Pearls

I recently bought this string of pearls in an auction - it's 76cm long and the pearls are roughly 3-4mm in diameter, though slightly irregularly sized.
The rectangular box clasp is marked stg sil and has a side catch, while the catch on the safety chain is marked sterling.
Can anyone give me any idea of the maker, quality and/or rough value?
Thank you in advance for any comments

 

Am I correct that this has a tongue in box clasp, a figure 8 safety clasp & a guard chain? A lot of security measures for poor quality pearls. Also firmly knotted on sturdy cord. They've been treated as though fairly valuable. I assume they pass the tooth test?

 

Hi Bronwen, thanks for your response and yes - correct on all points. I thought the same. I'm no pearl expert but they are definitely slightly grainy to the tooth and appear to have a nice colour and lustre (hard to capture well with a crappy phone camera).
Are you saying they are poor quality pearls, or that it is unlikely they are poor quality due to all those measures?
I would love to keep them as my own pearls are a bit short for my liking (a wedding gift from my aunt - so will be kept and passed on to my daughter), however I bought them to sell and need the money, so perhaps I should get a valuation?

 

I'll lay odds those are Majorica.

 

Ah, I see the ambiguity in what I said. Not at all. All the safety measures suggest that someone valued them very much. In my collection of cameos/intaglios, I have a couple of things that would not look like much if out of their mounts, but made me look twice at them because of the expense of the settings. No guarantee of value, but speaks to the knowledge/belief of a previous owner.

 

Thanks so much OBB - I'll looking into Majorica - about the only pearl brands I'm aware of are Mikimoto and Akoya and I know they're not Mikimoto!

 

Yes, totally agree. Thank you Bronwen

 

Since you are in New Zealand (if I remember correctly) and given the stg sil mark, I think the maker is NZ.
The pearls pass the tooth test, so they are real, not Majorica. And Majorica uses their own clasps.
I think they are likely to be real cultured pearls, strung and sold by a NZ jeweller.

 

Yes, you remembered correctly. Thank you Any Jewellery