Are these real
- Thread starter Ttinney
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Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
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- Sep 24, 2007
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Both necklaces look like imitations. If you still have any doubts, do the rubbing test. Rub one pearl in the necklace gently against another (but first wipe them clean with a damp microfiber cloth, as grime interferes with this test.) Gritty = likely real; smooth = likely fake. Sticky = grimy!
Please don't do the "tooth test" on any of the pearls. We used to recommend rubbing a pearl against the edge of your front teeth as a simple test but I have stopped recommending that test because teeth are harder than pearls and can scratch them.
The simplest test for the earring pearls is the temperature test. Real pearls are cooler than imitation pearls. To test, put the necklaces and the earrings in the same room for half an hour or so (to eliminate the ambient temperature as a variable) and then hold the pearls briefly against your lips (which are very sensitive to temperature), comparing with the fake ones. If they are as warm as the fake necklaces, they are fake.
If you have a jeweler's loupe (10x magnifier) --or access to a loupe-- this can also help determine what they are. Real nacre is very smooth looking under 10x magnification, whereas the coating on imitation pearls has a somewhat coarser texture when seen at that magnification. Compare what you see on the earring pearls with the imitation pearls. If you don't have a loupe, I'd suggest a trip to your friendly neighborhood jeweler-- bring along the earrings and the imitations-- and ask if you can use their loupe to have a look.
Also if there are any metal marks on the earrings, that can help. Usually you would expect real gold to go with real pearls. But it isn't definitive. I was given a brooch as a child that has a real cultured pearl, but the metal and stones are fashion jewelry.
Please don't do the "tooth test" on any of the pearls. We used to recommend rubbing a pearl against the edge of your front teeth as a simple test but I have stopped recommending that test because teeth are harder than pearls and can scratch them.
The simplest test for the earring pearls is the temperature test. Real pearls are cooler than imitation pearls. To test, put the necklaces and the earrings in the same room for half an hour or so (to eliminate the ambient temperature as a variable) and then hold the pearls briefly against your lips (which are very sensitive to temperature), comparing with the fake ones. If they are as warm as the fake necklaces, they are fake.
If you have a jeweler's loupe (10x magnifier) --or access to a loupe-- this can also help determine what they are. Real nacre is very smooth looking under 10x magnification, whereas the coating on imitation pearls has a somewhat coarser texture when seen at that magnification. Compare what you see on the earring pearls with the imitation pearls. If you don't have a loupe, I'd suggest a trip to your friendly neighborhood jeweler-- bring along the earrings and the imitations-- and ask if you can use their loupe to have a look.
Also if there are any metal marks on the earrings, that can help. Usually you would expect real gold to go with real pearls. But it isn't definitive. I was given a brooch as a child that has a real cultured pearl, but the metal and stones are fashion jewelry.
I also gently rub the 2 earrings together to check for grittiness too. My guess too is that the hand knotted are imitation. The smaller ....I wonder why they aren't knotted.... but I am seeing some variation in the pearls. That is helpful to have the imitation to compare the possible real to in terms of grittiness.
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