How to distinguish real pearls from fakes. How to quickly distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones What real pearls look like

Are you thinking about buying pearl jewelry? Or maybe you inherited such jewelry? There are several simple ways to check the authenticity of pearls in just a few minutes. Learn how to recognize real pearls now and you'll never buy a fake again.

Steps

Visual inspection

Please note minor defects. As stated above, real pearls are rare perfect. As a rule, real pearls have an irregular shape. In addition, the top layer of pearls reflects light differently onto different areas of the pearl. Cultured pearls are often “too perfect.” It has a perfect spherical shape, is shiny over the entire surface and has no dents or other flaws.

Check to see if the pearls have a healthy shine. Jewelers refer to the reflection of light on a gemstone as brilliance. The sparkle of pearls is what makes them so beautiful. High-quality pearls have a bright, clean shine that appears when light hits its surface. If you look closely, you will see your own reflection on the surface of the pearl.

Pay attention to the glare. High-quality pearls are often especially valued for their reflections, that is, subtle shades that appear when light hits the outer surface of the pearl. Cultured pearls generally do not have this effect, which is why pearls are so difficult to fake. This means it is most likely real if it appears slightly darkened under the lighting. Pink and ivory are the most common shades of white pearls, although there are many other shades such as black.

• Although the color of some pearls is quite difficult to determine, this Not definitely means the pearls are fake.

1. Look for signs of authenticity around the hole in the pearl. Pearls on a string or necklace often have a hole for threading through. Inspecting this hole will help you determine if the pearl is real. Here are some important aspects to pay attention to:

   Look into the hole to see if there is a line between the outer pearlescent layer and the core. Real pearls almost always have a clear outer nacre layer, while fake pearls often have few or no layers of faux nacre. If your pearl has a hole, you can check to see if it has an inner nacre layer by looking through it with a magnifying glass. Real pearls usually (but not always) have a distinct line separating the top nacre layer from the core (the inner part of the pearl).

   Try an x-ray check. This authentication method is performed by a specialist using an x-ray. Under X-ray irradiation, real stones will take on a translucent gray tint. Fake stones will appear white in the negative and black in the positive.

   Try a refractometer test. This is a highly accurate test that shows the level of light refraction on the pearl, which helps determine whether it is real. The normal level of refraction of light (also known as “refraction”) is 1.530 and 1.685. The difference between these two values ​​(0.155) is called "double refraction", which affects how the pearl looks in the light. These qualities indicate that the pearl is more likely to be authentic.

Checking using the senses of touch

Rub the pearls between your front teeth. Take one or two pearls with your thumb and forefinger and gently bite them with your front teeth. Rub them between your teeth in a side-to-side motion. Real pearls are usually slightly rough and has sandy texture with minor irregularities on the upper pearlescent layer. Fake pearls are made from glass or plastic, so they almost perfectly smooth.

• Before starting this test, it is recommended to brush your teeth. Leftover food eaten the day before will lead to inaccurate results.

1. Rub the pearls against each other. Take a few pearls with your fingers and gently rub them together. Feel a slight sensation of friction. Real pearls typically produce little frictional force when they touch each other due to the fact that their outer nacre layer is not perfectly smooth. On the other hand, fake pearls are often smooth to the touch, so they slip when rubbed against each other.

   Take a closer look at the shape of the pearl. Since pearls are natural formations, each real pearl is unique, like snowflakes or fingerprints. Most pearls are not ideal in shape - they are usually slightly oblong or have small defects. If your pearl is perfectly round, there is a possibility that it is a fake.

   Check how cool the pearls are to the touch. For this test, you will need a few extra pearls - not the ones you are wearing. Hold the pearls in your hand and concentrate on the sensations. Real pearls will be slightly cooler to the touch before they start to heat up in your hand. It feels like stepping on a marble floor barefoot.

People are always interested in how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, because there is often a huge range in prices. Searching for a good product takes quite a lot of time, and this is especially difficult for buyers who are not familiar with jewelry of this type. How to find out if a pearl is real will be discussed in the article.

Pearl

To understand how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, you need to know about the existence of cultured and artificial minerals. Natural is a great rarity.

People who do not know enough information about this mineral want to understand how to quickly distinguish natural pearls. It will be quite difficult to do this if you do not have sufficient knowledge about the varieties of pearls. All of them are presented below.

"Wild"

Cultivated

Some tips on how to distinguish real pearls from artificial ones are given below, but first you need to understand the characteristics of the cultured mineral. It is obtained in the same way as the “wild” one, but the difference between them is that during cultivation, the implant-irritant is intentionally introduced into the body of the oyster.

