Thoughts On This Necklace

The pendant tests as sterling. The chain is also sterling but doesn't really look like it goes with the necklace.

My first thought was that it was newer because of the roughness to the casting on back, but now I'm not sure.

I assumed the red stones were rhinestones, but looking further, they are so dark and deep red, I'm wondering if they're garnets. The pearl (or faux pearl) does not feel gritty on my teeth, but if I look through a loupe, the couple of scratches it has do not show plastic or glass underneath.

Thoughts on age or origin?

 

The pendant looks like 24 karat costume.

 

24 karat costume?

 

Pure fake. Not a real stone or real metal to be seen.

 

Sometimes it is hard to tell from a photo.

A real pearl will feel rough on your teeth. With a imitation pearl you usually can see a scratch in the pearlized coating on the bead or just scratch the paint off of an imitation pearl). I always look like I'm tasting the jewelry before I buy it. ha ha...

If the marcasites are just molded to the metal setting, or silver lustered black glass to look like them (the luster will scratch or wear in spots), and are glued in, it's just costume. Old jewelry will have grain set marcasites.

Glass stone have a weird wave in them usually or small bubbles. They could be garnets. Small stones are inexpensive, and can be set in base metals.

Give it the tooth test... if it's a real pearl, it could be silver.

 

It's silver as I acid tested.

And it is on a sterling chain - which of course doesn't mean the pendant is silver, but seems more likely someone would use a sterling chain for a sterling pendant unless they just assumed it was silver.

I'll retest to make sure I didn't just get some surface silverplate.

 

Good point about the marcasites. These look glued in.

 

I retested this twice and it came up positive for sterling.

Strange that it doesn't appear that old but yet it doesn't seem marked. Guess it doesn't matter much as it doesn't appear to be anything special.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on it!

 

My guess would the Thai, just recently had a big lot of similar style jewelry
Likely garnets, not old

 

I looked and looked at this orphan for a mark. Nuttin. As I was going to put it in the junk pile it popped open. They sure got some small stamps.

 

Terry, that's quite common for earrings. A right bugger to find.

 

Wow, I hope that says what I think it says, 14k?

I peruse everything with a loupe these days so I don't miss anything if possible - my eyes are changing but not quite enough yet to be able to use reading glasses. However, sometimes they put the mark in the most inconspicuous of places!

 

I think you might be onto something there!

 

Earring marks are often on the posts. The easy way to find them is use your fingernail. Run the edge over the post and feel for rough spots. Loupe that spot and as often as not there's a mark. Usually Avon or 12kgf with my luck, but....

 

Most of the CARLA earrings I just found are in 14K.