Argentinian Gold Mark on Necklace Clasp

[DannDee]

Hi,

I purchased an antique pearl necklace only to find out the pearls were glass with a pearl covering on them. They have a gold clasp with a small diamond. Seeing that the pearls were fake, I assumed the gold would be as well but upon acid testing it it comes out as at least 18k gold (my diamond tester broke so Im going to assume its a real diamond). I wanted to return the necklace but returns are difficult due to the lockdowns in some countries so I may keep it for the gold value/history (if anyone can pin it down).







I hope the photos are clear enough. Can anyone decipher this mark? The only mark I can tell us 'ARGENTINA' and it looks like 'N 3[?]' and the mark which I believe is the gold hallmark is a box with some characters in it but its half cut off/double stamped. ANYONE know anything about antique Argentinian gold/marks? There's no 750 or any other purity ratings on any of the other pieces (all of which test at least 18k) so I am assuming due to its age its probably not standardized there when this was made. I have included some different views of the clasp where the mark is as well as the clasp (front and back) itself. The necklace is in pieces so I didnt include a photo of it. Can anyone help?

On a side note out of curiosity, does anyone know if this is common? Is it common to put fake pearls on an 18k gold & diamond clasp? Did someone steal the original pearls?

Thanks a lot!! I appreciate all your help.
DD

[AG2012]

Hi,
Looks like 750 within the rectangle.
Pearls are not stolen, the way they are beaded and attached to the clasp tells everything is genuine here; beads are inserted into a molusce and very thin layer of nacre is secreted. Inserting a microscopic irritant would take many years to create a real cultured pearl; not profitable.
Regards

[DannDee]

Hi,
Looks like 750 within the rectangle.
Pearls are not stolen, the way they are beaded and attached to the clasp tells everything is genuine here; beads are inserted into a molusce and very thin layer of nacre is secreted. Inserting a microscopic irritant would take many years to create a real cultured pearl; not profitable.
Regards

Thank you! I still cant see it but it tests 18k so it must be where its marked 750. I have lots of cultured pearl necklaces, this is just a very very thin film over a clear glass bead (you can see through the entire bead where the film has chipped off). The film isnt even lacquer quality, its definitely some fake opalescent layer. I find it strange they'd put a 18k clasp on that. **shrug**. Thanks for the reply though I appreciate it!