This technology originated in Japan around the 19th century. After conducting as many as 20 experiments, a specialist named Kokichi Mikimoto patented a method of grafting oysters, which is still actively used today.

Artificial

This type of pearl differs from the previous one in that mollusks do not take part in its appearance. These beads are the result of human creation. It is worth noting that even when the synthetic core is coated with natural mother-of-pearl, the pearl remains artificial in any case.

The very first fake pearls were created in Rome in the 15th century. Since then, technologies have been improved, and the artificial mineral is hidden under all sorts of names.

Professionals know exactly how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, but it is almost impossible for beginners to do this quickly, because skills in this area have to be developed over years.

"Majorica"

This variety is one of the most beautiful and widespread. Majorica pearls are sometimes also called “orchid”. It has been created for about 120 years on the well-known island of Mallorca. First, a porcelain or alabaster ball is made, and then it is covered with a thin layer of mother-of-pearl, after which it is further treated with cellulose acetate or nitrocellulose to ensure durability.

The finished beads are quite round and velvety, so it is almost impossible to distinguish them from natural pearls. It looks great in artificial light.

Parisian and Venetian

The technology for making French (Parisian) pearls originated in the early 17th century. It is still actively used today. The beads are made from blown glass and then filled with wax or colored paraffin.

Venetian technology is quite similar to the method of making French pearls, and therefore is no less popular. In this case, the balls are also formed from blown glass, but with the addition of pearl dust and wax.

Rakushechny

This technology is the most modern. It was developed in the USA and is famous in all corners of the planet. Layers of varnish are applied to the mother-of-pearl ball, which consists of a mixture of polymers, as well as mica and lead carbonate.

12 ways to distinguish natural pearls

Today, professionals have developed several methods to help distinguish a natural mineral. After familiarizing yourself with them, the question of how to distinguish real pearls from artificial ones will no longer frighten beginners.

So, here are the main ways to distinguish natural goods:

1. Price. First of all, you should pay attention to the price of the product. The low cost for natural pearls is unacceptable, although some scammers can sell fakes at a higher price than natural pearls.
2. Weight. A natural pearl has more weight because it consists exclusively of mother-of-pearl, but an artificial one contains lighter materials.
3. Test. Since ancient times, a well-known way to distinguish a fake is to “test it.” If you run your teeth over a pearl, a natural stone will creak, but a fake one will not make a sound. If you already have experience in distinguishing pearls, then you can knock them on your teeth - real and artificial ones will give different sensations.
4. Height. When dropped from a height of about half a meter, a real stone will bounce off the surface, while artificial pearls will simply fall without moving, which is explained by different densities.
5. Mechanics. Owners can easily check the stones present in it using friction. If you rub a pair of pearls against each other with minimal pressure until they form, small scratches will remain on the natural one, which disappear quite quickly, while the layer of mother-of-pearl will simply be erased from the fake one.
6. Comparison. In addition to the previous method, necklace owners can check the pearls using comparison. Natural stones are individual and not similar to all others, so there should not be identical pearls in the jewelry.
7. Inspection. A rather interesting way for novice scientists is to look at a pearl through a microscope. A natural one will have a clearly visible scaly surface, while a fake one will be uniform.
8. Chemistry. If you have several pearls that you don’t mind experimenting with, you can place them first in acetone and then in vinegar. In the first case, the natural stone does not dissolve, but in the second, on the contrary, it disintegrates quite quickly.
9. Shine. A real pearl differs from a fake one by its uniform and deep shine, which for professionals is visible to the naked eye. If the pearls are dull, then this indicates their artificiality or low quality, so you should not purchase such a product.
10. Hole. You need to carefully consider the place where the hole is drilled. Cracks will not form in a natural pearl, since it has a high density, but a fake pearl will have a lot of chips visible around the edges.
11. Field. Place a pearl in an electromagnetic field, a natural one will remain motionless, and a cultured one will begin to roll. This is explained by the fact that inside the fake there is a special ball made of a material that reacts to an electromagnetic field.
12. Specialist. The most reliable way at any time was to contact a specialist - a gemologist. Using a special X-ray machine, he will quickly determine the originality and quality of the jewelry.

Now we know how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, so you can safely go to the store and purchase a decent product that you won’t be ashamed to show off to others.

Pearl jewelry is always in trend, and every fashionista should have one in her collection. Beads have special energy and can attract good luck, love and joy. But only natural pearls have such properties, and in order not to get into trouble by buying a fake, it would be useful to learn how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones.

Before we talk about determining the authenticity of pearls, we need to understand what types of pearls there are. Thus, natural beads are understood to be beads of organic origin, which are formed exclusively in a mollusk shell, in contrast to fake ones. Please note that it is absolutely not important how the speck got inside it, which became the basis of the future bead. In the 21st century, pearls are obtained on special farms that breed mollusks and manually insert specks or small beads into the shells, which after a few years turn into unique pearls. In terms of their properties, cultured beads are not inferior to the so-called wild pearls.

