[DollyCali]

To the "Clutch my Pearls" gals here....

On one of the threads a few weeks ago, someone asked me if I have pearls.. HA.. yes I do. BUT not the top flight quality that some of you have as heirlooms and with other precious stones and metals.

An most of my pearls are in the "undeveloped state" of use as you can see

This is some of the Pearl "product" that I have at hotel.. more at home. Some are antiques in that they were owned /worn in 20s - 50s. I get them(not just pearls but all sorts of beaded jewelry) at yard and estate sales, antique shops and now and then from friends who just want to clear out jewelry from decades past... often from mom's or grandmas.

On occasion I will make them treasure ropes with a compilation of their jewelry so they have one creative necklace/earring set from all the hodge lodge they had from mom/etc.

Ill keep the rest for my stock for whenever use.

I prefer using a nice quality of bead like this over the ones you can get in a bead shop

Of course Freshwater pearls are the sweetest and I use them with the semiprecious stones in beaded jewelry. But they are as a rule smaller and very irregular in shape.

As you can see beads come in all variations of white/cream/tinges of : Pink, tan, grey also.

A favorite thing to do with these pearls is to combine them with gold plate, quality crystal and an occasional semiprecious "birthstone"... the tad of color and personalization for the lady wearing them is very attractive..

I have this all out as i am working on a project right now and I have to see what I have that is usable. Some of the older beads are gorgeous but cracked and peeled finish. Must cull.

[Spirit of Liberty]

Wow! I’d say you have some pearls. LOL

All of my pearls are freshwater. I’ve been considering maybe buying myself a good strand for my 55th birthday (2 years from now) but not sure what kind.

[lysie]

Good morning, Dolly. Nice collection. :-)

[Seattle Conservative]

Beautiful picture and pearls, Dolly!! I love fresh water pearls. My mom had a good-sized Mobe (Mabe) pearl ring, which is lovely.

For my pearl-wearing FReeper “sisters” that want to know if theirs pearls are real or not (I have some old ones that I’m not sure about):

How to tell real pearls from fake / imitation pearls?
There are several methods to determine the differences between real pearls and imitation pearls, they are:

First, when rubbing two pearls against each other, the imitation pearl feels slippery, while the real pearl feels rough and the layers of nacre will leave a powdery residue.

Second, when rubbing glass with pearls, the imitation pearl leaves no scratches, while the real pearl leaves scratches of pearl powder. After the powder is wiped off with cotton cloth or hand, one can feel that the genuine pearl is not damaged.

Third, although not slightly, if you run a pearl over the edge of your teeth. A real pearl will feel sandy and gritty, while a fake pearl will have a very smooth texture.

Fourth, if look at the pearls carefully, either out in the sunlight or under intense light. Fake pearls usually appear perfect without any flaws. And real pearls usually have flaws and imperfections such as minor color variations and shape differences.

Fifth, if you put pearls under a magnifying glass, the surface of real pearls look rough, while the surface of fake pearls would appear very smooth.
Six, although not true for Majorca pearls and high quality man-made seashell pearls most of the time, but especially for plastic imitations, you can tell the difference when you weigh the pearls in your hand. If it feels light, it is probably an imitation. Real pearls have a higher density and therefore they are a bit heavier.

Seven, if you really can`t tell if a pearl is real or not, and you do not mind losing an extra pearl, you can also cut it in half with a knife or smash it open with a hammer. The inside of real pearls consists of thin layers of nacre that looks like the layers of an onion.

Under normal circumstances, the above methods should be sufficient. However, if you still can’t decide if it is an imitation or a real pearl, you can get your pearl to be examined or x-rayed by a certified independent gemologist, which may be costly, however, it can provide a good piece of mind when it comes to determining the status of a pearl.

If you want to purchase pearls, apparently this site has them (I didn’t check out purchases - don’t need any more jewelry!):
http://www.orientalpearls.net/pearls_real.php

I have a couple of pearl necklaces that seem to be “peeling”
and wasn’t sure if it’s because of how I stored them.
Here’s an article on cleaning and storing pearls:
http://jewelry.about.com/cs/pearls/a/cleaning_pearls.htm

[etabeta]

Wonderful collection of pearls, Dolly!

[rightwingintelligentsia]

What a beautiful pearl collection, Dolly! I’m sure the pieces you make out of them are lovely. The treasure rope sounds like a great idea.

I’ve been collecting vintage jewelry for some time now, and while I don’t specialize in pearls I have a few old necklaces, especially the ones with the smaller pearls and sterling filigree clasps.

[weston]

Just what I thought, Dolly

You’re a PEARL of a girl ;0)

[PennsylvaniaMom]

The colors of the pearls you have are beautiful. Do you rework them into bracelets? I’ve “redone” some necklaces into “coiled” bracelets (when I find necklaces that have too many damaged beads to redo into a necklace I downsize to a coiled (spring) bracelet and do charms on at least one end. And them OF COURSE always save enough for drop earrings :)

[Freedom56v2]

Pretty :)