Vintage Akoya Pearl Double Strand Necklace 28.5"

This double strand of cultured Akoya pearls was created in the 1950s and features exceptionally large —9.00-9.40mm— pearls with thick, ...

A double strand of huge, luxurious warm-toned cultured Akoya pearls -what a treasure! The most classic, timeless necklace there is: a double strand of large and fine cultured Akoya pearls in golden cream with a soft pink overtone. Akoya cultured pearls 8mm in diameter and larger are uncommon, which is why 8mm represents the dividing line between ordinary Akoya pearls and "luxury-sized" Akoya pearls. This vintage necklace features 87 pearls in two strands and the pearls measure between approximately 8.35mm to 8.93mm. The length of the inner strand is 15" while the outer strand is about an inch longer. So it wears like a 15 ½ necklace, sitting right over the hollow of your neck. The 9K yellow gold clasp is marked for J. Köhle, a German jewelry manufacturer in business since 1872. This is a weighty necklace, tipping the scales at just over 80 grams. That's a lot of weight for a 15 ½ inch necklace...

This 16" strand of vintage cultured Akoya pearls features large and luminous pearls. 8.31mm, 8.24mm, 8.19mm, 8.04mm, 8.29mm, 8.43mm, 8.51mm: these are measurements I took of the pearls at random. In the world of cultured Akoya pearls, 8mm is the delineating mark; 8mm and larger are considered "luxury" pearls because of the time and risk involved in culturing pearls this large. The longer a pearl stays in the water, the thicker the nacre but the greater the chances for malformation. With this strand, we have the ideal: uniform, round pearls with thick nacre, and gorgeous luminosity, but without the pits and surface imperfections, we often see in pearls of this size and vintage. The vast majority of Akoya pearls are 6mm and 7mm. All of these pearls are 8mm and well beyond. If the classic 16" length feels too short for you, it's easy for your jeweler to add a bit of length by having the pearls restrung with double knots and French wire. In this way, you can transform this into a 17" necklace. This necklace, created in the 1950s, features two strands of 75 top-quality cultured Akoya pearls in a near-ivory tone without any evidence of pinking, the dying process the vast majority of cultured Akoya pearls undergo to give them a light pink blush. These pearls lack that artificial tint. The clasp is measures 23mm x 19.47 and was hand-fabricated. The clasp is formed into the shape of a flower with six small, full-cut diamonds prong-set in the center Interestingly, the diamonds are of far better quality than such small stones on a necklace clasp need to be. They are near-colorless (G-I) and clean (VS2). Together they weigh .25 carats. The clasp is unmarked but tests as 14K. This is the ultimate classic double-strand cultured Akoya necklace...

This cultured Akoya pearl necklace was created in the 1970s by venerable Hawaiian luxury jeweler, Ming's. Composed of 89 semi-baroque gleaming Akoya pearls that average 7.5mm, the 31...

This triple-strand cultured Akoya pearl necklace hails from the glamorous early 1970s. Think: Lauren Hutton, Halston, Studio 54. The necklace is entirely original and in pristine c...

Dating to approximately 1940, this luxurious strand of luminous, gleaming nearly-antique cultured pearls is so fine in quality it rivals -and in some ways surpasses- that of natural,...

14 Karat Yellow Gold Double Strand Baroque Pearl Sapphire Necklace. This beautiful necklace features double strands of lovely semi-Baro...

A fine and impressive vintage double strand cultured pearl necklace with an antique 0.84 carat diamond and natural pearl, 14 karat yellow gold, platinum set clasp; part of our diverse pearl jewelry collection. This impressive vintage double strand pearl necklace...

"Why wear one string when you can wear two?" Coco Chanel. You can never go wrong with a classic strands of pearls! Large White ( some light pink and peach overtone) Round, high-lust...

Stunning dramatic statement necklace of black, aubergine, green, blue and silver Akoya pearls and faceted natural pink quartz pendants with a 14K w...

Showcasing intricately-designed leaves encrusted with diamonds, suspended on two strands of 6.10-6.50 millimeter pearls. Diamonds weigh 14.30 carats total. Made in 18 karat gold. Ro...

Two strands of luminous white Kasumi pearls (origin: Indonesia) form this dramatic necklace. The wrinkly surface is typical of this type of baroque pearl. They are graduated in siz...