Vintage CIRO pearl necklace. Graduated single-string design with matinee length and 9ct yellow gold tube clasp. Beautiful creamy gold hue to the pearls with high lustre. Origin: England Date: c. 1940's 9k / 9kt / 375 gold 52 g 66 cm / 26” long Pearls 6 mm to 9 mm diameter Pearls in very good vintage condition. Necklace needs restringing as couple of pearls are missing. Ciro (Ciro of Bond Street) opened for business in 1917 and began selling top quality costume jewellery. They were particularly renowned for their use of imitation pearls and in fact much of their early jewellery is marked 'CP' where the 'P' stands for Pearls. With the CIRO pearl - the first shell pearl in the world - the company laid the foundation for an almost 100-year tradition in 1917. Shell seed pearls did not exist back then and real pearls were very expensive. The CIRO pearls are handpicked and consist of a shell core. The surface is made of pure mother-of-pearl from oysters. This made the CIRO pearl the first attractive and inexpensive alternative to the very popular "real pearl". While other cultured pearls came onto the market over time, CIRO was already the market leader in the early 1920s.