Jewelry made from natural pearls has always been valued by lovers of beauty.

Depending on the place of origin, river pearls, sea pearls, and a special variety called Aikoya differ. which is mined in the seas near the Japanese islands. They differ in size, shape, depth of shine and color. Thus, the rarest and most expensive are blue beads, followed by pink and black ones. And the most common are beige and milky pearls.

Beads cost

The pricing range for pearl jewelry is quite wide; the cost of a rare necklace with history can reach several million dollars, while in online stores you can find a string of pearls for a few dollars. Natural pearls cannot cost less than $20, and even then for that kind of money you will only be offered a thin string of river pearls. But large saltwater pearls of an unusual color will cost you about 10 thousand dollars.
Anything that costs less is imitation pearls.

External parameters

One of the options for checking whether a pearl is real or not is to inspect the bead. Natural pearls of organic origin will never be in perfect shape. Over the course of many years, the mollusk envelops a grain of sand in layers of mother-of-pearl, so each bead is unique and has its own pattern. If the bead is even and smooth, most likely this is a product artificially created from plastic, glass, or paraffin. Launch any pearl over a flat surface; a natural one will slowly turn over, while a fake one will roll away in a matter of seconds.

You can even notice the shape of the beads in the photo. If the thread is uneven, the pearls themselves will be somewhat oblong or asymmetrical in shape, then you have natural pearls.

By the way, now it is more than possible to find pearls of almost ideal shape, since the owners of shellfish farms have studied where exactly the speck needs to be placed in order to form a round bead. But the distinctive feature of such a product, given its rarity, is its inflated cost.

A good way to tell if a pearl is real or fake is to hold the bead up to the light.. If you notice a gentle glow and you can see your reflection on the surface, then this is an original. The artificial product will fade somewhat and its shine will be dull. By the way, shine is one of the main criteria by which a pearl is evaluated. When exposed to the rays of the sun, the bead should play from transparent to bluish, casting all the colors of the rainbow when turned over. But black pearls are an exception; they have no shine at all, their peculiarity is precisely in color.

A natural pearl is formed in a mollusk shell

Tactile check

You can check the authenticity of pearls at home by touch:

1. Tooth test. Try a bead on your tooth. A natural product should be rough and uneven, whereas an imitation product will slide off.
2. Graters. For this experiment you will need two beads; you need to rub them against each other. If you have pollen or grains of sand left on your fingers, congratulations, as pearls are natural. The fake will either slide against one another, or you will have remnants of the mother-of-pearl coating that covered the plastic bead on your hands.
3. Heat dissipation. You need to take the bead in your palm and hold it for several minutes. A natural pearl will not change its temperature and will still remain cool, while an artificial pearl will quickly heat up from the warmth of your hand.
4. Weight. The first suspicions about the authenticity of the stones may arise as soon as you pick up the jewelry. Natural pearls are quite weighty, so the average weight of one bead ranges from 50 to 200 milligrams; a string of 40 medium-sized pearls will weigh at least 40 grams. The cost of the product is directly related to the mass parameters, that is, the heavier the pearl, the more expensive it is.

Detailed inspection

A proven way to identify real pearls is to examine the hole in the bead under a magnifying glass. The structure of the bead itself is heterogeneous, multi-spherical. in the center a grain of sand or another body should be visible, around which layer after layer of mother-of-pearl was gradually applied. Faux pearls will not have such layers. The structure is homogeneous, and on top you can discern a layer of mother-of-pearl varnish applied.

As for the hole itself and its edges, after a short period of use of the product, artificial pearls will crumble and wear out, while natural pearls are durable.

Types of natural pearls

Home laboratory

You can also check the authenticity of a pearl experimentally:

1. If you let a bead fall onto the floor, it will definitely bounce off the surface, whereas an artificial bead will simply roll.
2. Please note that natural jewelry, after a short stay in salt water, will shine with redoubled force, while imitation jewelry will not react to this procedure in any way.
3. Take a knitting needle and scratch the pearl a little. Then wipe the surface with a piece of felt. The way the pearls look after all the manipulations can tell whether they are genuine or fake. If the scratch remains, you have artificial pearls in front of you.
4. You can check the authenticity of pearls with a bite or a glass of wine. Place the bead in this liquid, and after a few days you will be able to ascertain its loss. Genuine pearls will completely dissolve in an acidic environment, while fake pearls will not change at all.
5. To identify a fake, you need to press on the bead. Such strength exercises will not harm a natural pearl, but a glass fake will crumble into small pieces.

