How to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones at home. How to check pearls: the differences between a real stone and an artificial one

The quality and durability of gemstone jewelry directly depends on the naturalness of the materials used. How to check pearls? How to distinguish natural (cultivated and wild) stone from a fake? Features of natural jewelry stone, its differences from artificial pearls are described in the article.

You can check pearls for naturalness using mechanical action.

Shiny natural stone is faked using glass and plastic. Paint is gradually applied to beads made of artificial material; in rare cases, mother-of-pearl is used, extracted from mollusk shells. Stones created using mother-of-pearl raw materials are more expensive than colored artificial products.

To check whether a real pearl or not, just hold the jewelry in your hands. Artificial stone made of plastic is lighter than natural stone.

Products made using glass practically do not differ in weight from jewelry made from natural pearls. Glass imitation is not resistant to mechanical stress. If you drop one of the beads of the necklace, it will break or cracks and chips will form on the surface.

Real pearls will jump several times when they hit the floor. Small scratches may form on its surface, but after running your hand over them, they completely disappear.

Imitation from natural stone differs in structure. The surface of a product made of pearls is porous and uneven. This is explained by the fact that under natural conditions the stone grows by 0.3-0.5 mm per year, gradually increasing the layers of mother-of-pearl.

Natural river pearls have a slightly oblong shape, sea pearls can be round or oval. But the surface of each of the stones without additional processing remains porous. If the beads from your jewelry are absolutely smooth, have the correct shape, then you have a fake.

Another way to determine the naturalness of pearls is contact with tooth enamel.

Natural stone on the teeth will creak, leaving behind particles of mother-of-pearl

How to check the quality of pearls in a jewelry store? Here you will be guided by the cost of jewelry. Pearl products (strings and necklaces), which have a low price, were most likely made of artificial material. The minimum cost of a pearl thread is 1.5-2 thousand rubles.

Shine is another criterion for evaluating natural stone. Natural pearls (cultivated and wild) when exposed to direct sunlight shine with a delicate bluish and pink color.

Properly selected natural stone will serve you for a long time, and with proper care it will always shine and please the eye.

Humanity began to use pearls as jewelry at the dawn of its history. There are references to products made from it in Indian and Egyptian sources, and Queen Cleopatra had earrings made from the largest stones at that time. Until the end of the Middle Ages, pearls were considered a very valuable commodity. However, now the age of artificial jewelry has come, and some products are of rather high quality. How to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones and not to buy a fake at an inflated price, especially when choosing jewelry?

Natural pearls are extracted from shellfish shells. This biological formation is a product of the protective reaction of the body to the ingress of foreign particles into it. The mollusk, as it were, preserves the smallest particles, which over time (2-3 years or more) are enveloped in mother-of-pearl. So from any garbage (sand, fragments of shells, etc.) one of the most wonderful creations of nature is obtained.

The shape of the pearl can be round or elongated in the form of a drop, for example, like the famous "Peregrine" by Elizabeth Taylor. The color of the formations is varied: white with overflow, pink, yellow and even greenish.

Its parameters are determined by the habitat and the place where foreign particles enter the shell. Such formations are characteristic of many bivalves. Even in the Black Sea mussels, up to 100 pieces of small natural beads are found.

There are two types of natural pearls: sea and freshwater. The latter have always been considered less valuable, as they were easier to mine.

In order to find one high quality pearl, you need to catch up to 500 kg of shells!

The real breakthrough was the invention of controlled cultivation of mother-of-pearl stones. When in the bays they began to equip entire fields of pearl farms. The product obtained in this way is of natural origin, and the quality still costs a lot of money.

The cost of minerals depending on the origin

Based on such data, it is clear that even despite controlled cultivation, the price remains quite high, since the cultivation of one unit on the farm takes 2-3 years.

The main centers for the production of cultivated products today are concentrated, as a rule, in the Indian Ocean basin, but the leader is Japan. This country exports products to the world market for several hundred million dollars a year. In second place are China, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.

When buying pearls, find out the manufacturer and country of origin!

Various methods have been developed for the public to make an artificial product that is both cheaper and faster to produce.

But with natural pearls, it will never be compared even when made with the most modern technologies. But how to distinguish a real pearl from an artificial one?

Skillful forgery technologies

Before you determine the authenticity, you need to know how to copy. The first fakes and imitations of pearls began to be made from glass.

However, such material did not convey the mother-of-pearl overflow inherent in a real stone.

