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Fake pearls. Differences between natural and artificial pearls

When buying a piece of pearl jewelry, doubts are always plagued, but do they offer me to buy real pearls?

How to understand that he is real?

Now we will tell you about a few simple folk ways to check this.

But let's make a reservation that we will choose among any glass and plastic "slag" pearls either of natural origin, or cultured, that is, grown artificially, which is also good. Since cultivated it is not much different from the present in its composition and properties.

But true pearl connoisseurs know that only natural pearls have a unique deep and rich luster, which cultured pearls are not able to repeat. Such a pearl glows as if from the inside, and not just shimmers and sparkles. A true pearl has a clear contrast between the lightest layer and the darkest shade, which creates an incredible effect of pearlescent deep iridescence.

But we got a little distracted. Let's continue our topic.

1. Per tooth

The method is very simple, only in contrast to identifying fake gold coins, we will not gnaw on pearls, but simply by holding the pearl along the surface of the tooth. We need to feel the characteristic creak. If the pearl, as it were, clings to the tooth enamel, then it can be real.

2. "Bouncer"

All of you remember that once small colored balls appeared on sale, which bounced so that it was sometimes impossible to catch them. So, a similar property is inherent in real pearls. It is enough to toss the pearl over a hard, even surface and watch the reaction of an unsuspecting jewel. From fierce indignation, a real pearl will jump up and down for a long time, while a fake, on the contrary, will jump up 2-3 times and calm down.

3. Looking for a kernel

If the pearl has a hole, then, armed with a tenfold magnifying glass, you can see in the center of the studied nucleus of the seed and the surface layer in the form of a dark strip, which, as it were, separates the nucleus from the surface. These are cultured, cultured pearls.

4. Let there be light!

We can call on the light to help us! To do this, we will arm ourselves with a double-sided dark (opaque) sheet of paper and a glowing fluorescent lamp. Let's make a small hole on a piece of paper, which will be slightly smaller in diameter than a pearl. Then we bring the leaf with the pearl to the light. The pearl should be located between the light source and the observer. Looking closer, you can see a luminous mother-of-pearl 2mm "aura" on a sheet of paper and a dark core. Before us is cultured pearls.

5. Eyed microscope

Thanks to such a high-precision "companion", you can thoroughly study the pearl. A real pearl will show the scaly surface of the mother-of-pearl layers of the "creator" of this beauty - the mollusk. True, this method does not always turn out to be accurate, since they create a fake made of glass or plastic, which is covered with ground fish scales, mixed in varnish or plastic essence. The surface of such a copy will also be relatively uneven.

6. Appearance

Just consider cheating. If it has perfectly smooth sides, perfectly round, then you have a brazen and shameless camouflaged liar in your hands.

7. "Let's scratch the bottom of the barrel"

Yes, yes ... we have to scrape. To do this, you can take two silent "partisans" and rub them against each other. If some fragments fell from the “pearls”, then we have before us a piece of glass or plastic covered with colored enamel.

Another way is to simply run your fingernail over the pearl, real pearls will remain unharmed, but unscrupulous copies of it will either lose part of their mother-of-pearl camouflage, or receive an incurable "wound" in the form of a groove from your nail.

8. "Like an achtiander to the bottom!"

Let's conduct an experiment: we lower the subject into a sufficiently dense liquid (2.7 g / cm3). If she is a pearl "witch", then she will not drown; if she is a fake, then she will rest at the bottom of the sea. Real pearls are dense, but light enough not to sink to the bottom.

9. Shine like stars

In order to check the quality of pearls, you can examine the pearlescent reflections using a light gray sheet of paper. Place the pearls on a leaf and roll them a little. High-quality pearls have a uniform, multifaceted and uninterrupted shine, smoothly passing from light to darker shades.

More serious testing is carried out thanks to X-rays, which can identify cultured pearls with a 100% guarantee.

Real pearls are always certified, and jewelry stores must have a document confirming this. ... It is issued by a reputable laboratory in which this kind of analysis was carried out.

But do not forget that any piece of paper, if desired, can be forged.

