How to distinguish a real pearl from a fake? How to distinguish pearls from fake

First, from the appearance of pearls, the size and shape of each pearl are different;

Second, look at the luster of pearls, real pearls emit a soft light under the light, while artificial pearls have no luster;

Thirdly, pearl powder will appear on the surface of two pearls rubbing against each other, but if the powder is wiped off by hand, the surface of the beads will be as bright as ever.

There are two main categories of pearls: natural pearls and cultured pearls. Natural pearls are natural secretions from animals such as shellfish or mussels without human factors. Natural pearls are further divided into natural saltwater pearls and natural freshwater pearls.

Cultured pearls are the formation of nacre in animals such as shellfish or mussels, and the nacre has a concentric layer or concentric layer radial structure. The chemical composition of cultured pearls is the same as that of natural pearls. Cultured pearls are divided into two categories: saltwater cultured pearls and freshwater cultured pearls, which are the most common in the market.

There is also a fake pearl.

How to identify the authenticity of pearls:

Intuitive method: Observe the color, shape, size and luster of pearls directly with the naked eye. In the case of real pearls, their color, shape, and size are inconsistent (real pearls strung together in necklaces or bracelets are more uniform in size because they are selected), while the opposite is true for artificial pearls.

Real pearls can show uneven rainbows, while fake pearls have a single hue.

Sensory method: touch the real pearl with your hand to have a cool feeling; It is more important to grasp a pearl with each hand and rub it against each other, the one with a feeling of sand (roughness) is a real pearl, and the one with a clear smoothness is an artificial pearl.

Magnifying glass observation method: Observe with a 5x or 10x magnifying glass, and the growth lines can be seen on the surface of real pearls (including natural pearls and cultured pearls), as if the sand dunes were blown by the wind; Artificial beads can only be seen with an eggshell-like coating.

Knife scraping method: Scrape on the surface of the real pearl with a knife or scissors, and only some powder will fall; Scraping on the artificial coating beads will scrape up a layer of film to reveal the true face of the glass; If it is scratched on an uncoated glass bead, it will only feel smooth.

Several simple ways to identify are available.

Tooth grinding method: the surface of the substitute pearl is relatively smooth, if you use the tooth to grind lightly, it will feel slippery, and the skin of the natural pearl is covered by layers of calcium carbonate, and there is a rustling feeling with the tooth grinding, but this method is not recognized by the industry, because the tooth will damage the surface of the pearl.

Eye-to-eye method: with the naked eye or ten times magnifying glass, you can see the smoothness of the surface of the substitute pearl, and the pearl generally has a slight irregularity or flaw, and the substitute pearl is made of a batch of plastic raw materials compression, each is quite neat, but the surface of the pearl is not the same, the body color or brilliance are slightly different.

Weighing method: the specific gravity of seawater pearls is in.

between, freshwater pearls in.

The material of the substitute pearl is plastic, and the specific gravity is, therefore, when looking at it with a hand scale, it can be felt that the substitute pearl is lighter and the pearl is heavier.

The methods to distinguish the authenticity of pearls are: intuitive method, magnifying glass observation method, friction method, etc.

1. Intuitive method

The intuitive method is the easiest way to look at a pearl directly with the naked eye and tell them by their color, shape, size, and luster. True pearls, colors, shapes, and sizes are not exactly the same. Genuine natural pearls, even if they are selected to be more uniform in size and color at most, will never be completely consistent, while fake pearls, on the contrary, can do this because they are machine-made.

2. Magnifying glass observation method

Magnifiers have always been the most effective tool for distinguishing the real from the fake. If you look at the surface of the pearl with a 10x magnifying glass, you can see the growth texture of the natural pearl, and you can see the formation of calcium crystals, as if the sand dunes were blown by the wind, while the fake pearl skin is an uneven eggshell-like like the surface of an egg, and you can see the extremely rough or thin layer of detachment at the bead hole.

3. Friction method

If real natural pearls rub against each other, there will be a bumpy matte feeling (jerky and rough), and if you rub hard, some powder will fall. Fake pearls, two beads rubbing against each other, there is a smooth, slippery feeling, you can't feel the pearl powder. Real pearls are not afraid of rubbing, because as long as the powder is wiped off after rubbing, the original luster is shown again.

Varieties of pearls

1. Freshwater pearls

As the name suggests, it is a pearl that grows in a lake or river. In recent years, China's freshwater pearl breeding has made rapid progress. The study of colored freshwater pearls has also been successful, and they are brilliant in color, different shapes, and high yields.

But in terms of value, the treasures above 8 mm are far from saltwater pearls. It should be noted that freshwater pearls are also a genuine pearl species.

2. Saltwater pearls

Pearls are generally perfectly round in shape, which is the most ideal shape of pearls. In ancient times, our country called "walking the plate bead", that is, put it in the plate and move slightly, you can roll freely, the roundness is good, the grains are light, and the plates are walked. Seawater beads are more likely to be round than freshwater beads, which is determined by the concentric ring structure within them.

A real pearl with a very natural and round color, and the luster comes from the inside, making it look crystal clear. If we look closely at its surface, we will see that its luster is layered, sometimes with rings.

Flawless beads, natural pearls generally have some minor flaws, fake beads are machine-polished, are flawless and uniform particle size.

Here's how to identify pearls:

1. Look at it with your eyes: the shape of pearls is not an absolutely perfect rule, and it is translucent jade white, yellow-white, light basket color, flesh red and other natural and unique multicolored fluorescent luster; The pseudo-beads have a regular shape and uniform size, and are generally coated with silver powder or a "glazing liquid" made of fish scales on the surface of the beads, which is monotonous in color and lacks halo.

2. Touch with your hands: two pearls gently rub against each other, which will have a rough feeling, while fake pearls will produce a sliding feeling.

3. Look at the borehole: observe whether the borehole is clear and clear, and there is pigment accumulation in the borehole of the fake beads.

4. Coldness: Pearls have a cold feeling when placed on the hand, but fake beads do not.

5. If you scrape real pearls with a knife, there will be white powder, while fake pearls will scrape out a layer of paint.

6. Real pearls have more or less certain flaws, while fake pearls are flawless and have uniform particle size.

If you want to wear genuine pearls, you can strictly control the purchase channels to ensure that what you buy is real, the first category, buy at the brand counters of large shopping malls, this kind of pearl jewelry is expensive; The second type is an appraisal certificate with a third-party authority, but if the pearl has been identified, there is no need to worry about the quality.

Friction method: The skin of natural pearls is covered with layers of calcium carbonate, which will rustle when gently rubbed against each other, and the surface of substitute pearls (i.e. plastic beads covered with nacre or shell grinding and covered with nacre) is smoother, and when gently ground against each other, it will feel slippery. (2).

Eye-to-eye method: With the naked eye or ten times magnifying glass, you can see the smoothness of the surface of the substitute pearl, while the natural pearl has a slight irregularity or flaw, and the substitute pearl is a batch of plastic raw materials or glass beads molded made, each is quite neat, but the surface of the pearl is not exactly the same body color, even the color is slightly different. (3).

Weighing method: between the specific gravity of saltwater pearls, freshwater pearls are between, and the substitute pearl material is plastic, and the specific gravity is, so when you look at it with a hand scale, you can feel that the substitute pearl is lighter, and the natural pearl is heavier (4).Chakon method:

The nacre is hard, and in the borehole, it is sharp, and the nacre is softer, and the borehole is concave.

Roasted with a lighter, the black is wiped off and smooth as ever, and the roughness is false.