Is this Victorian Bracelet Made of Natural Pearls or Cultured?

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Is this Victorian Bracelet Made of Natural Pearls or Cultured?

by Meriem
(Astoria NY)

Natural or Cultured??

I found this at the flea market and I am curious are they natural or cultured pearls.

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Is this Victorian Bracelet Made of Natural Pearls or Cultured?

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Jul 15, 2009
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Pearl Bracelet
by: Anonymous

Hi Meriem

would you be able to tell us more about your lovely pearl bracelet? Is the bracelet constructed of silver or gold? Are the pearls the originals? Are there any markings on the jewelry?

Silver was raised to the heights of popularity in the 19th century. Early in the nineteenth century silver was used to make cheaper jewels, as a substitute for gold, along with alloys such as pinchbeck. If the bracelet is made of silver, chances are, the pearls are not - Natural pearls.

By the 1880s colored stones like Pearls and diamonds were at the height of fashion, mainly because of the widespread use of the electric light.

Can you make out any hallmarks, or maybe they are faded over time and you may need a jewelers loupe to see them clearly.

Are the pearls the originals or later replacements? One thing's certain Meriem, providing they are the originals pearls to the bracelet and not later replacements, and the bracelet is indeed Victorian, the pearls will not be Cultured pearls which Mr Mikimoto only perfected in the early 20th century.

More info please...

best,
Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre
Antique Jewelry Investor

Jul 14, 2009
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Ask the Hallmark Guru
by: Kari

Hello Meriem,

On this page, http://www.karipearls.com/test.html, you can read about some tests for determining pearls.

And on this page, http://www.karipearls.com/natural-pearl-tests.html, you can read about some tests for determining natural pearls.

If your bracelet is from the Victorian era, there would be a chance of them being natural pearls. You would need to have them tested by professionals to be sure. It would be impossible to determine that from a photo.

If there is a hallmark on your bracelet you can ask the "Hallmark Guru" on this website and he should be able to tell you something about your bracelet.
See: http://www.antique-jewelry-investor.com/antique-gold-hallmarks-question.html.

Thank you for sharing.

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