We have listed far from all the methods, some will help distinguish real pearls from cheap plastic fakes. Only specialists can identify a fake and determine the quality and price of real pearls with a 100% guarantee.

Well, from what is described above you can try your hand, so as not to come across a fake "slag". Now we can say that you know how to distinguish real pearls from fake.

how to identify natural pearls

When we purchase pearl jewelry, we want to know the natural pearls in front of us or a fake. How can you tell natural from fake pearls? What are the ways to check its naturalness?

1. Pay attention to the price and weight of the pearls

If the price is very low, then most likely the pearls are not natural. Natural pearls weigh much heavier than fake ones. Imitation pearls are usually filled with wax or made hollow. Take a pearl in your hands and estimate its weight.

You can also test the naturalness of the pearl:

2. If you hold a pearl along the surface of your teeth, then a fine creak occurs, which creates a pearl.

3. If you throw a pearl from a distance of 0.5 m on the floor, then a natural pearl, in contrast to a fake, will bounce off the floor like a ball.

4. If two natural pearls are rubbed against each other until pearl powder is formed (scratches appear on the pearls). If you rub the pearl powder with your fingertips, then scratches leave the natural pearls, there is practically no visible damage. If the pearls are fake, then the top layer of mother-of-pearl is erased and another material can be seen inside.

5. If there are no separate pearls, but there is only a pearl necklace, then you should carefully examine all the pearls. There are no two identical pearls in nature. And even if in the necklace they seem to be even at first glance, on closer examination you will notice that they are all different from each other. In the case of a fake, all the "pearls" will be the same.

6. You can inspect with a large magnifying glass. The surface of natural pearls will look scaly, the surface of fake pearls will be uniform and even.

natural pearls

7. If you have individual pearls, then put the pearl in acetone, natural will not dissolve in acetone. You can do the same experiment with vinegar, natural pearls must dissolve in the vinegar.

Pay attention to the sparkle of pearls

8. Natural pearls have a deep, intense, uniform luster.

9. Pay attention to the places where pearls are drilled

Natural pearls do not chip in such places, unlike fake ones. Looking at the inner surface of a natural stone, you will see the same shiny pearls.

10. Another way is to place a pearl in an electromagnetic field (if there is such a possibility), a natural pearl in such a field will remain motionless. The fake one will turn and take its position along the ley lines.

One of the safest ways to take your pearls to a gemologist

11. Authentication is carried out on special equipment, after which a conclusion is given with a 100% guarantee of accuracy.

Pearls are one of the oldest precious stones. It is unique in that it has an organogenic origin. In natural, natural conditions, it is mined from the shell of a pearl mussel - a mollusk of a certain type (for each type of pearl - its own mollusk).

Due to the rarity and high cost of pearls, they are often imitated. Imitation pearls come in many varieties and are considered fake only if they are passed off as genuine, with a corresponding increase in price.

Gold vintage brooch with white mother-of-pearl and pearls

Let's figure out how to distinguish real pearls from artificial ones at home.

Terminology

To identify real pearls, you need to know which pearls are considered natural. It is divided into the following types:


Fake pearls are considered only imitation of stone, glass or plastic, less often a "Majorca" product, which is passed off as a natural expensive mineral.

Please note: cultured pearls are not fake!

Let's figure out how to check the authenticity of jewelry when buying.

Basic verification methods

You can check for authenticity at home using one of the methods described below or a combination of them.

Verification methods are divided into:

  • visual;
  • mechanical;
  • chemical-physical;
  • formal.

Let's figure out how to identify natural pearls with their help.

Visual inspection methods

These include assessing the appearance, color, shape, surface finish and weight of the pearl item.


 Pearl necklace

The shape of a natural gem is most often slightly irregular. Pearls are slightly elongated, elliptical, egg-shaped or pear-shaped. Perfectly round beads are rare, mostly used in earrings or rings. Most of them are cultivated. Wild spherical pearls are so expensive that they are auctioned off like large diamonds. Therefore, if you are offered spherical pearl beads for less than a few thousand rubles, this is a fake. Even cultured round pearls are not that cheap.

The color and shade of the bead can be white, pink, yellowish, silver, green, blue, purple, black. The farther from white (excluding yellow), and the brighter the color, the more expensive.

