18" South Sea Pearl Strand with 18K White Gold Diamond-Set Ball Clasp

This exceptional necklace puts on display thirty-five round shaped South Sea pearls, each individually knotted and graduating in size. They range from 11.00mm to 13.50mm in diameter and have a white body colour with pinkish and greenish overtones. The white gold ball clasp is a feature, in itself, with its one hundred and eight round brilliant cut diamonds. The clasp comes together with a threaded post that screws into the opposite side for a seamless finish. This piece is destined to become a cherished and valuable keepsake and is of heirloom quality.

South Sea pearls range from 8 to 20mm with the average being 12mm. Their large size, limited culturing area, and extended growth period (2-4 years, unlike the akoya pearls which develop in less than half that time) all combine to make South Sea pearls the rarest of all pearl types. The luster of South Seas pearls, whether white or golden, is soft and luxurious displaying a soft reflection due to the large aragonite platelets that make up the pearl. Only a small percentage of each South Sea harvest (10-30%) are spherical or near round and as such, full strands of matched pearls are extremely rare.

They also have the thickest average nacre of all cultured pearls. These factors make South Seas both distinctive and valuable. South Sea pearls have the highest value and command the highest prices of all types of pearls. Being a delicate organism, this type of pearl oyster is particularly susceptible to disease and stress, which is one reason why the culturing area for South Seas pearls is quite limited. White South Sea pearls generally retain the highest value of all pearl types. Because of their scarcity and unusually large size range, they command much higher prices. It is quite common for the retail prices of fine quality South Sea necklaces to be in the range of $10,000 to even $300,000 and more. 

• 18K white gold
• (35) round shaped South Sea cultured pearls (11.00 to 13.50mm)
• (108) round brilliant cut diamonds (1.35ctw)
• Average total gram weight: 93.8 
• Clarity: I-1
• Colour: H-I
• Measures approximately 45cm (18") in length
• Independently appraised value for insurance purposes: $18,200.00

All items in the Estate Originals Collection are estate pieces created in years gone by. Although this item is in excellent condition, it could have some signs of its age and past enjoyment. The images shown are of the exact item you will receive.