It is not advisable to judge the authenticity of pearl jewelry based on one selected criterion. It is important to take into account several parameters; remember that a quality product cannot cost a penny. When choosing jewelry on websites or in jewelry stores, ask for a quality certificate, which will indicate the origin of the pearl and its parameters. Remember that large beads, weighing more than 200 milligrams, are mined exclusively in marine areas. Freshwater pearls with a pleasant pricing policy will be about 5 milligrams.

In this article:

Jewelry with pearls will always be in trend, and all because this gemstone has absorbed all the energy and mystery of the sea! A product with pearls emphasizes the youth and sophistication of a woman, so the demand for such accessories will never be low. However, the purchase of pearls can be overshadowed by the fact that the jewelry may not be made with natural stones, but with imitations, the price of which is several times lower than the cost of real pearls. How to check whether pearls are real or not? Perhaps this question interests all admirers of precious accessories.

Natural pearls

Differences: What should you know?

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, humanity has been growing pearls on oyster farms. This approach makes it possible to increase the volume of pearl production, as well as protect the aquatic ecosystem from the mass death of mollusks in whose shells pearls mature. By the way, such pearls are called cultured and it is incorrect to define them as a fake, since a mollusk is involved in the formation of such a stone.

As for artificial pearls, they are entirely the fruit of human labor. To make a fake, thin plastic, glass, pearlescent paint, paraffin and other materials are enough. Upon examination, it is unlikely that it will be possible to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, which is what unscrupulous jewelry sellers take advantage of by offering fake pearls at the cost of a natural gemstone.

How to recognize imitation?

To distinguish natural pearls from fakes, the main thing is to know what properties the gemstone has:

There are methods that cannot be used to test pearls, since this stone does not react well to high humidity, aggressive chemicals, dryness, etc. These methods include heating the beads, applying acids and other potent substances to them.

When purchasing products with pearls, you should first of all pay attention to their cost, and if it is below the market price, then the product is of dubious quality. It is also worth remembering that many fraudulent sellers offer pearls with a beautiful exotic name, for example, “Majorca” (“Majorica”). It would do well for every person to know that Majorica pearls are the most popular counterfeit gemstone. If a person sets out to purchase jewelry with natural pearls, then he is recommended to choose products in a well-known jewelry boutique that has a brilliant reputation among customers.

Real natural pearls are extremely rare and cost incredible amounts of money. Upon purchase, you will receive a warranty certificate. If we talk about cultured pearls, then these are pearls grown under artificial conditions and they are practically indistinguishable from the real thing - for this it is necessary to conduct a gemological examination. This is what they talk about when they mean real pearl products; these are the pearls that jewelers use. But there is imitation pearls; as a rule, this is what we see so often on store shelves. Products made from it are called costume jewelry, and cannot be called jewelry. Imitation pearls first appeared in the 16th century in France. Empty balls were made from iridescent glass and filled with a paste made from bleak fish scales. The cavity was filled with wax.

In the 20th century, methods of imitation diversified; glass, celluloid, gelatin, and mother-of-pearl pastes began to be used. Today, the largest producer of such pearls is the Majorica company, located in Spain.

Externally, imitation pearls are very similar to real ones. How to distinguish an original from a fake?
Pearls have a cold property, so they always remain cool. It is heavy, noticeably heavier than the imitation. Its surface is slightly rough, with visible granular structures and growth layers. You can look at the hole in the pearl, the inside of a fake pearl is darker than the outside. In the area of ​​the hole you can see traces of paint and subtle chips of glass.
This is about the outside.

But differences can also be identified by the physical properties of pearls. The most basic way is to run a pearl across your teeth. Real pearls will make a creaking sound. Another option is to run it across the glass. Both real and fake pearls will leave a mark on the glass. But if the second one rubs, then the first one will remain safe and sound. You will get the same result when rubbing pearls against each other. Pearl dust will appear between them, but the surface will not be damaged. If you bring a flame to natural pearls for a couple of seconds, it will not even heat up. You can probably guess what will happen to the plastic fake.

Some experts claim that artificial and even cultured pearls can be identified in one of the following ways:

1) Throw the ball over a flat, smooth surface. Natural pearls will bounce, but artificial pearls will remain on the surface;

2) Make a hole in a dense opaque material, with a diameter slightly smaller than the pearl under study, which must be attached to this hole. Bring the sheet to a bright light, under which the dark core of a cultured pearl or a thin luminous layer of nacre is visible;

3) In an electromagnetic field, a cultured pearl will move, occupying a certain position, while natural pearls will remain in place;

4) Under ultraviolet rays, natural pearls glow blue, and artificial pearls glow green.