I recently purchased 40 old pearls in China, I judge them to be approximately 1780. The biggest is about 14 carats, and the surfaces of most have peeling areas that show inner layers. While this can sometimes be corrected by a "pearl doctor" there is no certainty how deep you must go or whether there is any nice pearl inside. Because the dealer in China did not know the potential value of the pearls, I got them for less than $20,000.

Chow: here is the formula carat weight x carat weight x 0.6518,

Example for a 4 carat pearl 4 x 4= 16, x 0.6518 = 10.428 chow.

The international price per chow depends on many factors, but $100 per chow is ok for starters.

Hope this helps you. If you want to post photos, that would help. I would immediately take the biggest pearl and xray it. Back light the xray, photograph it, and post that as well. Then we can help you be sure there is no bead inside of a pearl distressed to make it seem old.

On the 50 carat one, send me a photo and your asking price.

Sincerely,
Tom Stern, MD



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