In the Middle Ages, the so-called Roman artificial pearls appeared. It was made by filling glass beads with paraffin.

A mother-of-pearl essence was also produced, made on the basis of fish scales; with proper processing of glass fakes, it imitated the overflows of natural pearls.

Already in the 20th century, they began to make products coated with a special varnish.

Today, with the development of polymer production, artificial imitations are sold at every corner in a jewelry store. Checking the authenticity of pearls is easy. Even the most skillful fake cannot imitate the creation of nature. And when they offer to buy a necklace or individual stones, you can see a fake.

So, how to determine a real pearl or is it artificial?

A few properties of pearls that are difficult to fake

The development of technology allows today to produce artificial pearls. But still, no material, let alone technology, can reproduce the quality of a natural “product”.

Among the main characteristics that distinguish real pearls, the most difficult to imitate are:

• surface cleanliness;
• shine;
• structure.

Parameters: color, shape and dimensions can be made or copied. How to identify natural pearls by following these characteristics?

How to distinguish between real and artificial samples

So how do you tell real pearls from fakes without being a professional jewelry appraiser? Everything is very simple: according to those characteristics that are very difficult to imitate.

Weight difference

Already taking a pebble in your hand, you can distinguish a fake. Even the most modern types of polymers cannot accurately copy the weight qualities of a real pearl. Natural mother-of-pearl is much heavier than glass and, of course, plastic. Also, a natural pebble is made heavier by the presence of a so-called core. After all, this is what contributes to the formation of pearls.

However, today they can make artificial stones using mother-of-pearl - then the mass of the product is close to natural. How to distinguish pearls from a fake in this case? There are other characteristics for this.

Surface finish

This item is used to evaluate natural and cultured pearls.

Nature does not make perfectly smooth and clean surfaces. Therefore, natural pearls, even when viewed with the naked eye, have various influxes, depressions, ruts, and most importantly, spots consisting of conchiolin. Moreover, the spots are unevenly located on the pebble. But, most importantly, they are less shiny under lighting.

Conchiolin is an exclusively natural substance formed by shells. You can check pearls just by making sure you have them!

Of course, there are natural samples, with an almost perfectly clean surface. However, their cost cannot be compared with fakes, and no one offers them at a better price.

Shine

Choose a pebble with a characteristic hue. Moreover, the shine is determined under the influence of natural sunlight. You can establish the authenticity of pearls by bringing them to the window.

Light plays on the surface with bluish and pinkish hues. Overflows of such colors are difficult to obtain by covering an artificial product with even the highest quality varnish or dye - this will also help in the process of determining a fake.

Checking this characteristic, do not forget about stains. They make the shine uneven. Natural pebble will have duller areas.

Structure

How to distinguish real pearls from artificial counterparts by surface structure? The resins or glass often used to imitate these pieces of jewelry have a flat and smooth surface.

In natural pearls, it will be porous and layered. Under natural conditions, pebble layers accumulate gradually, at a rate of 0.2-0.3 mm per year.

A magnifying glass will help determine the authenticity of pearls. If you are offered a pearl that has a perfectly smooth surface, and the pearl itself is of the correct shape, they are guaranteed to try to sell you an artificial product.

With the help of such methods it is easy to distinguish: a natural pebble is offered or is it fake. How to distinguish real pearls from fakes in other ways?

The shape can be accurately copied even at home. But in nature, not ideal, but of a certain shape, oblong or oval samples are more common.

How to check the authenticity of a product? This can be done just by the tooth. Real pearls creak when in contact with the enamel of the teeth and leave particles of mother-of-pearl on them. Polymers and glass are easy to recognize in this test.

And another difference that will prove to you that pearls are natural is resistance to mechanical stress. Checking the authenticity of the pearl, it can be dropped on the floor. The surface may be covered with small scratches that are easily erased. The glass imitation will break or crack. Polymer fakes will bounce around like balls. You will understand whether natural pearls are when you see that the selected sample falls like a stone - this is facilitated by its weight.

Now you understand how to find out if the jewelry is genuine or fake. However, if you decide to choose a piece of jewelry even from trusted brands, follow these recommendations anyway - with their help it will be easier to understand whether real pearls are offered or not. And it is important to remember that natural samples are more expensive, and no one will sell them at half price.

This article is addressed to those who have doubts about the quality of the purchased pearl jewelry or want to gain important knowledge before buying a piece of jewelry. We will tell you how to check the authenticity of pearls at home and even in a store.

