Hints To Help Determine Real From Imitation (Faux) Pearls

The "Quick, Down and Dirty" Tooth Test

A common and fairly reliable test for fake pearls is to simply rub the pearl gently across the front of your teeth. The surface of a cultured or natural pearl should feel rough, or “sandy”, due to the unique build up of the nacreous surface. A fake pearl will generally feel smooth across your teeth, such as glass or plastic.
 

~Belle:

• Sometimes, with really fine smooth round pearls it is very difficult to tell, but sometimes I can tell by looking at these things:
   

• Beads that are too round. Real pearls are close to round, but are seldom perfectly round. Glass pearls are almost always very round, even, and smooth.
   

• Variation of size. Real pearls vary slightly in size. Faux pearls today are close to exactly the same size. The vintage Japanese glass pearls, though, were lampwork so they do vary in size and shape which is very realistic.
   

• All faux pearls have a coating or finish painted on. Look at the bead holes if pictured for any flakes of finish. Look at the beads for spots, dings, scratches, or nicks in the finish.
   

• Rings are common on real pearls. They may be very slight and only appear on one or two, but even a partial ring around the pearl is a giveaway. Baroque glass pearls do not have rings but have dimples and all are the same shape.
   

• Look at parts of a necklace - knotted beads and karat gold clasps are common with real pearls. If the clasp is cheap or base metal or if there are glass beads, it's a good sign to take into consideration with other characteristics that this may not be real pearls. Old necklaces can be re-strung, however, so this should only be considered with other things.
   

• Real pearls of good quality have a sheen, a depth to the surface appearance, not just a shine. The best of glass pearls and/or shell pearls try hard to simulate this, but there is something about the way the light strikes real ones.

sunnydaycollectibles:

• I like to think of the "depth" of pearls almost as "pools". The glowing "pools" sort of shift and change as the pearl is moved. It helps to have a real strand of pearls to compare to, but in lieu of that, visit a jeweler and look at the real pearls. Once you see the difference, it becomes much easier in the future.

Astynax77:

• Under magnification, look at the pearl's surface. A natural or cultured pearl will be very fine-grained. Simulated pearls usually look grainy.
   

• The surface of real and cultured pearls almost always have some bumps, flaws and/or irregularities (since their surface is produced by a natural process). Be suspicious of flawless pearls.
   

• If you can look at a cut edge or drill hole under magnification, a real pearl will have smooth edges, while edges on simulated pearls are usually ragged or chipped.
   

• For the difference between cultured and natural... Shine a UV light on the pearl. Natural pearl will show brownish-yellow fluorescence. Cultured pearl will have bluish fluorescence. Beyond that requires an x-ray to see the layering.
   

• You can, however, be suspicious of how the pearls are mounted: no knotting, chipping, cheap clasps.