How to distinguish natural pearls from artificial pearls: effective ways and recommendations of professionals

Lovers of jewelry are always interested in how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial pearls, because there is often a huge scatter of prices. The search for a good product takes a lot of time, and it is especially painful to experience all this for buyers who do not orient themselves in decorations of this type. How to find out whether a real pearl is going to be told in the article.

Pearl

To understand how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial pearls, you need to know about the existence of a cultivated and artificial mineral. Natural is a great rarity.

People who do not know enough information about this mineral, want to understand how to quickly distinguish natural pearls. It will be rather difficult to do this if you do not have enough knowledge about the varieties of pearls. All of them are presented below.

"Wild"

Of course, in the struggle of natural pearls against an artificial victory will win the first. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find it in the modern jewelry market. In a natural environment, as is known, a pearl is formed after a foreign body enters the body of a mollusc, for example, a small parasite or a grain of sand. The formation of the stone takes years. In kind, pearls rarely come across round.

Cultivated

Some tips on how to distinguish real pearls from artificial pearls are given below, but first you need to understand the characteristics of the cultivated mineral. It is obtained in the same way as "wild", but the difference between them is that during cultivation the implant-stimulus is introduced into the body of the oyster intentionally.

This technology was born in Japan around the 19th century. After completing 20 experiments, a specialist named Kokichi Mikimoto patented a method of inoculating oysters, which is actively used to this day.

Artificial

This type of pearl differs from the previous one in that in its appearance the mollusks do not take part. These beads are the result of the creation of human hands. It is worth noting that even when the synthetic core is coated with natural mother of pearl, the pearl remains artificial in any case.

The very first fake pearl was created in Rome in the 15th century. Since that time, technologies have improved, and the artificial mineral hides under all sorts of names.

Professionals know exactly how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial pearls, but for beginners to do it quickly is almost impossible, because the skills in this area have to be worked on for years.

"Majorica"

This variety is one of the most beautiful and common. Pearls of "majorica" are sometimes called "orchid". He has been created for about 120 years on the famous island of Majorca. First, a porcelain or alabaster ball is produced, and then it is covered with a thin layer of mother-of-pearl, after which it is additionally treated with acetylcellulose or nitrocellulose to ensure durability.

Ready beads are rather round and velvety, so it is almost impossible to distinguish them from natural pearls. With artificial lighting, it looks great.

Paris and Venetian

The technology of making French (Parisian) pearls originated in the early 17th century. It is actively used and to this day. Beads are created from blown glass, then filled with wax or colored paraffin.

Venetian technology is quite similar to the way of making French pearls, therefore enjoys no less popularity. In this case, the balls are also formed from blown glass, but with the addition of pearl dust and wax.

Shell shell

This technology is the most modern. It is developed in the USA and is famous in all corners of the world. On the pearl ball, layers of lacquer are applied, which consists of a mixture of polymers, as well as mica, titanium oxide and lead carbonate.

12 ways to distinguish natural pearls

To date, professionals have developed several methods to help distinguish natural minerals. After getting acquainted with them the question of how to distinguish real pearls from artificial pearls will no longer frighten newcomers.

So, here are the main ways of distinguishing a natural product:

1. The cost. First of all, you should pay attention to the price of the goods. Low cost for natural pearls is unacceptable, although some scammers can sell and fake more expensive than natural minerals.
2. The weight. A natural pearl has a greater weight, because it consists exclusively of mother-of-pearl, but artificial materials contain lighter materials.
3. Test. Since ancient times, a well-known way to distinguish a fake - "try on the tooth." If you hold the pearl with your teeth, then the natural stone will creak, the fake will not make a sound. If you already have experience in distinguishing pearls, you can knock it on the teeth - real and artificial will give different sensations.
4. Height. When falling from a height of about half a meter, the real stone will bounce off the surface, and artificial pearls simply fall without moving, which is explained by different density.
5. Mechanics. Owners of a pearl necklace can easily check the stones in it with friction. If you rub a pair of pearls against each other with minimal pressure until the formation of a pearl powder, there will be fine scratches on the natural surface, which disappear quite quickly, and the fake layer of mother-of-pearl is simply erased.
6. Comparison. In addition to the previous method, holders of necklaces can check pearls by comparison. Natural stones are individual and do not look like all the rest, so in jewelry should not come across identical pearls.
7. Inspection. An interesting way for beginning scientists is to look at the pearl through a microscope. Natural will clearly have a scaly surface, the counterfeit will be homogeneous.
8. Chemistry. If there are several pearls with which it is not a pity to experiment, it is possible to place them first in acetone, and then in vinegar. In the first case, the natural stone does not dissolve, but in the second case, on the contrary, it decomposes rather quickly.
9. Shine. The real pearl differs from the counterfeit uniform and deep shine, which for professionals is noticeable to the naked eye. If the pearls are dull, this indicates their artificiality or low quality, so you should not buy such a product.
10. Hole. Carefully you need to consider the place where the hole is drilled. In a natural pearl, cracks will not be formed, since it has a high density, while in the counterfeit there will be a noticeable number of chips at the edges.
11. Field. Place the pearl in the electromagnetic field, the natural remains in the immovable position, and the cultivated will begin to roll. This is due to the fact that inside the fake there is a special ball made of a material reacting to the electromagnetic field.
12. Specialist. The most reliable way at any time was to contact a specialist - a gemologist. It will quickly determine the originality and quality of the decoration with the help of a special translucent device.

Now we know how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial pearls, so you can safely go to the store and buy a decent product, which you will not be ashamed to brag about to others.