How to distinguish a real pearl from cultivated. How to distinguish natural pearls from artificial and is it possible

18.07.2019

Welcome! And again in the topic of pearls about how not to become a victim of scammers. A real pearl how to distinguish from a fake to an inexperienced buyer and without a specialist?

Verified ways to distinguish pearls from fake

There are some simple ways. This is elementary tests and visual inspection. For particularly incredulous, there are additional methods, but they are not as accessible and will require certain efforts.

Test for "Tooth" - checking the pearl surface

An ancient way to determine the authenticity of pearls - teeth. Slightly bite the bead and move over the surface with teeth. If it is real, you will feel the characteristic crossed. It is explained by it is not an ideal surface with pearl particles forming irregularities. Fake pearl balls are usually smooth, so defects will not determine defects.

Watch beads about friend

This version of the inspection is suitable for bracelet, earring or pearl beads. It is necessary that there are several samples of pearls that could be lost on each other. At the time of contact in the event of the authenticity of the material, you will feel the growing force of friction. This is again associated with the imperfect top layer. Fake pearlescent beads with friction will begin to slide, emit an unpleasant artificial sound.

At the end of the check, look at the fingers in the daylight. After contact with the natural pearl on the skin, a bit of pearl dust remains a bit.

How to recognize genuine pearls in shape?

Take a look at the outlines of beads. Natural education is not ideal. Yes, the most expensive pearls are distinguished by an almost flawless form of the sphere, but the errors will still be and easy to see their unarmed look at home.

If the defects form defects do not leave, try to move the ball along the flat surface of the table. Artificial will roll without obstacles, real - to slow down slightly when the roughness with the surface is coming.

Tactile test - about the temperature of pearl "tears"

If you check the pearl thread, beads or bracelet, word, without a rim, the best solution will be fitting. As soon as the beads touch the skin, you will understand the real or not. Natural pearls are always a bit cool. You will feel this coolness at the first tactile contact. Fake beads quickly adopt and retain the body temperature.

The weight of an organic pebble - what should be

How to check the authenticity of the pearl by weight? Enough to take the product in your hand and estimate how much it is harder than it seems visually. Remember that the pearls created inside the sink weighs more than the sizes should be taking into account. Plastic or glass beads, coated or pallamut filled with sufficiently light.

In order not to make a mistake, testing products with this method, it is desirable to have 100% decorations as a sample. Only so, in comparison, it will be possible to identify fake and determine the original.

Important moment: How to determine the natural pearl naturalness? One of the indicators is the price. Usually products with real colored pearls are more expensive than classic white. If the beads are cheaper, then, most likely, it is no more than the painted imitation.

Another way suitable for black and pink instances. The first is more often replaced by Germanite, the second - coral. Pay attention to their weight. Compare with authentic beads, they will be noticeably harder.

Test for jumping: how to check

Despite the most correct shape and sufficient hardness for an organic stone of animal origin, a genuine pearl elastic and strong. Try to throw it over the surface of the table. If you were not deceived, the bead will bounce like a tiny pearl polar. A fake ball will either ride, either split into pieces.

Alternative verification options for curious

To find the difference between pearls from the pearl as the finishing layer for plastic or filler for the glass sphere, the methods listed above are suitable. Another thing when it comes to cultivated pearls and is worth the task to make sure of its quality, check the presence of the kernel and other important indicators characteristic of genuine material. In such cases, it will be correct to arrange a real laboratory check.

The simplest and affordable option is the analysis of beads under a microscope or with a large jewelry magnifying glass. The first option will help determine not only authenticity, but also the quality of pearls at home. You will see the product of the life of the mollusk enlarged more than 60 times, you can analyze:

surface texture;
hole;
form.

Great, if it is possible to conduct a comparative analysis with a natural pearl. So it will be easier to identify coincidences and differences.

