How to determine if pearls are real?

Real pearls adorn the outfits of fashionable TV presenters and socialites; they are rapidly becoming fashionable. And charming ladies have a new problem: how to determine the authenticity of a stone. Buy smooth or uneven pearls for your collection, and this confirms the natural origin of the stone.

What are real pearls like?

Let’s immediately make a reservation that under the category of real pearls we will include those cultivated in natural conditions. The mother-of-pearl layers are applied to it by the same species of mollusks, the pearls from whose shells adorn the crowns of royal tiaras. The only difference is that the implantation of a foreign body was carried out by human hands, and not randomly. “Wild” pearls are very expensive and are not available today for making jewelry for sale on an industrial scale.

Criteria for the appearance of natural pearls

• a beautiful, not always perfectly smooth, mother-of-pearl surface may have inclusions of different colors, brighter and less bright areas;
• the core, the core, surrounded by a shining sphere is visually determined;
• difference in color of the outer iridescent shine from the shade of the stone itself.

Methods for determining authenticity

By friction or by tooth

If you have sensitive fingers and good hearing, then with light friction real pearls will produce a slight creaking sound – this is the characteristic sound of a real stone. The same creaking sound can be felt if you run a pearl over a tooth.

Jumpability

Pearl peas consist of layers of mother-of-pearl, giving it special elasticity. By slightly tossing a pearl, you will witness its numerous bounces from a table or other hard surface; glass and plastic behave differently, 2-3 bounces, no more.

Thorough visual inspection

If you have real pearls in front of you, then through the hole of the bead, using a simple magnifying glass, you can see the core of the seed and the dark strip that separates it from the layer of mother-of-pearl scales; the edges of the hole should not be perfectly smooth.

This method will not only help determine the origin of the pearl, but also establish the thickness of the layer; 2-4 mm is the normal value for industrial cultured pearls; “wild” stones have thicker layers.

Putting the magnifying glass aside, you can bring real pearls under the watchful magnifying eye of a microscope, you will be able to thoroughly examine the surface, and certainly recognize colored plastic or glass. A real bead will be covered with small flakes of shiny mother-of-pearl, in contrast to the smooth paintwork of a fake.

However, this method also does not provide 100% guarantees; on planet Earth there are craftsmen who grind fish scales into pearlescent dust and apply layer by layer on an artificial base using modern plasticizers; such an ornamental stone looks very natural, even under a microscope.

Violation of the top layer or slight “scratching”

This method will help identify a gross fake. If you run your fingernail over the colored enamel of a shameless fake, you will find shards of dust under your nail and a visible groove on the bead. Pearl behaves differently, it will not yield to a simple nail, and even if some tiny thing is scraped off the stone, you can rub the pearl and it will become the same, without damage.

Appeal to professionals

There is a special device – a jewelry tomograph, it is found in scientific laboratories and large jewelry workshops. The device helps to determine:

• origin of pearls: cultured pearls have a clear-cut core; in nature it is impossible to establish the contours of a foreign particle; a clear and even pearlescent layer of imitation is immediately visible;
• saltwater or freshwater pearls in front of you, seawater pearls have a high manganese content.

As you can see, determining the authenticity of a stone is not so easy. Not every specialist is able to distinguish imitation from natural stone, cultivation from natural origin, at a glance.

The most adequate solution to the problem is to buy jewelry in a specialized store. A large company will not disgrace itself by stuffing counterfeits. An impeccable reputation earned over the years is valued much more than immediate benefits.

DAME closely monitors product quality; real pearls are produced from reliable suppliers from Japan, China, Australia and French Polynesia.

• How to clean pearls;
• Pearl quality.

So, first, remember one wonderful rule: beautiful and high-quality natural or cultured pearls won’t be cheap. The only exception to this rule is the baroque type of mother-of-pearl.

Baroque or baroque is a natural or cultured pearl that has an irregular (non-spherical) shape. To make it easier to imagine, remember the pearl necklaces that are often sold at sea. The beads of this decoration have different shapes and are strung on a thread in a random, chaotic order, in other words, it is clear that everything that came to hand was put on the thread without going overboard. Such decoration will be completely inexpensive and affordable for absolutely everyone.

