What is the difference between pearls and pearls?
Dear customers, our store in St. Petersburg in the Nevsky Atrium shopping center is closed! We are working at a new address: Vladimirsky Prospekt, 19, Vladimirsky Passage shopping center, Dostoevskaya metro station, Vladimirskaya metro station, 1st floor, Central Gallery, boutique 1G2. Share
Read more about cultured pearls. Cultured pearls are used to make jewelry all over the world. Nowadays, “wild” pearls, which ancient divers dug out from sea shells, are practically no longer mined. And, if such a stone is still found, it is sold at auction, for fabulous money. 
Since the invention of a production method for growing pearls, the ancient craft has lost its meaning. Now mother-of-pearl stone is produced on special farms. Only special animals, mollusks of the genus Pinctada, Pinna. They are considered most suitable for industrial work. 
Who came up with the idea of culturing pearls?
Pearls are incredibly popular in Japan. The photo shows the wedding decoration of the bride’s head. At the end of the 19th century, a group of scientists was engaged in research; it was necessary to find the most profitable method of cultivation. One of the scientists was Kokichi Mikimoto, it was his technology that was recognized as the most convenient and rational. In 1900, he registered a patent for obtaining spherical pearls by culture. 
The planned production of natural pearls on an industrial scale is based on a simple manipulation – inserting an implant into the body of a mollusk and waiting. To obtain a commercial grade, the stone must be in the body of a sea animal for 2-3 years; to grow larger pearls, they wait 5-6 years or even 12. 
What determines the cost of pearls
- pea size;
- on the thickness and quality of the mother-of-pearl layer;
- origin of the stone (marine/freshwater).
The special glow of natural pearls is characterized by a parameter – iridescence, when rays of light pass through the transparent upper layers and, when refracted, give a rainbow glow. A high indicator indicates that this is a high quality stone. When looking at the surface of the jewelry, it appears as if you are seeing the inner nucleolus.
Naturally, the size of a pearl is a determining indicator of its value:
- the minimum price is given for peas less than 3 mm;
- medium, most often used in products – 5-6 mm;
- 7-8 mm is already a large pearl;
- stones over 8 mm in diameter are considered exclusive and are used to make expensive jewelry.
Cultured pearls from the deep sea are considered the most valuable; their price is sometimes 5-6 times higher than freshwater pearls. Sea stones have a high rate of iridescence and a thick mother-of-pearl layer.
What’s in our store
At Pearl Shop you will find jewelry made from sea and freshwater cultured pearls. We cooperate only with trusted suppliers, therefore we guarantee high quality pearls and their natural origin. You can order earrings, rings, bracelets, pendants from us at an affordable price, beautifully crafted by our experienced jewelers!
Of the natural gifts used in jewelry, natural pearls stand out for their unique original beauty, as well as durability, versatility and even unique healing properties.
Pearl jewelry is highly valued. Previously, when jewelry technology had not yet reached modern heights, rings, pendants, brooches decorated with mother-of-pearl beads were available only to very wealthy people. Such products were considered items of true luxury.
To this day, pearls obtained naturally have a high value. However, this unique raw material has alternatives that are more affordable.
With an untrained eye, it is difficult to distinguish a natural pearl from an artificial one. But if you want to purchase a truly high-quality product with all its inherent characteristics, it is simply necessary to know the differences between these materials.
Natural wild and cultured pearls
If we consider the use and properties of the material, which nature itself worked to create, and pearls created by man, then in all respects, except, perhaps, price, victory will go to the “wild” contender. But it must be said that it is not easy to purchase products with this type of pearl today.
The fact is that a pearl formed in the natural environment is very rare. They are obtained as a result of the penetration of a foreign body into the mollusk, around which a special pearlescent material begins to grow. This process takes years. The shape of such pearls is rarely correct.
Considering the peculiarities of the appearance of this material in nature, people have learned to launch this process on purpose. The introduction of a foreign particle into the body of a mollusk occurs intentionally. And then the process proceeds in exactly the same way as in nature.
