How To Tell If Pearls Are Real or Fake – Part I
How Do You Know If Pearls Are Real Or Fake?
Ben Johnson of Seabourn Pearls
This is a question I get a lot, usually followed by some reference to the “tooth test.” The larger question is really this: how do I make sure I’m paying a fair price for the pearls I’m buying? With many of today’s freshwater pearls available at reasonable prices most people can afford “real” pearls of one type or another. I would argue that consumers lose far more money overpaying for real pearls of low quality than they do buying fake pearls misrepresented as real.
This is the first in a series of blogs intended to give pearl buyers the information they need to buy fine pearls at a fair price. If you don’t want to get ripped off buying pearls these articles are for you.
Beginning with this entry here’s what we’ll cover in the next two weeks:
- How To Tell If Pearls Are Real Or Fake
- Pearl Value Factors: Subtle Differences In Quality Mean Big Differences in Price
- Pearl Rip Offs: Artificial Enhancements and Misrepresentations
- Bad Dye Jobs: Color Enhanced Pearls Are No Bargain
- Pearl Types and Prices: What To Buy and What to Pay
Artificial pearls go by many names: fake, faux, manufactured, semi-cultured, imitation, simulated and dozens of branded names. Most of them are plastic or glass. Some are actual shell beads lacquered with layers pearlescent substances made from oils and ground fish scales. There’s nothing wrong with liking these costume pieces. Some are worth only a dollar or two. High quality imitations can be $100 or even $200, but be very hesitant to spend more than $50 on fakes.
Natural Color Freshwater Oval Baroque Pearl Bracelet and Necklace $595. Why Bother With Fakes?
The best way to spot fake pearls is to fully engage your senses. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Hold them. Real pearls have heft that makes them feel heavy for their size.
- Feel them. Real pearls are cool to the touch and will warm slightly when held for a minute or two.
- Look them over. Real pearls will have natural blemishes and markings and slight differences in size and color. Fake pearls will have a uniform quality. If the pearls are perfectly round and perfectly matched but not expensive you can be perfectly certain they are perfectly fake.
- Examine the drill holes carefully. The hole itself should be small and clean at its edges. Rough and broken areas around the edges can indicated either a fake or a poor quality genuine pearl. Looking into the hole, a uniform quality to the surrounding material all the way through indicates an artificial pearl.
- Examine the knots and the clasp. Lame string, neither silk nor knotted, is a surefire sign of imitation pearls. A cheap clasp of brass or gold vermeil or similar also signals fakes.
- Light Test. Plastic is the most common material for fake pearls. Shine a bright pen light from behind. A plastic bead will have a uniform glow. A real cultured pearl will have a dark center.
- Tooth Test. The nacre of a real pearl is comprised of calcium and aragonite crystals and binding proteins that are layered on in a grid pattern. Gently rub a real pearl along the edge of your front upper tooth and it will feel slightly abrasive or gritty. A fake pearl will feel slippery and smooth.
- Common Sense. Fine pearls are expensive. A perfectly matched necklace of round 10x12MM Tahitian pearls is not a $900 item. Know what pearls cost. The pearl market is fairly efficient. Pricing anomalies are not common. If you find a deal too good to be true it probably is.
- EBAY. There are reputable sellers on EBAY. But there are a lot of hucksters, too. Be especially wary of buying pearls direct online from China. This is a great way to turn your hard earned dollars into a handful of worthless beads.
The more you plan to invest in fine pearls the more you should undertake your due diligence. In coming posts I’ll discuss how pearls are valued and scams you want to avoid. Consider subscribing to our RSS feed and you’ll be buying pearls like a pro in short order.
Thanks for reading. Tell us what you think and feel free to submit questions and comments.
For more information please contact us directly. To examine some of the finished pearl pieces available for sale please visit our gallery.