You can distinguish a real "gift of the sea" from a fake by the play of light: mother-of-pearl gives a specific play - overflows of pink, yellow and blue shades. This phenomenon is due to the interference of light, the beads seem to glow. This quality is not possessed by fake pearls and any imitations, except for Mallorca.

The surface texture of this mineral is uneven, slightly rough, it contains “spots” with a greater or lesser sheen. Natural pearls are characterized by color irregularities. By this sign, you can also distinguish a fake: its color is always the same.

If the bead is reamed, look under a magnifying glass at the edges near the hole. If a darker core is visible there, it is a fake. Also, at the hole, you can sometimes notice scratches on the paint or vice versa - its smudges. A 10x magnifier will help you distinguish even specks of dye.


 Sea pearls

Pearls, ennobled by radioactive radiation, acquire a dark gray or black color. In this way, imitations of valuable black sea pearls are made from cheap river pearls. It is only applicable to non-nuclear freshwater pearls. If you irradiate the sea, then the changes will affect only the nucleus, which will darken and begin to shine through the mother of pearl.

The mineral "ennobled" by X-ray is determined by its color - it acquires a metallic shade, unnatural for nature.

Also pay attention to weight. This way it is easier to check prefabricated items such as necklaces, beads or bracelets. They must have a sufficiently large mass, since pearls are a heavy mineral. The more beads on a string, the heavier the product. Plastic is much lighter than a natural mineral, in comparison with it it seems weightless. Glass is also lighter in weight.

Please note: this method does not work with imitations of black germanite pearls or pink coral pearls.

They are approximately equal in weight to or greater than a real seafood product. To find out a genuine product, you need to compare it by other parameters with any of the already tested ones.

Mechanical methods

They are based on the mechanical properties of this mineral. It is a dense substance with low hardness - up to 4 Mohs units. The low hardness allows you to check the pearls on the tooth - if you bite slightly, you will feel fine pearl powder on your tongue and teeth and hear a creak. This is a good way to identify natural pearls, but may not work in the case of Majorca.

The disadvantage of this, like some other mechanical methods, is that the experiment can only be carried out at home, on an already purchased piece of jewelry. A jewelry store won't allow you to do that.

The second mechanical method is friction. The beads must be rubbed against each other. Some pearlescent powder will appear. The method does not work with Mallorca, which is covered with true mother-of-pearl, albeit not by nature.


 Mechanical verification of pearls for authenticity

The third method is strength testing. The bead is dropped onto a hard surface. There will be minor impact marks on the natural one - scratches or bruises, which can be easily smoothed out with a finger. No damage will remain on the glass or plastic (exception - the glass will crack). In addition, lightweight plastic will bounce off the table like a ball, which will not happen with a pearl.

Chemical-physical

These methods of distinguishing a gem from a fake are based on some of the chemical properties of natural pearls.

For example, it has a low thermal conductivity, that is, it heats up very slowly. Beads or necklaces made of this stone remain cold for a long time even on human skin, while glass or plastic jewelry quickly heats up from body heat.


 Pearl beads

If you have doubts about the authenticity of the purchased jewelry, you can agree with a familiar radiologist and place it in an X-ray machine. This method should be carried out only on one bead from the entire string, since as a result of irradiation, it can change color to black. But the image allows you to distinguish the internal structure of the mineral - the number of layers, density, the presence of a core, and the like.

A harmless way of checking is to illuminate the bead with an ultraviolet lamp (for example, to check banknotes). A natural mineral will give a bluish glow, all imitations - green or none.

Also, if you put a pearl on fire, then nothing will happen to it in a couple of minutes. But the plastic will melt and ignite, and the glass will crack.

A 100% destructive control method is to place the pearl in vinegar. To do this, as for X-rays, you should choose only one bead from a thread, since the vinegar will dissolve it in a few minutes (depending on the size). If it's Mallorca, the glass core will remain. With an all-glass or plastic imitation, nothing will happen.