People learned to obtain pearls in this way back in the 20th century. The enterprising Japanese Kokichi Mikimoto conducted about XNUMX experiments and eventually filed a patent for a unique cultivation method by grafting oysters. The basis of the cultivation technique remains virtually unchanged to this day.
Artificial species
In the two extraction methods discussed above, natural pearls are obtained, that is, those that were created through the efforts of a mollusk. The difference is that in nature the creation process is started randomly, but in cultivation it is intentional.
But today you can buy pearls that have nothing to do with mollusks. These are so-called artificial pearls. The core of such beads is made of synthetic materials and is sometimes covered with a layer of mother-of-pearl. The first imitation was done by the Romans in the 15th century.
Since then, technology has made great strides, so today only professionals can distinguish a high-quality fake from a natural pearl. It is almost impossible to do this with the naked eye of a person far from jewelry art.
One of the finest examples is Majorica. This species has been created on the island of Mallorca for more than a century.
The manufacturing technology is based on creating an alabaster or porcelain round base and covering it with the thinnest layer of mother-of-pearl. After this, synthetic pearls are coated with a special compound to ensure the stability of the top layer.
The result of painstaking work are velvety large beads that are very reminiscent of natural pearls.
Paris also has its own manufacturing method. It appeared in the 17th century and is used in modern production. The basis for the beads are glass beads. They are filled with colored paraffin or wax.
In Venice, artificial pearl beads are created using a similar technique. The difference is that pearl dust is added to the glass balls.
The most advanced technology is the American “shell” technique. Today it is used all over the world. The base ball is coated with a polymer varnish containing admixtures of lead carbonate, titanium oxide, and mica. The result is impressive.
Differences between natural and artificial pearls
Despite the abundance of creation technologies, real pearls will always be the most valuable. Special methods have been developed to distinguish a fake from the original. Even beginners can master them.
Therefore, we offer the simplest of them to your attention so that you can check what exactly you are purchasing – jewelry with real pearls or a modern, high-quality imitation.
So, here are a few ways to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones:
- Price. This is the first criterion that will help you draw conclusions about what exactly they are offering you – real pearls or imitation ones. The original cannot be cheap. Its cost will always be higher than the price of a similar imitation product.
- Weight. Natural pearls are heavier than artificial ones. The thing is that the beads that the mollusks worked on are many layers of mother-of-pearl applied around the smallest particle. And man-made beads are hollow inside or filled with substances lighter than mother-of-pearl.
- Testing by heart. This method has been known for a very long time. True, you will hardly be allowed to use it in a jewelry store. It involves squeezing the pearl with your teeth. Natural ones will make a slight squeak, but synthetic ones will not. For those who have already dealt with this material, simply knock the pearl on your teeth. The sound from contact with natural and artificial material will be different.
- Drop test. If you release a real pearl from a height of about 50 cm, it will jump when it touches the ground. This is due to its density. The situation will not be the same with artificially created beads. A bead released from a height of 50 cm will simply fall and not jump into the air.
- Friction. If you rub natural pearls against each other, they will be scratched a little, pearl dust will appear, but then the scratches will smooth out and cease to be noticeable. If you do the same with a pair of imitation beads, then a layer of mother-of-pearl will simply come off from them, and the scratches will not cease to be noticeable over time.
- Appearance. Like everything that is created by nature, each real pearl is unique. Among them it is impossible to find two absolutely identical specimens. This is one of the signs on which the method of distinguishing real pearls is based.
- Under a microscope. If you examine the surface of a natural material under magnification, the appearance of mother-of-pearl scales will become clear. Artificial materials have an absolutely smooth surface.
- Chemical experiments. Natural material dissolves in vinegar. This, of course, is an extreme method of checking authenticity, however, it is reliable, because vinegar will not cause much harm to artificial materials.
- Professionals can determine the origin by its shine. To an experienced eye, no special checks are required for this. Natural pearls shine evenly and deeply, while imitations are more faded.
Of course, the most correct way to determine the origin of a material is to contact professionals, as well as purchase jewelry from trusted and reliable stores.
When choosing pearl jewelry from us, you do not have to worry about being deceived.
