Jewellery lovers are always wondering how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, because there is often a huge variation in prices. The search for a good product takes a lot of time, and it is especially painful for buyers who are not versed in jewelry of this type to experience it all. How to find out if a pearl is real will be described in the article.
Pearls
To understand how to distinguish natural from artificial pearls, you need to know about the existence of a cultivated and artificial mineral. Natural is a rarity.
People who do not know enough information about this mineral want to understand how to quickly distinguish natural pearls. It will be quite difficult to do this if you do not have sufficient knowledge about the varieties of pearls. All of them are presented below.
Wild
Of course, in the struggle of natural pearls against artificial pearls, the first one will win. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find it in the modern jewelry market. In the natural environment, as is known, a pearl is formed after a foreign body, for example, a small parasite or a grain of sand, enters the body of a mollusk. It takes years to form a stone. Natural pearls are rarely found round.
Cultivated
Some tips on how to distinguish real 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 stimulus implant is introduced into the oyster's body intentionally.
This technology originated in Japan around the 19th century. After conducting as many as 20 experiments, a specialist named Kokichi Mikimoto patented a method for grafting oysters, which is actively used to this day.
Artificial
This type of pearl differs from the previous one in that shellfish do not take part in its appearance. 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, technology has improved, and artifici althe mineral hides under all sorts of names.
Professionals know exactly how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, but it is almost impossible for beginners to do it quickly, because skills in this area take years to develop.
Majorica
This variety is one of the most beautiful and widespread. Majorica pearls are sometimes also called "orchid". It has been created for about 120 years on the well-known island of Mallorca. First, a porcelain or alabaster ball is made, and then it is covered with a thin layer of mother-of-pearl, after which it is further processed with cellulose acetate or nitrocellulose to ensure durability.
The finished beads are quite round and velvety, so it is almost impossible to distinguish them from natural pearls. It looks great in artificial light.
Paris and Venetian
The technology of making French (Parisian) pearls originated at the beginning of the 17th century. It is actively used to this day. The beads are made from blown glass and then filled with wax or colored paraffin.
Venetian technology is quite similar to the way French pearls are made, so it is no less popular. In this case, the balls are also formed from blown glass, but with the addition of pearl dust and wax.
Shell
This technology is the most modern. It was developed in the USA andfamous all over the world. The pearl ball is coated with layers of lacquer, which consists of a mixture of polymers, as well as mica, titanium oxide and lead carbonate.
12 ways to distinguish natural pearls
Today, professionals have developed several methods to help distinguish a natural mineral. After getting acquainted with them, the question of how to distinguish real pearls from artificial ones will no longer frighten beginners.
So, here are the main ways to distinguish a natural product:
- Cost. First of all, you should pay attention to the price of the goods. The low cost for natural pearls is unacceptable, although some scammers may sell a fake for more than a natural mineral.
- Weight. A natural pearl has more weight because it is made entirely of mother-of-pearl, while artificial pearls contain lighter materials.
- Test. Since ancient times, a well-known way to distinguish a fake is to "try it on the tooth." If you run your teeth over the pearl, then the natural stone will creak, while the fake one will not make a sound. If you already have experience in distinguishing pearls, then you can knock it on the teeth - real and artificial will give different sensations.
- Height. When falling from a height of about half a meter, a real stone will bounce off the surface, and an artificial pearl will simply fall without moving, due to different density.
- Mechanics. The owners of a pearl necklace can easily check the stones in it whenhelp of friction. If you rub a pair of pearls together with minimal pressure until a pearl powder is formed, small scratches will remain on the natural one, which quickly disappear, and the mother-of-pearl layer will simply be erased from the fake.
- Comparison. In addition to the previous method, necklace owners can check pearls by comparison. Natural stones are individual and not like all the others, so the same pearls should not come across in the jewelry.
- Inspection. A rather interesting way for novice scientists is to look at a pearl through a microscope. The natural one will have a clearly visible scaly surface, while the fake one will be homogeneous.
- Chemistry. If there are several pearls available that you do not mind experimenting with, then you can place them first in acetone, and then in vinegar. In the first case, the natural stone does not dissolve, but in the second, on the contrary, it disintegrates rather quickly.
- Shine. A real pearl differs from a fake one in its uniform and deep luster, which is visible to the naked eye for professionals. If the pearls are dull, then this indicates their artificiality or low quality, so you should not purchase such a product.
- Hole. You need to carefully consider the place where the hole is drilled. Cracks will not form in a natural pearl, since it has a high density, but a fake pearl will notice a lot of chips along the edges.
- Field. Place the pearl in the electromagnetic field, the natural one will remain immobile, and the cultured one will startroll over. This is due to the fact that inside the fake there is a special ball made of a material that reacts to an electromagnetic field.
- Specialist. The most reliable way at any time was to contact a specialist - a gemologist. With the help of a special translucent apparatus, he will quickly determine the originality and quality of the jewelry.
Now we know how to distinguish natural pearls from artificial ones, so you can safely go to the store and purchase a worthy product that you will not be ashamed to brag to others.