Another proven method - translucent beads by ultraviolet rays. Typically, the results are as follows:

wild pearl glows from the inside of soft blue light;
natural cultivated - green;
artificial does not just do not change the colors, it does not radiate inner radiance and, as if pushes the rays of ultraviolet from the surface.

And last, pay attention to such important indicators as shine, glare and color saturation. A real pearl has a matte shine characteristic of it, as much as possible on the overflow of natural silk. The color of the beads is uneven for the same reason as the form. They are beautifully chased in the sun. Artificial balls shine unnaturally bright, no noble glow from the inside. Color Unlike the original without flaws and drops of tones.

Remember that genuine products with pearls need to be purchased in proven places, where you can not only check the "pebbles", but also to get acquainted with the accompanying documentation.

Now you know exactly how quickly and almost certainly distinguish genuine pearls from artificial without special equipment. Share an article with friends in social networks, it will definitely be useful.

Doming team.

In this article:

Decorations with pearls will always be in trend, and all because this gem has absorbed all the energy and the mystery of the sea! The product with pearls emphasizes the youth, the sophistication of a woman, so the demand for such accessories will never be low. However, the purchase of pearls can be crossed by the fact that the decoration can be instructed not by natural stones, but imitation, the price of which is several times lower than the cost of this pearl. How to check the real pearl or not? Perhaps this question is interested in all the admirers of precious accessories.

Natural pearls

Differences: What should I know?

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, humanity grows pearls on oyster farms. This approach allows to increase the production of pearls, as well as protect the aquatic ecosystem from the mass death of mollusks, in the sinks of which pearls ripen. By the way, such pearls are called cultivated and it is incorrect to define as a fake, because in the process of the formation of such a stone, mollusk participates.

As for, it is completely the fruit of human labor. For the manufacture of fake sufficiently thin plastic, glass, pearl paint, paraffin and other materials. In case of inspection, it is unlikely to distinguish from artificially, which enjoy unscrupulous jewelry vendors, offering fake pearls at the cost of natural gems.

How to recognize imitation?

It is possible to distinguish the natural pearls from the fake, the main thing is to know what properties the gem is possessed:

There are methods that cannot be applied to check the pearls, since this stone reacts poorly to elevated humidity, aggressive chemicals, dryness, etc. In such ways, the heating of beads is considered to apply acids and other potent substances.

When buying products with pearls, it is primarily to pay attention to their cost, and if it is below the market, then the product has dubious quality. It is also worth remembering that many cheaters offer pearls with a beautiful exotic name, for example, Mallorca (Majorika). Each person would not hurt to know that Mairik's pearls is the most popular fake of the gemstone. If a person settled the goal of acquiring a decoration with natural pearls, it is recommended to choose products in a famous jewelry boutique having a brilliant reputation among buyers.

Pearl is a precious gift of nature, which hides in the sea depths. For many centuries, he is valued by people. Natural pearl in nature is not enough for everyone, therefore the cultivation of this jewel was launched. The bead from the natural pearl is placed in the shell of mollusk and send it to the natural conditions. After some time, pearl grows.

Pearls, grown in nature independently, without human intervention, was forbidden to extract more than 50 years ago. therefore fake fakes flourishes, distinguishing which from natural pearl is becoming more and more difficult.

For many years, pearls are trying to fake. Artificial pearls created completely hands of a person. The fake, issued for the original, can also cost as natural. Buy jewelry is better in large stores that have a passport for decoration.

Natural or artificial pearls?

The first thing is usually recommended as a test for the definition of a fake is to try "to the tooth" pearl. If the pearl is real, then it creaks on the teeth.
You can also lose the pearls about each other. If this is not a fake, then pearl surface will not sufferand dust will appear between them.
In addition, you can try to raise the pearl above the surface of the table by 30-50 cm and throw it. Real pearls differ from artificial density and their composition. Therefore, he will jump on the table like a ping ball. With artificial pearls, this does not happen.
Another option, how to distinguish pearls from a fake, it is to weigh it in your hands. Real pearls are much harder than fake. But in some cases, artificial pearls are made from Germanite and coral, which makes it harder than the real one.
Another way how to determine the real pearl may be its fitting. To the touch natural will be cool, like the seaside depths themselves, of which it originated, and artificial will maintain the room temperature.
It is possible to determine the naturalness of the product using X-ray. The snapshot will help determine the contents of the pearl, its density and other characteristics.

