Hi trisha thank you for writing in about the following pearl question:
"I have a set of pearls that i inherited from my great grandmother, they went to my mother, then to me. It's a pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings. I have tried looking these up and can't find them anywhere.
They are marked 10kt on the clasps and earring studs with the markings RII, r with the roman 2, could you tell me what they are and how much they are worth and they are tied each one by the pearl".
Lucky you Trish!The antique pearls you've inherited sound absolutely beautiful. Would you be able to send in a photo of the pearls and the mark on the clasp in a follow-up submission?
I think what you mean by "they are tied each one by the pearl" is that the pearls are individually hand knotted. This is a sign of quality.
The marks you describe sound very similar to the Finnish maker's mark: RIIHIMAKI, FINLAND ca 19thC - 1943
We would need to see the marks on this jewelry to identify.
One other thing, because pearls are relatively soft in comparison to other gemstones, it's really important how you care for pearls, especially antique pearls.
