Featured Red stone bead necklace

Hi. I bought this necklace this morning at an estate sale. The clasp is 14k, but I am not sure what the beads are. Jade or maybe carnelian? I tried to google the difference between the two types of stones, but came up with some conflicting information. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I'd think carnelian. I recognize the clasp, btw. It was often used on nice stone beads.

 

Thanks! This was my first time seeing a clasp like this! I thought it looked nice, and found the mark when I got it home and opened the clasp.

 

Those look literally good enough to eat...Yum!

 

You need to have the beads tested to know for sure. No one can ID beads like that from a photo!

 

Would I have them tested by a jeweler? How much would I expect to pay for that?

 

Little to nothing, I would expect. A qualified gemologist is what you need, an' most jewelers either are such, or employ one or more of them. Good luck!

 

My jeweler does it for free. The thermal tester they use is about $250 for the unit so they shouldn't be charging you much if anything.

 

Or find a friend who has a gem tester

 

The clasp was invented by this jeweller:

https://hformanbarrett.com/HFBJewelry.php

Her work was the beginning of my seeing cameos as not just for grandmas anymore.

 

Which is probably why I have never seen it before, her jewellery doesn't seem to have made it across the Pond. Beautiful though, thanks for the link.

 

I'm always surprised at hearing about the jewelers that will do this kind of thing for free. Maybe if you have someone you work with (buying and selling) they will help for free since they know you, but I think if I walked in to a shop in my town and asked them to test the gems on a necklace there would be a charge.

Doesn't hurt to ask, though!

 

Very cool! Thanks!

 

Yeah. I don’t have a jeweler. I have a habit of keeping most of my jewelry that I find at sales, and I don’t ever purchase anything from a store. I only paid $4 for the necklace so it doesn’t matter too much what it is. It is more a matter of appeasing my curiosity.

 

I brought in a couple antique pieces I wanted to ask about repair on and during the course of discussion he excitedly offered to test some of the stones. After that whenever I came in to pick up or drop a new thing to repair, I would bring new finds to show him and he'd test them. In our case he was a semi-recent graduate of my alma mater, and they didn't require a history of jewelry class so he was excited to see what I had. It was a mutual geek-out session and he told me I could bring something in anytime to be tested. He started carrying more estate antique pieces over time and just opened up a newer, better shop...and it's Art Deco themed.

So I would say, pay for services if you can as that's fair for the jeweler, and then develop a relationship with a nice one who isn't too jaded.

 

Mine charges. I believe the original owners sold, last time I went in they were charging a customer who was rather annoyed & walked out.

 

Should be higher end Carnelian. Very pretty! Once found a high end strand like that at a peddlers mall (like an antiques mall but . . . less so), not with that clasp though. Nice find

 

The crafts show scene in New York City was already much in decline when CoViD hit us, now pretty well gone, but there used to be many shows each year & I saw Harriet at them often.

One time I stopped by her booth while she was being harangued by a woman who evidently had bought one of Harriet's silver necklaces, then ruined the patination through over-polishing. Harriet was trying to explain that the 'tarnish' was deliberate & to clarify just what it was that this woman wanted now to satisfy her. In between all this Harriet got out the necklace that had attracted my attention & left me to examine it. When she was finally able to turn her attention to me, she was surprised that I had figured out how to work the clasp by myself, explained it was her own design. She was correct that it is very easy to work once you have the hang of it.