Resorting to such small tricks when buying jewelry from pearls, buyer will be able to protect himself from poor-quality decorations of artificial origin issued for natural.

Natural characteristics

A real pearl has a number of features that are inherent only to him. Even the most skillful fake can not be so ideal for the difference not noticeable for professionals. But even if the buyer of jewelry from pearls is non-professional, it is still able to determine the accuracy of the product sold.

Natural pearls cannot be perfectly smooth. Its surface has small flaws and roughness. Artificial pearl perfectly level. In the sample "tooth", irregularities are especially clearly felt. Cultivated pearls are smoother than natural, but they are still imperfect.
The edge of the drilled opening can also carry useful information. There may be a column of paint, which will issue a forged product. Also the hole can show the composition of the pearl. When considering under a magnifying glass, all these parts can be noticeable to the eye.
Real pearls have the properties of transfusion and gloss, and the shades will differ. This is not a defect product, but their normal ability. If the colors and shades of pearls are the same, then this is an artificial product.
Natural natural pearls have a property of glowing under ultraviolet lighting with sky blue glow. Cultured pearls glow green.
Another property that natural pearls possess is the ability is not sinking in liquidhaving a density of 2.7.
Forgery, unlike natural and cultivated pearls, does not dissolve in concentrated vinegar. It can spend a long time in this solution.
Real pearls when bringing them to fire in any way do not change their properties and appearanceWhat you can not say about the fakes.

Enjoy the shopping!

Women at all times loved and appreciated this stone. At the present stage of development of the pearl industry, fake beads are difficult to distinguish "on the eye" from the present. However, if desired, you can spend several simple tests that will be effective, even if the fake is high-quality.

Natural cultured pearls differs from natural, but due to the ban on the production of the latter, its purchase is possible only for a narrow circle of persons. Cultivated is also quite valuable and able to serve for many years.

Pearls are a gift of nature, given to man. His common habitat is sea depths. How to distinguish natural pearls from artificial - this question is tormented by people for a long time. The thing is that natural pearls in nature are quite small, so the person learned to do it himself.

What is a natural pearl

Natural pearls grows in the sinks of certain types of mollusks living in large depths of the sea. For more than half a century ago, a ban on catching these carriers of pearls was introduced. This ban led to the mass production of fakes, which is very difficult to distinguish at home from real expensive pearl balls. Therefore, it is better to acquire these decorations in specialized stores. There each product has its own passport or certificate.

How to determine the authenticity of pearls? There are several tests on this:

sample "tooth";
throw the pearl;
weigh the decoration in your hand;
to the touch;
using X-ray apparatus.

Natural stone creaks when sampled it "to the tooth". You can challenge individual balls to lose each other. It will appear after that dust between them. If you throw a natural decoration from a height of 30-50 cm on a solid surface, it will start jumping. Artificial ball will not do this. Pearl is genuine much denser of artificial product, and it weighs more. But this method to distinguish the natural pearl from the fake does not always work. If the fake motherboard is created using coral and gerganite, it will weigh more than the present.

You can hold the pearl in your hand. The real mother-in-law keeps the cool depths, artificially supports the room temperature in which it is located. With the help of an X-ray apparatus, you can see the density and internal contents of the pearl. All listed tricks will help to recognize and purchase a natural decoration, not a fake.

Some characteristics of pearls

How to check the authenticity of pearls? This jewelry product has a number of features. This is only a high-quality fake can be perfect. A natural pearl can not be perfectly smooth. On its surface, there are some small roughness, which are especially felt in the sample "tooth".

