Can you identify these?

[thisismyname]

My pearl knowledge is limited. I've been reading about them for the past 2 months. I know the basics.

I Thrift often. These just came up in my local pawn shop. The pawnshop has a fantastic jewelry section. They're just listed as pearls for $70 CAD

Are these dyed? The Lustre is a lot nicer and they're much more round than any of their other pearls listed that are clearly just white freshwater near rounds. It has a sterling clasp.

what are these and what would you place the value at?

Thank you for looking!

 

[pearlsngems]

Have you seen these in person, or is this an online listing?
Can you post more photos? Ideally the whole necklace, if possible.

 

[thisismyname]

I've seen these but this is all I have for a photo. The pearls all looked similar... no major shape variations.

The Lustre line good and the shapes were nice but they seem so much darker than I've seen before.
If they're dyed would I be able to tell by the drill holes? I'm planning to go back into town early next week, I can stop by to see if they're still there

 

[pearlsngems]

They could be semi-round akoyas that have yellowed a bit with age. They do have nice luster.
If you like them-- like how they look against your skin-- I think the price is good.

 

[thisismyname]

Thank you! I'm excited to go check them out again!

 

[pearlsngems]

Here are a few tests to do before buying them, to be sure they aren't imitations:

1. Rubbing test --also called tooth test, but please do not rub them against your teeth! Apart from that not being very sanitary, teeth are harder than pearls and can scratch them. Rather, rub one of the pearls gently against another pearl. Real pearls will feel gritty when rubbed this way. Imitation pearls will glide smoothly.

2. If you can, bring along a jeweler's loupe (10x magnifier) and some other pearls to compare with (that you know to be real or that you know to be fake). Examine the surface of the pearls at a spot where there is no visible blemish. At 10x magnification, real pearl nacre looks very smooth. Imitation pearls will look a bit more coarsely textured-- even the best ones do.

3. For the 3rd test, the temperature test, you will need to bring along some other pearls (that you know are real or that you know are fake) and be in the shop for a while so the pearls to be tested and your pearls are in the same ambient temperature for a while. For example, if the shop is air conditioned, you would need for the pearls you bring along for comparison to be in the air conditioning too. I'd say try to be there 30 minutes or so, to be safe. Or maybe there are some pearls in the shop that are obviously fake! You could use those for comparison.
Then touch the pearls to your lips briefly (lips are very sensitive to temperature differences), and do the same with the other pearls. Why? Because real pearls are cooler than fake pearls.

I would not buy them without doing the first test, at least, even if you can't do the other two. The luster and color of the pearls is very consistent, very even, and that could indicate they are fake, even though there are small size and shape differences between the pearls. The thread also appears to be a bit yellowish, which could be grime or could be dyed thread with imitation pearls. Or it could be that my monitor is reading the color wrong.

When I first looked at your photo I immediately thought "fake". That was my gut reaction. But then I saw that the pearls are slightly different from each other, and that the necklace is nicely finished with gimp (that little coil of French wire near the clasp.) So I thought, maybe akoyas.
But do the tests. That is too much to pay if they're fake.