A Real Pearl

You may want to brush your teeth before attempting this test to make sure they re clean.

A real pearl.

Over 99 of the real pearls sold today are cultured pearls. If you grab a real pearl necklace in one hand and a faux pearl necklace with the same amount of gems in the other more often than not the real pearls will feel heavier. This is because it has small ridges on its surface. Real pearls are substantial and solid.

It s worth noting that almost all pearls on the market today are cultured. These pearls are created the old fashioned way but with a little assistance from man. Stringing on cotton or twine with or without knots isn t a good omen. A real pearl has a unique pearl luster and a natural rough feel.

What are real pearls. These ridges may not be visible to the naked eye. A pearlis a hard glistening object produced within the soft tissue specifically the mantle of a living shelledmolluskor another animal such as fossil conulariids. Fake pearls are often very light especially plastic or ceramic ones while glass pearls often feel heavier than real pearls.

South sea pearls are often referred to as the rolls royce of pearls. If you look very closely at them even under a magnifying glass you will notice these surface ridges and the specific quality to each pearl whereas fake pearls they all of them look identical and have smooth surfaces. Here s an example of an imitation necklace. A cultured pearl is a real pearl grown in a shellfish or mollusk.

They are the largest and most valuable pearls grown today with average sizes ranging from 10 to 15 millimeters. Fake pearls made from glass or plastic will usually be almost perfectly smooth. Note the very large perfectly formed pearls but cheap clasp. A real pearl will usually have a slightly rough or gritty texture from tiny scale like imperfections in its outer layers of nacre.

The drill hole test. Real pearls would have been strung on silk thread and knotted between each pearl to stop them rubbing together and protect against breakage. South sea pearls grow in a large pearl oyster native to australia the philippines myanmar and indonesia. Depending on whether human assistance is involved or not this organic gem can either be cultured or natural.

There are many varieties of cultured pearls including freshwater saltwater tahitian and south sea pearls. You should be feeling the weight of the pearl when you hold it in your hands. Another way of telling whether a pearl is real is by checking its luster.