Artificial products are almost always smooth and smooth.

You need to carefully examine the drilled hole. At the edges of the fake can remain paint. When considering the hole through the magnifying glass, you can see the inner composition of the stone. Natural products will be glittering in red color. If the color of the gloss is permanent - this is an artificial product. If you put items under the light of ultraviolet lamps, natural jewelry will publish a heavenly blue glow. Products created by artificially glow greenish color. Natural stone is afraid of a concentrated vinegar in which it can simply dissolve. Fake may lie in it unlimited time. But under the action of fire, artificial mother-in-law changes its qualities, natural - does not change.

How to distinguish a real pearl from fake in other ways? Natural decorations today are quite difficult to find. Now they are grown by artificial methods. It started for a long time. For the first time, the Swedish scientist Karl Linny received the proven pearl. It was 1761 years old. Part of the merchants are trying to significantly raise the price of jewelry products from an artificial pearl. It is necessary to know the 5 main signs that natural decoration possesses:

irregularities;
insides;
throw from height;
cost.

How to distinguish pearls from fake? The natural pebbles of the round shape originates from the grave that fell into the pearl sink. For many years, it is enveloped by many of the finest layers of pearl. About their uniformity in these conditions should not speak. Irregularities can be smelted when pearls feel.

The weight of natural peas is significantly higher than artificial. Artificial decorations inside are often hollow, natural - never. But this rule does not concern the black or pink pearl. Black is made from Germanite, pink - from coral.

Both are much harder to natural pearls.

At the edges of the drilled hole in an artificial stone, chips and smallest cracks are usually visible. Inside such a hole can shine glass or plastic. Pearls in our time are grown on special farms. But these products are practically no different from the natural, grown at the bottom of the sea.

Left - natural pearls, right - artificial

A drop from a height of about 50 cm on the smooth surface of the floor or table can show how to determine the real pearl. To determine the quality, you need to drop the product and look at its behavior. Natural stone will bounce, and artificial - ride. Rough fake can and break.

With the natural pearl of this will never happen.

Fakes are usually sold at lower prices. But sometimes they are issued for natural natural pearls. Only specialists will be able to distinguish real products from fakes.

Conclusion on the topic

Natural stone or not? To determine this there are quite a few ways. For example, you can put beads in the field created by several electromagnets. Artificial stone will begin to move in it, the natural bead will remain in place. When selling to natural products, a passport or certificate is necessarily attached. Only from proven instances are collected real jewelry. They look pretty elegant, emphasizing the skin shade and giving more softness and femininity. You can distinguish such products from fakes if you follow a specific technique.

It is necessary to check the weight of them, the structure of the stone, the fatness of its surface.

Natural pearl retains the cooler of the seabed and has some surface roughness. Through the holes, it is possible to consider the inner content of the pebble with a magnifying glass. If there is plastic or glass there is a fake. The pebbles thrown on the table - real, ride - fake. If you look at the light, then the glare from the natural stones will be bluish, from artificial - greenish or pink shade.

Choose pearl decorations carefully and wear on health. It is recommended to store them in a special bag from velor or velvet. Traces of cosmetics and sweat must be wiped with a soft cloth.

Do not everyone know how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial. On the shelves of jewelry stores you can see a lot of jewelry with pearl balls. However, most of them have artificial origin. Each woman would like to have a thread of a real pearl with a deep noble glitter. Pearls are highly appreciated with deep antiquity. They are a symbol of wealth, high social status, elegance and subtle taste. Modern technologies allow you to create an artificial pearl of such a high quality that it is easy to confuse with the present.

Views of pearls

The formation of a sea pearl size with a pea can leave the whole life of a mollusk who lives about 13 years old. After her extraction, the animal dies. To get some major pearls, pearl catchers often open and kill hundreds of animals. Due to the mass destruction of mollusks by the beginning of the 20th century, their populations declined sharply. Therefore, finding natural wild pearls is not easy.

