Inherited my grandmother's pearl; thoughts?

[Wolfrott]

It was my birthday two days ago and so I've inherited my grandmother's pearl necklace. Her memory has gone, but my other relatives reckon a rough idea is 1950s, Italy (my family's italian)

What do you guys think of it? I tried taking photos in different lights and angles to pick up any identifying marks.

The pendant is 2cm, the pearl is 7mm.

 

[Siameseroo]

It's gorgeous!! I love it.

 

[missy]

Happy birthday and I love your grandmother's pendant. It has such a romantic feel.

 

[quickjewelryrepairs]

This piece is so elegant and you can definitely tell that the necklace is vintage! Stunning!

 

[NacreLover]

Happy Birthday. The pendant is beautiful. I love the long graceful setting. Wear it in good health, the style is timeless.

 

[seaurchin]

Great pendant! One small pearl usually has very low monetary value so what type it is would probably be for interest only. A few thoughts (and someone please correct me if any of this is wrong):

The most common types of white pearl are akoya, freshwater, south sea, or some type of natural (wild, not cultured) pearl. And of course, artificial pearls. I'd guess yours is real, because of its imperfections.

Natural pearls are rare and usually not so round. Roundness is caused from a round bead inserted into the shell in cultured pearls and most pearls, by far, are cultured.

Freshwater pearls in the 1950's were most often not round.

South sea pearls are usually larger than 7mm.

So, if it's from the 1950's, my guess is it's an akoya pearl (saltwater and usually smaller than South sea pearls). There are lots of akoya pearls around from that era.

It's also possible that the original pearl was switched out later on, or that the whole piece is newer (or older) than the 1950's, I believe? Are there any markings on the gold?

Hope that helps! Maybe others will have more to add. Enjoy!

P.S. Oh, sorry if you weren't asking what kind of pearl we think it is! I just re-read your original post.

 

[pearlsngems]

In some of the photos the pearl does not look perfectly round-- I think it might be slightly baroque. I also see a partial ring near the setting.

It is probably (IMO) an off-round/semi-baroque cultured akoya. It's far less likely that it's natural; determining that would require X-raying it to see if there is a bead nucleus.

I's a pretty pendant!

 

[ennui]

It's a beautiful pendant! And it's all the more meaningful that it was your grandmother's. Cherish it always, and wear it in good health.

 

[stracci2000]

I'ts a fabulous, unusual piece! Vintage is always nice. Because of it's age, I would be careful of the glued setting, Old glue can be brittle and you wouldn't want to lose the pearl. Maybe have a jeweler check it out.
Love it!

 

[Wolfrott]

Thanks everyone, the info you've shared has been very helpful! Tomorrow I plan to get my gemstone 30x and 60x magnifier out, and take better photos to investigate and showcase all pearl markings, and also investigate the gold for hallmarks.

I've been unwell for the past few months hence my absence from this forum, and it's hard getting back into the swing of things. I haven't held a camera for months!

The chain itself I think isn't original, my grandmother (86) often mix and matches chains. She has never, ever had her jewellery repaired so the pendant was bought as is, she hasn't had it replaced with a different setting, or restored.

 

[shaggy1]

I hope you are feeling better.

 

[Wolfrott]

Here's the next batch of photos, I'm afraid I don't think I can take better ones bedridden and all that.

I've noticed that the indent in the pearl doesn't go all the way around the gold cap. There also are no gold hallmarks, either. I asked my parents again and they believe my grandmother bought it in Italy in the 1980s.

 

[pearlsngems]

Great photos!

I continue to think it's likely a baroque cultured akoya pearl, given the size, imperfectly round shape and surface flaws.

 

[seaurchin]

I think it's lovely. Love the vintage look.

I agree that the pearl is probably an imperfect akoya, which would have negligible resale value.

Jewelry seems to not have very good resale value anyway but if you want to know if the gold is real and what karat it is, I think a jeweler (or pawn shop) could test it for you real quick and probably wouldn't even charge you. In any case, even if it is gold plated, it must be nicely heavy to have lasted for over thirty years.

Do we get a neck shot?