Hi there! Pete here, the Antique Jewelry Investor forum help assistant!
Yvonne asked if I would reply quickly, to let you know that we have just added in the Jewelry Resources an article about Victorian Mourning Customs. It's a good read, and should interest you, as it describes the stages of mourning and when it was appropriate to wear pearls in mourning.
Yvonne will try and get back to you shortly regarding some other pearl info that you will find useful.
Cheers!!
Pete ANTIQUE JEWELRY INVESTOR
What type of Black Pearls? Black Pearls or Black Beads by: Anonymous
Good evening to you. A very good pearl question too! I will attempt to reply to your question in more detail shortly, I have been inundated with questions, and have a backlog of replies to attend too, however in the meantime, the most important thing is to determine if they are beads or pearls. They could be Imitation pearls, as they have been producing imitation pearls and glass pearls for many years, but if they are indeed natural black pearls, they are very valuable.
According to the Illustrated dIctionary of Jewelry, by Harold Newman, black pearls of a blackish gun-metal color are one of the most valuable types of pearls.
So, until we chat next time, keep your black pearls or black beads safe and sound and when you store them, make sure not to let them knock against each other as it will damage the surface of the pearls.
