What are these pearls worth?
Thu, Sep 20, 2018
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Pearl Blog
Although we are not pearl appraiser, we have many Pearl Girls who ask us about their pearls worth. Again, this is outside of my area of expertise. On purpose! I love pearls so much and I do not like to get wrapped up in their valuation. But I do love looking at pearls... and I see lots of them every single day... from new pearls to old pearls to pearls plucked fresh from the ocean! So I will be happy to share my knowledge with you!
Rosetta drove to Athens to meet me but I was off playing hooky with my son, Harry. She left her pearls with us to reknot and since she had more of these strands, she wanted to know more about them. Here is the info I sent her about her pearls. I thought some of y'all might be interested in my assessment in case you are wondering what your pearls might be worth!
And it also gives me an excuse to share a photo of Harry with you!
Hi Rosetta!! I am so sorry I missed you when you came by The Pearl Girls! I had told my sweet 6 year old that we would have an afternoon, just the two of us! When Tara called and asked me to come in he just had a fit! And I couldn’t blame him... I bring him to work a lot! So I stuck with my word and we ate a delicious piece of cake together! But, I am sorry I missed seeing you!
So, I checked out your pearls today! Thanks for letting us knot them for you! Tara says they will be done tomorrow!
As for their quality, as you might know there is no universally accepted grading system for pearls. So, we look at 7 different quality factors to grade pearls (before we determine the pearls worth). We look at color and size, surface quality, nacre quality and luster and shape and how well the pearls are matched in a piece of jewelry.
You definitely have that last factor down, all the pearls are similar in quality, size and shape. So they will match well in any jewelry you create.
And size and color are pretty self explanatory. They are white pearls, they appear to have been bleached but almost all white pearls have had some sort of whitening application these days. They are 6.5-7mm in diameter and they are freshwater pearls.
Now, if all factors are the same, the pearl closest to round are usually the most valuable. Since these are more funky shape, you are not looking at high quality round pearls. The surface quality is circled... which is what you call those circular indentions on the pearls. These again are perfect but they would cause the surface quality to fall in a lower category, as well as the nacre quality. They do not have a super shine to them, so we would call their luster average.
So, in summary, what you have here are some super cute pearls, a little funky and fun. They will make for a great accessory in bracelets and necklaces but they will never be considered someone’s high end piece. What I like about them is because of their surface imperfections, they are not semi-good round pearls trying to parade themselves as something fancy. They are what they are, cute fun pearls that will be worn and enjoyed at an average price.
I hope that makes sense! I really love all pearls and find their beauty captivating, no matter what the textbooks say about what is considered a high value pearl.
Thanks again for trusting us with your gems!
Best,
India
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