Featured Help with Murrle Bennett pendant

Hi all - while I've handled several MB pendants and viewed more in photos, I'm just starting to buy pieces of my own. Unfortunately, I think my first purchase might have a problem. I do believe it's genuinely an MB pendant, but after looking at it more closely in person I think it's at least had its central stone replaced. I've attached a couple of pictures to see if anyone can hazard a guess, too. The piece is 15ct gold, marked as MB correctly, with a faceted amethyst and a turquoise drop.

I noticed several issues that point to my conclusion. First, the bezel is different from other MB settings for faceted stones - it is smooth, like the settings they used for cabochons, turquoise, and pearls. I haven't seen any other faceted gem set in a smooth bezel by MB. Second, there's a gap around the top of the stone in the setting. It's like the setting is too large for the stone. This seems sloppy compared to other MB work I've seen. Lastly, the composition, if you will, is anomalous - usually, the central gemstone is paired with a pearl or a matching gemstone. I haven't seen any examples of MB pendants where the central gemstone is paired with a turquoise drop unless it's also a turquoise. Turquoise seems usually to be paired with turquoise or a pearl. The first pic is on a light box - note that you can see a gap at the top of the stone in the setting. The second is just a close-up of the bezel. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

 

Looks like all of the bezels have problems,the piece is a hundred years old and the quality was no where close to a Tiffany piece. I looked at 12 other pieces photos and 10 of them appeared to be lower quality construction.Best advice would be to take it to an antique jewelry professional that can look at it in person,your photos are questionable.

 

IMO, this faceted stone doesn't belonged originally to your pendant... and the bezel is either a replacement or had been altered by a sloppy work...
But, kudos for jumping into the collecting!

 

Welcome, Naramri.
The original design is beautiful, but as you already noticed, it has had a hard life.

 

Thank you all - my suspicions are closer to confirmed. I'd already talked with the seller, who offered me an immediate return for full refund, while seeming to dismiss my concerns. I don't believe he did know it had been altered at some point. For the price, this piece should have at least had its original stones intact. In any case, I'm going to send it back today. Thanks for putting up with the terrible pics and replying to my question!

 

Good news! It is always best to begin collecting with a pristine piece
I must say all my collections began with a very good piece at bargain price... Which led me to search for more... Without getting other bargains