ 0.0 - 1.0 Does not present with inclusions.
Matching ------- 0.0 - 1.0 Equal matches are possible, but more consistent with CFWP.
Structure ------- 0.0 - 1.0 Known to be terraced aragonite, consistent with CFWP
Size -------------- 0.0 - 1.0 Consistent with CFWP
Color ------------ 0.0 - 1.0 Consistent with CFWP
Translucency --- 0.0 - 1.0 None
Onset ----------- 0.0 - 1.0 Uniform. Tissue grafted.
Nuclear --------- 0.0 - 1.0 Uniform. No shell bead present.

What about it makes you lean toward naturals?

I'm curious too.

 

[Icyjade]

Ummm... I'm not an expert but that cheap clasp doesn't help the 'naturals' camp. A natural well match strand would cost a small fortune and these look like (potatoes) FWPs to me.

 

[Caitlin]

When I was new to cultured pearls, I kept thinking that some strands of un-nucleated freshwater pearls were natural because of the slight variations in shape, which akoyas don't have. That variation is still something I love about Chinese freshwater pearls because it does make them look more natural than pearls with nuclei.

And I have since learned that once you really know what natural pearls look like, it is easier to recognize that a freshwater pearl does not look the same as a natural one. The typical shapes of the off-round pearls and the luster in natural pearls are different than the example above.

 

[GP115412]

Thanks for all of the replies and help. I do believe it is Chinese freshwater potato. Merely for the shape did I begin to wonder if it is natural.

 

[JerseyPearl]

When I was new to cultured pearls, I kept thinking that some strands of un-nucleated freshwater pearls were natural because of the slight variations in shape, which akoyas don't have. That variation is still something I love about Chinese freshwater pearls because it does make them look more natural than pearls with nuclei.

And I have since learned that once you really know what natural pearls look like, it is easier to recognize that a freshwater pearl does not look the same as a natural one. The typical shapes of the off-round pearls and the luster in natural pearls are different than the example above.

Caitlin, wonderfully stated points! There is a great thread on here with troves of natural pearls...they may be of help to understand the differences.