Accuracy of manufacture and weight are the most striking distinguishing features of real mother-of-pearl beads.

For comparison, remember pearl jewelry in famous jewelry stores: they are clearly distinguished by careful manufacturing. In this product, the beads are carefully selected in color and shape. Often, the selection and stringing of pearls is done by hand, which is why the cost of jewelry is much higher than the market price. However, today on an ordinary counter they mainly display necklaces made of the same baroque pearls, only well sorted out from marriage. But ideally shaped pearls can be found in very expensive stores or on special orders.

Another obvious way to spot deception. Consider your jewelry: if you see that the bead of your pearl product seems consists of two halves, which are soldered or glued together, then this is clearly a fake, and of very poor quality. Such jewelry most often costs no more than 200 rubles and is classified as cheap jewelry. On good quality jewelry you will not see any gross flaws. As scientists say: “Nature loves smooth lines.”

How to check whether pearls are natural or fake at home

If, for example, you have pearl beads and you want to understand whether they are natural or not, then you can compare jewelry weight with a mass of necklace made of real mother of pearl. How to do this if you don’t have a reference product at home?

The most effective way to check your jewelry is to consult a gemologist (an expert in assessing minerals).

Go to a regular jewelry store and find pearl beads similar in length to yours. Compare both decorations by weight simply on your hand or ask a wonderful saleswoman to do this on special scales. This way you can clearly understand the difference in the products. The weight of real pearls is considerable, but fakes made from ordinary plastic will weigh much less.

Method number 3: look at it by eye

Experts say that no two identical pearls can be found in nature. So just look closely look at your pearls. If they are very, very similar to each other, then you have a fake in your hands. And if the mother-of-pearl is at least a little different, then with a greater degree of probability you have a piece of jewelry made of real pearls in your arsenal. And even if all the beads are equally even, there will still be at least a small sign that will distinguish them from each other.

Method No. 4: examine the surface of the jewelry under a microscope

This is one of the fun ways, but very effective. Lightly rub your pearl on tooth. If the bead is real, then you will hear a specific creak, but if it is plastic, then there will be no sounds. Jewelry was checked in this way in ancient times, since our ancestors did not have the opportunity to conduct any laboratory research. The result is fast and high quality.

Method number 7: friction method

To implement this method, carefully rub two pearls together: Natural pearls have a certain elasticity, so the surface is sure to resist the movement of your fingers. You should definitely feel the adhesion of the surfaces of the two beads. And the artificial plastic version will slide easily.

Method number 8: ask store clerks

One of the best ways to avoid making a mistake in a store is to ask the seller in detail about the origin of the jewelry, the manufacturing plant, and review all documents, which accompany the jewelry and tag. The documentation will always contain information about the method and place of production of the jewelry, as well as about the inserts that are present in it. If the seller cannot provide you with any documents, then there is only one option: run away from there.

How to distinguish cultured pearls from real ones

The first and easiest way is again the price. Natural, ideally shaped pearl products are incredibly expensive. And most affordable jewelry stores mostly sell cultured varieties.

Another effective (albeit rather complicated) method is place the pearl in an electromagnetic field. If the nacre is cultured, then the bead will turn in a certain way towards the magnetic lines of force. If you have a truly beautiful pearl, then no fields will affect it, and it will remain motionless. Why is this happening? Simply, in accordance with the manufacturing technology, cultured pearls have a core of non-natural origin – usually a metal ball.

And if you’re careful crush the bead from the jewelry and examine it from the inside, having found or not found such a ball, it will be possible to accurately answer about the “cultivated” past of the beauty. Of course, this method involves destroying the pearl, but if suddenly it was not broken on purpose, for example, someone accidentally dropped a cabinet or chair on it, then this method is quite useful.

Of course, if you don’t believe any of the home remedies, then you can consult a gemologist, a professional who evaluates minerals. This specialist will take your pearl, place it in a special apparatus and literally in a few minutes will be able to tell you whether your pearl is real or not, and how it was obtained. This method is, without a doubt, the best and most accurate, but you will have to pay a specialist for his work, and your own craving for research will not be satisfied.