5 methods for checking pearls

Natural and cultured pearls are considered real, a fake is a glass or plastic bead coated with a layer of mother-of-pearl.

1. We look carefully.

Examine the pearl from different angles. Real mother-of-pearl has a non-uniform shade, hence the beautiful overflows, glare. It is even easier to see the transitions of mother-of-pearl tones by placing pearls in a container of clean water.

The shape of the beads will not be perfectly even, small surface defects are possible. But fake pearls demonstrate the perfection of the form, the same size and color of the beads in the jewelry. It is also good to compare jewelry, the authenticity of which there is no doubt, with those that need to be checked. The differences will be immediately noticeable.

1. Let's try it on the tooth.

Bite lightly on the pearl with your front incisors and slide it gently between your teeth. You should feel a slight roughness. If the bead is absolutely smooth, this is a sign of a fake. Just keep in mind that the teeth must be cleaned and you can not put too much pressure on the pearls, as there is a risk of damaging the mother-of-pearl. Be careful not to swallow the pearl.

It will not work to verify the authenticity of the stone in the ring in this way, because at least two pearls are needed for the experiment. But to subject beads, a bracelet or make sure that you got high-quality pearls on earrings is quite realistic. If the beads slide easily when rubbing against each other and there is no mother-of-pearl dust left on them, then you have a fake. Real pearls, when rubbed, create resistance, which results in a quiet rustling. A white trace of mother-of-pearl “powder” remains on their surface, which disappears as soon as you run your finger over the bead.

1. Feel and compare.

If possible, compare an obvious fake and a supposedly real pearl of the same diameter. The imitation will be smoother and lighter than the real gem. In addition, real pearls are cool.

1. We arm ourselves with a microscope or a magnifying glass.

A technically enhanced look will allow you to see the structure of mother-of-pearl. The surface of a real pearl under a magnifying glass resembles a labyrinth or fish scales, while a fake pearl has a grainy texture.

Using a magnifying device, you can also examine the hole in the bead. Small scratches around it indicate the authenticity of the pearl, and on imitation the surface will be flawlessly smooth if the bead is new. On an old fake, when the mother-of-pearl is worn out, a plastic or glass base will be visible. Another sign of real pearls is the dividing line of the core and mother-of-pearl clearly visible in the hole.

Important to consider

Technologies for the production of imitations are actively developing, it is becoming more and more difficult to identify fake pearls.

The more methods you apply when checking, the more signs of authenticity or imitation you will find.

None of the proposed methods and even their complex use does not give a 100% guarantee of detecting a fake. If you want to get an accurate result, contact a professional jeweler or an expert gemologist. It is very important to take into account.

• ATTENTION: when checking, be extremely careful - there is a risk of damaging the jewelry.

how to identify natural pearls

When we buy pearl jewelry, we want to know whether natural pearls are in front of us or a fake. How can you tell real pearls from fake ones? How to check its naturalness?

1. Pay attention to the price and weight of pearls

If the price is very low, then most likely the pearls are not natural. Real pearls are much heavier than fake ones. Imitation pearls are usually filled with wax or hollowed out. 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 on the surface of the teeth, then a thin creak occurs, which creates a pearl.

3. If you throw a pearl from a distance of 0.5 m onto the floor, then a natural pearl, unlike a fake, will bounce off the floor like a ball.

4. If two natural pearls are rubbed together until a pearl powder is formed (scratches appear on the pearls). If you rub pearl powder with your fingertips, then scratches disappear from 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 individual pearls, but only a pearl necklace, then you should carefully examine all the pearls. In nature, there are no two identical pearls. And even if in a necklace they seem even at first glance, upon closer examination you will notice that they are all different from each other. In the case of a fake, all "pearls" will be the same.

6. You can conduct an inspection, armed with a large magnifying glass. The surface of natural pearls will look scaly, the surface of fake pearls will be uniform, uniform.

natural pearls

7. If you have separate pearls, then place the pearl in acetone, the natural one will not dissolve in acetone. You can conduct the same experiment with vinegar, natural pearls should dissolve in vinegar.

Pay attention to the brilliance of pearls

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

9. Pay attention to where the pearls are drilled

Natural pearls in such places do not form chips, unlike fakes. Looking at the inner surface of 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 lines of force.

One of the most reliable 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% accuracy guarantee.