Nacre thickness of this Tahitian pearl necklace?

[USCgal]

Hi all,

I'd love advice from pearl aficionados / experts on the nacre thickness of this Tahitian pearl necklace from OceanRhyme on Etsy. I'm still newer to pearls and am not sure if the nacre on these pearls is as thick / adequate as Tahitians typically are. I know that the French Polynesia government used to require a minimum of 0.8mm nacre thickness but that no longer exists.

In reading threads here (thanks for all the educational posts!), I know that if a price is low there's typically a reason why. This necklace was $558 with nine pearls ranging from 7.9mm-8.9mm, and the chain is 18k gold, which I know is quite expensive these days. It seems very inexpensive for a Tahitian necklace set in 18k gold.

I've been googling how to check the nacre of the pearls and have been looking through my magnifying glass as well as taking close up photos of the pearls where the drill holes are to try to determine nacre thickness. But, I'm still not sure if these pearls have a regular nacre thickness typical of Tahitians, or if they're thin nacre.

I know that OceanRhyme has been recommended by PSers, and this necklace is quite lustrous, so these two things would be in favor of an acceptable nacre thickness...

Please see my attached photos, and also the Etsy listing shows the pearls in great detail as well. Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[NathanS]

I'm in the engineering field, sometimes we get called out to look at cracking in concrete slabs, I have a standard card with marked thicknesses in small gradients 0.1mm in effect. Just generalised commentary here from me. It is near impossible to tell 0.8mm if you look at a ruler and 1mm wide.
Is there any way you can take them to someone in the industry who could xray check them if you're really concerned!

Just a gripe I personally may have from the photos, it seems they have "chipped out" around the actual drill hole? Or is it normal for the pearl to "wear" around the drill hole via friction from the string/threaded chain?

 

[katbran]

Nathan - The hole can chip from the chain running through it . It can also chip when drilling larger holes.

There are lots of ways to keep costs down. First - using a small diameter chain - you can use either a hollow chain or a style like this one with the flattened links. Personally I don't like the feel of this type of chain.

Also the clasp - a tiny little Spring ring clasp is the cheapest way to go .

Not putting grommets in the pearls to protect the drill hole.

All of this can reduce costs. Nothing against the vendor , it's just a way to make things more affordable.

Is there something inside, like a silicon bit that prevents the pearls from moving or are they meant to slide together ?

 

[USCgal]

Thank you @NathanS and @katbran for your thoughts! Nathan, the chips you mention bother me a bit too, and it's actually what made me question the nacre thickness in the first place. Katbran, thank you for the explanation on the chips -- very helpful. Is it quite typical to see chips at the drill hole with these types of necklaces?

The pearls do not move at all, so I'm guessing there must be something inside to keep them from moving?

 

[yssie]

The pearls do not move at all, so I'm guessing there must be something inside to keep them from moving?

Glue.

 

[USCgal]

Glue.

Thank you @yssie. May I have your opinion on this necklace and its nacre please? Thank you!!

 

[Snowdrop13]

I’m not sure how you can tell the nacre thickness, to be honest, but I don’t think this design of necklace will be robust in the long term. If there are nicks to the edges of the pearls already those will only get worse with wear. Better to pay a bit more and get something where the drill holes are more protected.

 

[Pearlescence]

The drill holes will probably wear smoother over time. Since the chain is fixed somehow there isn't going to be much friction from constant back and forth movement.
Realistically most of the price of that piece is in the gold chain. I'd recommend you stop worrying about something which might happen years in the future and enjoy the piece now.

 

[USCgal]

Thank you @Snowdrop13 & @Pearlescence!

I think I may return the necklace given all the helpful info I've received from the thread, and my concerns over the drill holes & nacre. And thanks again @katbran, your post was super informative on different things to look for in a pearl necklace.

I appreciate all the info & advice you've all shared -- so helpful for a still-relatively-newcomer to pearls like myself!