Identifying and Matching Natural Pearls

by Lori
(Brooklyn, New York)

Some years ago I bought an antique gold ring with three pearls at an antique show. The dealer told me the pearls might be natural. I wore the ring for years and the luster remained beautiful.

One day the middle pearl fell out and was lost. I tried to have the pearl replaced but couldn't find undrilled pearls. Finally, I had a jeweler replace it with a cultured earring pearl but the luster rather quickly wore off. I really like the ring and would like to find the right replacement pearl.

Any suggestions on how to go about identifying the remaining two pearls and finding a match?