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By Maria Morava
Relationships Reporter
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It's a moment that thrift shoppers can only dream about.
A lucky thrifter’s $10 purchase at a local shop turned into a major score after a jeweler confirmed that a striking "black pearl" necklace was, in fact, genuine. The shopper's post to Reddit quickly gained the praise of commenters, receiving over 4,000 upvotes.
"Managed to snag this black pearl necklace for $10," the poster, u/Rinne18, wrote. "Spotted this beauty at Value Village yesterday. Stopped by a local jeweler to have some items repaired and he confirmed they're freshwater pearls. Definitely used up all my thrift luck with this one."
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managed to snag this black pearl necklace for 10
r/ThriftStoreHauls
The Clues of a Real Find
The post sparked immediate admiration from fellow Redditors, who called the find "gorgeous." However, some were curious about how the thrifter managed to identify the low-priced item as real, with one person asking, "How do you know these are real? Even the photo to me they just look like fancy beads?"
The thrifter, in response, shared a detailed list of clues gleaned from online sleuthing that helped confirm the necklace’s authenticity:
- Check the clasp: The poster first checked the toggle clasp for any markings, noting, "this toggle clasp seemed pretty low quality, with gold colour flaking off, but it is marked 925."
- Look for knots: They looked for "knots between the pearls," a sign of quality in real pearl stringing.
- Texture test: The thrifter checked the texture, explaining that "real pearls feel slightly gritty while plastic or glass are smooth." This can be done by rubbing them together or against one's teeth.
- Check the shape: They noted that "plastic or glass will be uniform shape, but real pearls will have slight variations." They found the beads were not perfectly round, with some being slightly more oval and oblong than others.
- Color check: Finally, the thrifter observed that the color "wasn't uniform, like I'd expect plastic or glass to be."
Because the shopper was already heading to a professional to fix earrings, they decided to get an expert confirmation. The jeweler "was able to tell me right away that they were freshwater pearls," they added.
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Inspiration for Wear
The stunning necklace, which features pearls that many commenters preferred over white ones, inspired new ideas for wearing the vintage jewelry.
"That’s a wonderful find," one person wrote. "They’re beautiful! I inherited a similar necklace from my grandmother, and they’re so much prettier—in my honest opinion—than white pearls."
Another commenter suggested a creative alternative for the piece, "Gorgeous! What a find. I have a bracelet that would match. It complements so many outfits!" The thrifter loved the idea, replying, "These are pretty tight around my neck so I was looking for an extender, but wearing it as a bracelet would look fab! Thank you for sparking that idea in my head."
The $10 pearl necklace stands as a testament to the surprise value of thrift shopping and knowing what to look for when hunting for hidden gems.
Newsweek reached out to u/Rinne18 for comment via Reddit.
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