…but I was unfamiliar with the term “seed pearls” used in the discussion of a 19th century necklace shown on a rerun of Antiques Roadshow. Appraiser Jeanenne Bell marveled at the presence of rose-cut diamonds in the piece, and explained that they were stitched to a mother-of-pearl backing with white horsehair, but didn’t elaborate on the seed pearls. Luckily, Jennifer Rodriguez followed up with Bell and published a very informative article on the Antiques Roadshow Web site.

I encourage you to read the whole article, but here’s a brief summary: Seed pearls are naturally occurring pearls that measure no more than 2 mm in diameter. They began appearing in jewelry in the late 1700s, and were very fashionable by the mid-1800s. Seed pearls were strung onto mother-of-pearl backings in elaborate designs, imitating lace, hence the jewelry was often given to brides as wedding gifts.

If you have seed pearl jewelry, Bell offers some instructions for care. You may want to heed her advice – the necklace brought into Antiques Roadshow was appraised at $4,000 to $5,000, though keep in mind those diamonds factor into the price.