Featured Please Help Identify Pearl Necklace

Necklace Full by CaptainStarfish posted Aug 1, 2022 at 8:39 PM

Closeup Clasp 2 by CaptainStarfish posted Aug 1, 2022 at 8:39 PM

Closeup Clasp by CaptainStarfish posted Aug 1, 2022 at 8:39 PM

Closeup Pearls by CaptainStarfish posted Aug 1, 2022 at 8:40 PM

Please forgive me if any of this uploaded wrong, I’m new to this forum.

Basically my grandmother gave me this gold Pearl necklace years ago. I’ve worn it once before, and it’s sat in a box ever since. I recently pulled it out again to appraise it, but I am doubting the authenticity of it now that I’m older. I was told it was hand strung and individually knotted at each pearl, and that it was originally my grandmother’s. I noticed “sterling S” on the back of the clasp, as well as a tarnished pearl, and a chipped pearl (should be in closeup pictures). I tried the “teeth test” but I’m not sure how much grit I’m supposed to feel for. It is slightly gritty I guess? With a metallic taste Please let me know if you think this is a piece of fine jewelry or costume.

 

costume...

 

It is gold painted glass beads. Some of these beads were opalescent glass which is quite nice, so all is not lost.

 

I can see the bead with the chipped paint clearer now and it appears this is not opalescent glass but rather translucent milky white. Still a nice costume necklace if rather common - it seems every lady owned a similar set or two. The sterling clasp is a bonus.
You may want to touch up the gold paint before the flaking gets worse - it wouldn’t hurt to use clear nail polish on all of the beads (if one is flaking, more are sure to follow) - or you may prefer to let them flake away to the translucent beads under the gold.

 

Or you could ditch the pearls and use the clasp for something else. Maybe for two nice strings of cultured pearls of the same size. Cultured freshwater pearls are not too expensive.
That way you would still have something of beauty, in the spirit of what your grandmother would have liked you to have.