A Real Pearl

The drill hole test.

A real pearl.

These pearls are created the old fashioned way but with a little assistance from man. Real pearls have like a fingerprint like surface ridges in them so they are not identical or perfectly spherical. A cultured pearl is a real pearl grown in a shellfish or mollusk. These ridges may not be visible to the naked eye.

Fake pearls made from glass or plastic will usually be almost perfectly smooth. It s worth noting that almost all pearls on the market today are cultured. A real pearl is produced by pearl bearing oysters either in fresh or salt water. You may want to brush your teeth before attempting this test to make sure they re clean.

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. Depending on whether human assistance is involved or not this organic gem can either be cultured or natural. Another way of telling whether a pearl is real is by checking its luster. South sea pearls are often referred to as the rolls royce of pearls.

There are many varieties of cultured pearls including freshwater saltwater tahitian and south sea pearls. A real pearl has a unique pearl luster and a natural rough feel. This is because it has small ridges on its surface. Fake pearls are often very light especially plastic or ceramic ones while glass pearls often feel heavier than real pearls.

Stringing on cotton or twine with or without knots isn t a good omen. South sea pearls grow in a large pearl oyster native to australia the philippines myanmar and indonesia. They are the largest and most valuable pearls grown today with average sizes ranging from 10 to 15 millimeters. Real pearls are heavier than fake pearls one of the very first differences between real and fake pearls is no other than their weight.

Real pearls are substantial and solid. Real pearls would have been strung on silk thread and knotted between each pearl to stop them rubbing together and protect against breakage. A pearlis a hard glistening object produced within the soft tissue specifically the mantle of a living shelledmolluskor another animal such as fossil conulariids. Note the very large perfectly formed pearls but cheap clasp.

Over 99 of the real pearls sold today are cultured pearls. Here s an example of an imitation necklace. What are real pearls.