I received a call from my sister in law yesterday and she asked how someone could tell if pearls were real or fake. I have two different sets of fresh cultured water pearls. My mom and her mom (my grandmother) are heavy into pearls. I was able to give my sister in law the information she needed to determine whether she had real or fake pearls and I will share that same info with you. There are several ways you can find out if you've been dooped.
Tooth Test
Rub the pearls lightly along the biting edge of your upper front teeth. If they feel gritty or sandy, they are real pearls. If they feel smooth, they are probably imitations.
Friction Test
Take two pearls then lightly rub one against the other. If they feel gritty or sandy, they are real pearls. If they feel smooth, they are not real.
Surface Magnification
Magnify the surfaces of the pearls with a magnifier. If they look grainy, the beads are imitation pearls. If they look scaly, maze-like, they are real pearls
Flaw Test
Examine the pearls for flaws. If they appear flawless and unnatural perfection, they might be imitation.
Matching Test
Observe the whole pearl jewelry piece, their shape, luster, size, and color. Imitations can perfectly match while real pearls tend to be variations.
Overtone Test
Imitation is lack of overtone. Real pearls have various overtones.
Drilled-Hole Test
The pearl nacre coating is thicker than the coating of imitations. Therefore, you may find a clear dividing line between the nacre and nucleus from the real pearl's drilled-hole.