Currently, about 80% of jewelry is made from cultivated pearls. Cultured stone is also grown in molluscs. The foreign body is artificially introduced into the body of the animal, forcing it to form a protective shell. To speed up the "birth" process of pearls and make it larger, use the ball of the required size as a foreign body. It is usually pulled out of the pearl layer. After 3-5 years, layers of mollusk appear on a dense kernel. Cultured pearl differs little from the present, since it is formed in the same conditions as wild. And in the middle of it is a natural mother-in-law.

Inexpensive artificial pearls are most often made of plastic, selenite and alabaster. The pearl surface on it is created by applying 4-5 layers of chemicals. For the production of expensive fake (organic pearls), modern technology is used. It imitates the process that happens inside the mollusk. The pearl essence is applied to the bulb from the matte glass (opaline crystal) with thin layers of the pearl essence. Each layer is carefully polished. Thanks to the technology of layer-by-layer application, it is possible to achieve the same rainbow overflow, as in the wild pearl. Despite the high quality of the manufacture of artificial pearls, there are ways to distinguish a real pearl.

Evaluation of the appearance of the pearl

Wild stones extremely rarely have an ideal form of sphere. They can be stretched like a rice grain, like a drop or a fighter sphere. On the surface of natural pearls, there are usually convexities or depressions. Jewels of an unusual bizarre form are called baroque or semi-baroque. They are used mainly to insert into rings, brooches or pendants.

If the decoration beads are perfectly round and have the same size, it is possible with a high probability to assume their artificial origin. To check whether the pearl has the right spherical shape, you need to put it on an inclined surface with a minor angle. Ideally, the round bead rolling strictly straight. The wrong shape ball will change the trajectory of the movement.

A sign of high-quality natural stone is a deep shine. If the light source on its surface is a dazzling shining point on it. The rest of the ball will be darkened. On the wild pearl, the boundary between the illuminated and shaded surface is well visible. To assess the gloss of jewelry, it must be viewed on a white background.

It should be borne in mind that natural low-quality pearls may not have enough bright shine. Therefore, this characteristic of the jewel should not be decisive.

When evaluating the decoration, you need to pay attention to the glare of the stone. They are the reflections of another shade, which appear around the illuminated surface point. The glare in white natural pearls most often have a pale-pink color or the color of ivory. Although sometimes there is a white pearl with black glare. Fake glare is very difficult. Therefore, their presence is one of the signs of natural origin of the stone.

To distinguish cultured pearls from wild, you need to reveal the necklace lock and take it in one end. The brilliance of stones estimate, slowly rotating the thread in front of a bright light source. At certain points in time, during the fall of the beam of light at the desired angle, the radiance of the pearl ball base will be noticeable.

Evaluation of the hole in the pearl

If pearls are riveted on a thread, you need to carefully examine the edges of the opening. In natural decoration, the line of the edge is smooth, and the hole itself has the appearance of the correct cylinder. An exception is an old pearl. Due to the natural aging of the stone and its wear of the edges of the holes in it may have chips and scuffs. If the new product of the hole is rounded or have irregularities, it is fake. The presence on the edge of the chipper hole can be a sign of cultured pearls. On the beads of plastic near the threads will be noticeable detachment of the upper coating or its absence.

The inner surface of the hole will tell about the origin of pearls. The presence of several layers or the absence of pearl is indicative of the artificial origin of the stone. The inner surface of the hole in natural stone completely consists of a pearl. On it, too, there are layers, but they are not expressed so clearly. The saturation of the color of the layer in the real pearl changes towards the center. Near the surface color of the layers is almost white. As it approaches the center, the layers become more yellow or brown.

The fact that the pearls cultivated is evidenced by a wider hole in the bead. If it is examined using a jewelry magnifying glass, it is possible to detect a black strip, separating the layer formed by the mollusa from the layer of the dense nucleus embedded in its body. The strip consists of a konchiolin. It appears as a result of the protective reaction of the mollusk to the violent introduction of a foreign body.