Formal

These are rather ways not to check, but to hedge against deception. The first is price. A natural mineral is expensive, for comparison: beads made from the least valuable white freshwater pearls of irregular shape will cost no less than 2-3 thousand rubles (depending on the length of the thread). The same is the price of one pearl of a quality imitation of the Mallorca brand with a caliber of 10-15 mm. A cultured round pearl with a diameter of 15 mm costs about one and a half thousand, but not rubles, but dollars, pear-shaped or elliptical - about a thousand overseas money.

You need to buy jewelry with this mineral only in the salons of well-known jewelry companies that value their reputation. For the product, you need to ask for a quality certificate or certificate.

They are always interested in how to distinguish natural from artificial pearls, because often there is a huge range of prices. The search for a good product takes a lot of time, and it is especially painful for buyers who are not familiar with jewelry of this type to worry about it. How to find out if a pearl is real will be described in the article.

Pearl

To understand how to distinguish natural from artificial pearls, you need to know about the existence of a cultured and artificial mineral. 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 of pearl varieties. All of them are presented below.

"Wild"

Cultivated

A few tips on how to distinguish real pearls from imitation pearls are given below, but first you need to understand the characteristics of the cultured mineral. It is obtained in the same way as "wild", but the difference between them lies in the fact that during cultivation, the implant-stimulus is introduced into the body of the oyster deliberately.

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 actively used to this day.

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 handiwork. It should be noted that even when the synthetic core is covered with natural mother-of-pearl, the pearl in any case remains artificial.

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

Professionals know exactly how to distinguish natural from artificial pearls, but it is almost impossible for beginners to do this quickly, because skills in this area take years to develop.

"Majorica"

This variety is one of the most beautiful and widespread. "Majorica" ​​pearls are sometimes also called "orchids". 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 additionally treated with cellulose acetate or nitrocellulose to ensure durability.

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 at the beginning of the 17th century. It is actively used to this day. Beads are created from blown glass and then filled with wax or colored paraffin.

Venetian technology is quite similar to the method of making French pearls, therefore it is equally popular. In this case, the balls are also formed from blown glass, but with the addition of pearl dust and wax.

Shell

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

12 ways to distinguish natural pearls

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

So, here are the main ways to distinguish a natural product:

  1. Price. First of all, you should pay attention to the price of the product. Low cost for natural pearls is unacceptable, although some scammers may sell fake pearls for more than natural mineral.
  2. The weight. A natural pearl has more weight, because it consists exclusively of mother-of-pearl, while artificial pearls contain lighter materials.
  3. Test. Since ancient times, a well-known way to distinguish a fake - "try it on the tooth". If you run your teeth over a pearl, then a natural stone will creak, while a fake one will not make a sound. If you already have experience in distinguishing pearls, then you can knock on the teeth with it - real and artificial will give different sensations.
  4. Height. When falling from a height of about half a meter, a real stone will bounce off the surface, and artificial pearls will simply fall without moving, which is explained by the different density.
  5. Mechanics. Owners can easily check the stones 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 quickly disappear, and the layer of mother-of-pearl will simply be erased from the fake.
  6. Comparison. In addition to the previous method, necklace wearers can check pearls using a comparison. Natural stones are individual and not like all the others, therefore, the jewelry should not come across the same pearls.
  7. Inspection. An interesting enough 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 homogeneous.
  8. Chemistry. If you have several pearls in stock that you do not mind experimenting with, then you can put 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 rather quickly.
  9. Shine. A real pearl differs from a fake one by a uniform and deep shine, which is visible to the naked eye for professionals. 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 will have a lot of chips around the edges.
  11. Field. Place a pearl in an electromagnetic field, the natural pearl will remain in an immovable position, and the cultured pearl will begin to roll. This is due to 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. With the help of a special translucent apparatus, he will quickly determine the originality and quality of the jewelry.

Now we know how to distinguish natural from artificial pearls, so you can safely go to the store and purchase a worthy product that you will not be ashamed to brag about in front of others.

Pearls are mesmerizingly beautiful - they attract the eye and captivate with the play of colors. Today you can buy faux pearls that look amazing, or you can buy natural ones that look less impressive. So why do you need to be able to distinguish real from fake pearls? This skill can be useful, for example, because jewelry is a good investment, and fakes, even very beautiful ones, can hardly be considered as such.

