got these as a gift, blk & cream necklace, cream necklace set, not sure if they're real, did the burning test, they don't melt, and they're gritty when I did the tooth test, rubbed them together and they didn't leave mark and nothing came off.
r they real
- Thread starter juice7825
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got these as a gift, blk & cream necklace, cream necklace set, not sure if they're real, did the burning test, they don't melt, and they're gritty when I did the tooth test, rubbed them together and they didn't leave mark and nothing came off.
Lulu
Well-known member
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- Mar 14, 2012
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Just out of curiosity -- is there really a burning test that someone is recommending that people do to test if the pearls are real?! I understand that some fake pearls may be plastic and would melt if burned, but other fake pearls are made of glass or other composites that wouldn't necessarily melt. Just find it funny that this is the second post I've seen in a month where someone has mentioned burning their pearls... In general just doesn't seem like a great idea.
pattye
Pearl Scholar
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- Dec 26, 2005
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- 11,464
Lulu and all,
Burning pearls as a test is foolish and not recommended EVER, you are correct. The other person ruined a golden south sea pearl by burning it, if I remember correctly. I would think a plastic fake pearl would be pretty easy to tell.
Burning pearls as a test is foolish and not recommended EVER, you are correct. The other person ruined a golden south sea pearl by burning it, if I remember correctly. I would think a plastic fake pearl would be pretty easy to tell.
perlinda
pearl lover
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- Oct 3, 2011
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Here in Indonesia, many sellers do that... even to freshwater pearls even though it may cause damage to FWP. I'm not sure why, since there are easier ways to tell whether the pearls are fake or not and I've never done it myself. Maybe they're doing it to give a show to potential customer, certainly burning expensive SS pearl looks more convincing than simple grit test 
Daddys Little Pearl
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Pattye, how interesting the Burn Test should come up today, earlier today I saw by accident one of those lovely "Guides" on ebay written of course by the ebay "experts", this one was on how to tell real pearls from fakes and I was rolling with laughter when she said to burn your pearls to test them, then just wipe them off. her description of how a pearl is born was also quite interesting, would love to see an actual "injection of dust" as I recall, into the poor little creature. Maybe I can sell my leftover house dust to the pearl farms? I think she actually had a photo on the guide of someone burning a pearl. Also a very confusing definition of cultured pearls in general in her guide. And yes, many of the finer faux pearls, which themselves are fairly valuable, would be ruined by setting them on fire. Not to mention the possibility of inhaling some unknown toxic chemical in homes that might have children or pets. Or accidentally setting the house on fire.
Here is the link to the "guide", and please don't anyone take this guide as a serious article on pearls: pearl "guide"
Daddys Little Pearl
Here is the link to the "guide", and please don't anyone take this guide as a serious article on pearls: pearl "guide"
Daddys Little Pearl
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pearlescence
purveyor of pearls UK/EU
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In some arabic countries the traders set a flame to everything to show how good it is.
lilliefuzzysocks
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I thought I read here on this board about heating a needle and touching a pearl to check if they are real. Is that what the OP did?
Daddys Little Pearl
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Personally I prefer a good blast with my shotgun, knocks anything that is not real right off the little suckers. OK, JUST KIDDING of course, but the concept of setting fire to pearls still has me laughing. And just imagine if the pearls had a little hair spray or perfume residue (flammable folks).
Now seriously juice, don't burn anymore of your pearls. Rub two together to see if you feel the grit, put them to your teeth (after lightly washing please), let them sit untouched in your room for several hours and then compare their coldness to any other beads you know to be fake or glass. If you have other pearls in your collection, set them all out and compare using the above. Visit any shops that sell real pearls (reputable shops only), ask to hold some. Ask the jeweler to tell you how to know real ones, most reputable jewelers are happy to educate a potential customer. Get a good magnifier or a 10x jewelers loupe, they are not expensive at all. and look at your pearls under magnification. You will learn to recognize the nacre, and with practice possibly also the quality and thickness. When buying pearls that are not expensive, not a big issue, but you would not want to get taken if they were to be expensive. Now that you own some real ones, you will want more, they are quite addictive.
Daddys Little Pearl
Antiques Jewelry & Sacred Treasures
OK, JUST KIDDING of course, but the concept of setting fire to pearls still has me laughing. And just imagine if the pearls had a little hair spray or perfume residue (flammable folks). Now seriously juice, don't burn anymore of your pearls. Rub two together to see if you feel the grit, put them to your teeth (after lightly washing please), let them sit untouched in your room for several hours and then compare their coldness to any other beads you know to be fake or glass. If you have other pearls in your collection, set them all out and compare using the above. Visit any shops that sell real pearls (reputable shops only), ask to hold some. Ask the jeweler to tell you how to know real ones, most reputable jewelers are happy to educate a potential customer. Get a good magnifier or a 10x jewelers loupe, they are not expensive at all. and look at your pearls under magnification. You will learn to recognize the nacre, and with practice possibly also the quality and thickness. When buying pearls that are not expensive, not a big issue, but you would not want to get taken if they were to be expensive. Now that you own some real ones, you will want more, they are quite addictive.
Daddys Little Pearl
Antiques Jewelry & Sacred Treasures