Evaluation of other characteristics of pearls

Many people do not know how to distinguish pearls from fake, being in the store. Not all outlets have sufficient lighting to assess the external decoration characteristics. In this case, you need to take it in the hands and evaluate the weight. Real stones are heavy for their size. To understand how much they are sweaty, the product must be compared with a decoration that is precisely made of natural or artificial pearls. It is best to use for comparison an expensive certified product.

Real stone is cool. When the necklace is on the neck, it is shown the skin for a long time. Feelings after contact with a natural product remind those that a person feels, advancing barefoot on the marble floor. Artificial decoration can also cause chill on the skin. However, the effect is expressed not so much and faster disappears. If there are doubts, you need to compare the sensations by simplying the certified product.

You can determine the origin of pearls, losing them between themselves. Fake stones will easily slide on each other's surface. Natural surface is a bit rough. It will create barely thorough friction. After the experiment, you need to look at the skin of the fingers. The upper pearlescent layer of wild stone is easily destroyed. After friction about the surface of another pearl, the pearl particles will remain on the skin in the form of a barely noticeable powder. If the skin is clean, most likely, the product is fake. In the event of a scratch after checking, the surface must be lost to the strip of thumb. After this manipulation of the scratch will disappear.

Assess the quality of the product with teeth. Pearl carefully clamp with two fingers and bite. Then you need to lose a little stone, moving jaws from side to side. If the stone is real, the surface roughness will be felt. Pearl froth resembles a little sand creaking on the teeth. Distorting the results can be particles of food remaining on the teeth. For the purity of the experiment, you need to pre-clean your teeth. During check, you need to be attentive to accidentally not swallow the bead.

Evaluate someone else's pearls should not with teeth. It is better to use alternative ways to determine the origin of beads.

Professional pearl assessment methods

You can check the authenticity of pearls using a jewelry magnifying glass of 30x-21 mm. But it is better to consider its surface under a microscope with an increase of more than 64 times. Relief layers will be noticeable on natural stone, slightly resembling the surface of the desert. They give the top layer of pearls roughness. The surface of an artificial stone is a grainy. It looks more like the scene of the moon. For cultured stone, superficial swolings are characteristic.

You can check the quality of the decoration with the X-ray apparatus. Under the X-ray rays, the real pearl will have a gray translucent shade. Artificial stones on the negative will be white, and on a positive image - black.

The level of refraction of the light beam on the surface of pearls is investigated by a refractometer. The light passing through the stone is split into two beams with different refraction. These rays fix the refractometer. For all natural gems, the minimum and maximum refractive index is defined. The difference between the two indicators is a special amount - binding. The binding of natural pearls is 0.14 (1.66 - 1.52). Black pearl has few other characteristics. Its binding is 0.16 (1.69 - 1.53). To accurately determine the origin of pearls, it is best to use all available methods of checks.

It is not always possible to explore the stone and find out the nature of its origin. Not knowing how to determine the authenticity of pearls, it is better to turn to a specialist. Experienced hemologists are able to determine the quality and origin of precious stones only by their appearance. They also have the necessary equipment for verification. The disadvantage of this method of assessment is the high price of specialist services. However, it is incomparable with the importance of determining the quality of the jewel, which is much more expensive.

What you need to avoid

Not knowing how to determine the real pearls, you should not resort to questionable methods of verification. The opinion is widespread that it is possible to determine the fake stone, heating it on an open fire. After contacting the flame tongues, the fake will light up and melts. Many believe that natural pearls will not suffer from heating.

If the bead is made of plastic, the fire will cause melting material. However, if the stone is made of selenite, alabastra or method of layering a pearl essence, it is not melted. At the same time, the fire is able to cause serious damage to the natural jewel in just a few seconds. When heating, pearls deform and loses shine. Therefore, such an experiment can lead to a damage of valuable thing. It should also be borne in mind that pearls are a good heat conductor and can cause strong burns.