The five-stranded necklace composed of seven hundred and twenty-six graduated natural pearls measuring approximately 8.05 to 3.00mm, completed by a vintage styled diamond-set clasp. Mounted in 18 karat white gold. Length approximately 50cm.
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RARE NATURAL PEARLS Natural saltwater pearls are organic gems created by a mollusk, form under a set of accidental conditions without human intervention. Naturally formed pearls are extremely rare, some believes that only one in ten thousand saltwater oysters will form a pearl naturally, take into consideration that only very few out of these will be of true gem quality. Throughout history, pearls have held a unique presence within the wealthy and powerful. They coveted such high regard that they were once restricted only to royalty. Before pearls were able to be cultured, pearls were so rare that in 1692 the Duke of Saxony drafted a law prohibiting commoners from wearing pearls because he wanted to restrict their use to nobility. Their natural elegant beauty is part of their timeless appeal, and women from Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe have loved pearls and pearl jewellery. Fine natural pearls will always be treasured by real collectors and connoisseurs all over the globe. Historically, the world's best pearls came from the Persian Gulf. The pearls of the Persian Gulf were natural created and collected by breath-hold divers. The secret to the special luster of Gulf pearls probably derived from the unique mixture of sweet and salt water around the island. Unfortunately, the natural pearl industry of the Persian Gulf ended abruptly in the early 1930's with the discovery of large deposits of oil. The beds had been damaged by water pollution from developing the oil and gas resources of countries surrounding the Gulf. Today, natural pearls are found primarily in older jewellery from estate sales and auctions, they are found in already existing antique jewellery pieces. Matching natural pearls in strands is extremely difficult as they are never perfectly round or uniform in size and colour. To be offered in this sale are three well-matching natural pearl necklaces in white (Lot 427), golden (Lot 428) and multi-coloured (Lot 432), as well as an array of natural pearl jewellery, including a natural pearl and diamond brooch (Lot 430), natural pearl and diamond rings (Lot 431 and 433), and a multi-coloured natural pearl and diamond bracelet (L