Pearl necklace for $2

by Cindyh.
(Miami, Florida)


Hello,


I found a pearl necklace last weekend at a garage sale and am wondering if it is real or not.

My daughter-in-law says it is because of the knots between each pearl and the 14k clasp. She also rubbed the pearls together and told me that if they feel gritty and they are the real thing without a doubt. I know nothing about pearls but I must say that we looked at them with a magnifying glass and we couldn't find any paint chips on any of them. We can see little "bumps" or imperfections on them.

What do you think? Attached is a picture.
Thanks, Cindyh.
Miami, Florida

Comments for Pearl necklace for $2

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Jan 17, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Similar find
by: Karen Augustsson

Here in this little town of Frederick MD. there are many antique stores and one in particular "The Antique Emporium" you can find real pearls in vintage brooches, bracelets, and necklaces. I was standing beside a woman one day and she made a comment that she'd buy the strand of pearls if the clasp wasn't broken. For $30 and a replaced clasp she would have had a beautiful set of everyday pearls. I picked the pearls up and gently rubbed on on my tooth and they were indeed real, having that gritty feeling against my tooth. I left them for someone else to my daughter's dismay as I have a set of everyday pearls. In after thought I went back to buy them for my daughter who doesn't have a set of everyday pearls, sadly they were gone. They would have made a nice gift as she has just become a new Mommy with her first child. Which means I must get my baby grand daughter "Aeris" her first set of pearls in PINK from Kari of course.

The exact same thing happened when I saw a scarab bracelet in an antique store. I passed a genuine scarab bracelet for $5 went back to get it and well you know..........
Jan 17, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Maybe...
by: Kari

Hello Cindy,

You may very well have found a real cultured pearl necklace. The knots and 14K gold clasp can certainly be indicators, but I've also seen those things on fake pearl necklaces.

The fact that the pearls feel "gritty" when rubbed together and your view through a magnifying glass which revealed imperfections are two signs that they may well be real.

It's impossible to tell for certain from a photograph.

I suggest you take it to a local jeweler who should easily be able to tell you if they are real or not.

At any rate, the 14K gold clasp alone is well worth over your $2. So.....I'd say it was an excellent find! I love the graduated style.

Another suggestion, if possible, is to go back to the garage sale home and ask the seller if she can tell you anything about the necklaces's history. It's always nice to know factual tidbits about a pearl necklace.

Congratulations on your find! Please let us know when you find out for sure if they are real or not. Thanks for sharing!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Favorite Pearl Jewelry.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.