High quality natural pearls are valued significantly higher than plastic or glass imitations. Plus, real pearls, if properly cared for, can serve you (and your offspring) almost indefinitely. Fake pearls often crack and crumble rather quickly.

Natural versus artificial pearls

Both natural and cultured pearls can be very beautiful, but it is important for the buyer to know what exactly he is buying. In most cases, artificial pearls can be distinguished simply by their name - the price tag says that it is made of glass, resin, plastic, or that it is an imitation, or pearls made by human hands.

Natural pearls are of different types, the main of which are cultured and natural pearls. The first is grown on special farms, the second is mined in natural conditions, from the bottom of the sea or freshwater reservoirs. Today, natural pearls on the open market are rare and very expensive. Distinguish cultured pearls from natural can only be a specialist.

In addition, cultured pearls are on sale, coated with various dyes and varnishes - this is done to improve color and enhance shine. Sellers do not always inform buyers about the processing of the pearls they are selling. In addition, glass or plastic fakes are sometimes passed off as natural pearls. Below we will discuss the methods by which natural pearls can be distinguished from fake ones.

Destructive test

If you cut a pearl in half, you can easily establish its true origin. Natural pearls consists of many layers of nakra covering a tiny grain of sand. Cultured pearls have a mother-of-pearl core from a mollusk shell inside, implanted into the body of an oyster, covered with a thin layer of nakra (usually no more than half a millimeter or even thinner).

An imitation pearl consists of a core covered with several layers of varnish or paint, which tend to flake off if the bead is cut. Of course, to carry out such a test, you must be able to distinguish real mother-of-pearl from pearlescent glass (plastic and resin are much easier to distinguish). In addition, it is unlikely that the seller of the jewelry store will allow you to "open" the pearl.

X-ray

If you really need to find out whether real pearls have fallen into your hands or not, as well as to distinguish natural from cultured pearls, you will have to go to a specialist - preferably a certified gemologist who can take an X-ray of your pearls. An x-ray will show the inside of the pearl, including changes in its density (the density of the artificial core and nakara is not the same), the presence or absence of a foreign body that could cause the formation of a natural pearl, and also help to evaluate other characteristics.

Checking with teeth

Before describing this pearl authentication method, a preliminary note must be made: this test is not 100% reliable. It consists in rubbing the pearl against the surface of the teeth. Presumably, a real pearl will be slightly grainy, while an imitation pearl will be perfectly flat. When rubbing against teeth, it feels very good. This test is based on real facts: Real pearls are made up of layers of nakar, which is deposited in much the same way as sand on a beach - with small waves and irregularities on the surface that can be felt by the teeth. On the other hand, synthetic counterparts lay a completely even layer.

This test has a high probability of distinguishing natural pearls from glass, but it is less suitable for recognizing cultured pearls - it has fewer layers of napkin, and its surface can be smoother than natural pearls. In addition, if cultured pearls are dyed, they can be as smooth as imitations. A special protective coating is often applied to mabe pearls, due to which their surface becomes very even, although the pearls from this, of course, do not cease to be natural. Finally, the surface of some cultured pearls may not be completely smooth. In general, a dental check is a good method for identifying natural pearls, but only if used in conjunction with other methods.

Checking by the sun

This is probably one of the best ways to tell the difference between real and imitation pearls. Consider a pearl piece in sunlight or a very bright lamp. In most cases (exceptions may be very expensive and rare jewelry) natural pearls in good lighting will not look exactly the same. You will be able to see the differences in shades, iridescence and luster of pearls in one piece - this is not a defect, but only a natural feature of pearls.

If the colors and shades of the pearls are the same, you are almost certainly offered to buy a fake. If the seller insists that the pearls are natural, the cost of the jewelry will be such that the certificate of a gemologist (chosen by you, not by the seller) will be the minimum part of the investment. Usually a professional appraisal of pearls costs about 150 US dollars, and if the jewelry turns out to be real, you can be sure that it fully justifies its price, which will be at least several thousand dollars (sometimes several tens of thousands).