Inherited Pearl Necklace

[SapphireSun]

When my husband's beloved grandmother passed away we were asked if there were any items of hers we would like to request to have. I've always adored her pearl necklace that she wore everyday so my husband mentioned it to his family. We were very surprised when we received the package as we assumed one of his uncles or aunt would lay claim to it - thinking all along it was real. Now that we have it I'm not so sure anymore. It feels heavy and the coloring is nice, but I doubt that they would have given it to us if the pearls were real. How does one tell from from real to fake? Could they be real, but just not costly? I tried looking up the jewelry store on the box, but couldn't find it on the web. Here are some photos of the necklace and one with my Tiffany's pearl earrings. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[naria]

One of the easiest ways to tell is to do the old "tooth test." You gently rub your tooth against a pearl. If it feels gritty this indicates that the pearl is genuine. If it doesn't, than the pearl is imitation. However, I find that doing the tooth test is unnecessary (and a little gross personally). The same gritty, very slightly rough texture can be felt rubbing the pearls along your fingers. Anyways, that has been my experience. Good luck. They are pretty regardless.

 

[SapphireSun]

Thank you Naria! I might try the tooth rubbing, but will definitely have to clean it first!

 

[mynattk]

It is hard to see from the pictures, but it looks like some of the pearls may not be perfectly round, which could possibly be an indicator that they are real. Can you take a closer shot of the pearls lying stretched out and out of the shadows? Also, be careful how you clean them. That's another subject you might want to research a little before doing anything. Since you always admired them so much, there's no reason not to enjoy them now! Congratulations!

 

[NacreLover]

Can you take a close up photo of the pearls laying on a paper towel? I too think they may be baroque akoyas. Also is the clasp marked with a Karat? (14k, 18K)

 

[SapphireSun]

Thank you MynattK and NacreLover for your responses! The clasp does not show any gold markings. The pearls are not true rounds, but it seems that between some there are slightly smaller versions, could be a pattern that I just never noticed. I also didn't feel anything when I rubbed a pearl between my fingers. I did the same with my Tiffany pearl and I still didn't feel anything. I can honestly say, I have no idea what I should be feeling!

I hope these 4 pictures show something more. His grandmother was about 94 when she passed away. I don't know if she had many different pearl necklaces that she wore, but she always had one on. I guess I can't tell if these are the ones she wore everyday. We were just really surprised we were given them. We would never ask his family about them. It's a jewelry store in Cholet, France which is where his grandmother was from. I believe she lived her whole life there. I just can't find the store and I forgot to check it out when we were there this past summer. I don't know if it's no longer there or if it's so small they're not on the web.

 

[mynattk]

They do look like akoya pearls to me. I'm sure some others can chime in on it, too. Perhaps your in-laws don't have an appreciation of pearls, or they really like you and wanted you to have them. Probably both

 

[SapphireSun]

Thank you Mynattk! When I told my husband what you wrote his response was flat, "they're cultured pearls." Perhaps they're not from the sea, but I still think they're valuable and an heirloom piece to pass on! I think I'll just keep them in the box and one day I'll have the necklace cleaned.

 

[NacreLover]

You can clean the pearls yourself. The silk appears to be pretty clean expecially if she wore them often. Wiping them down with a moist wash cloth will remove perfume , makeup or body oils. You may want to have them restrung with a better clasp in the future.

 

[SapphireSun]

Thank you NacreLover! I did read that I could clean it with water and mild soap so I might do that. There are some heavy dirt on some pearls and you can see age on some silk, but there's so many that you miss them. Right now I feel a little uncomfortable wearing them as they're so long (I would double up of course) and it feels strange to wear something from someone deceased...so I'll wait.

 

[mynattk]

If it makes any difference - Just about every pearl you'll ever see is most likely a cultured pearl. That is not a detraction from their value. Also, akoya pearls are produced in salt water. If you'd like to find out more, this article on Pearl-Guide might be interesting to you:

http://www.pearl-guide.com/freshwater-vs-akoya.shtml

If you ever decide to wear your lovely necklace, hopefully you can post more pictures of it on!

 

[SapphireSun]

Even nicer to know that they came from the sea. Thank you! I may get them restrung with a gold clasp (perhaps add a blue sapphire) or make it shorter and use the other pearls to make a bracelet and/or dangling pearl earrings. I loved them on his late grandmother, but not so much on myself at this point in my life. There are a few that have little circular dents on them, do you know if these imperfections are natural or from wear and tear?

 

[SapphireSun]

Just wanted to add that I finally took the time to count all the pearls on this necklace, 168!!