Saturday, August 20, 2011

Techniques for Identifying Genuine Pearl Beads

By Siffion Quaid


Pearl beads are a beautiful accessory for making beaded jewelry, particularly something like a necklace or a bracelet. However if you would like to use genuine pearls for your jewelry instead of imitations you have to know the simple way to identify the difference so you don't get ripped off as the prices of real pearl beads is significantly more than fake pearl beads.

Here are some simple ways that you can cross check if the pearls you are planning on buying are real or fake.

Rub the pearls together. This is probably the easiest way of testing the genuineness of the pearls. Real pearls will feel grainy when rubbed together as they have texture. If it is smooth then it is probable to be fake as this would suggest that the beads have been lined with a fake veneer.

The tooth test on a pearl bead is another way of testing if it is real or not. Simply rub the pearl against your teeth; it should feel like it has texture to it, if it doesn't then it is fake.

The scrape test; if the bead is made from real pearls then you should be able to gently scrape them with something with a sharp edge like a pair of scissors. If the pearl is genuine then it will not scratch the surface of it as the lustre of a genuine pearl goes right through all of the pearl and not just on the surface. This test is only recommended for fresh water pearls as sea pearls do not have the same density of lustre as fresh water pearls. If the pearl is not real this test will damage it so take care with this test if you plan on returning the pearl beads to the shop for a repayment.Shell beads that are sold as pearl beads can pass the rub test as they also have texture but they do not have the lustre that a real pearl bead does so will fail the scrape test. If you're jittery about doing the scrape test on a bead it may be a wise decision to ask a professional as they can identify a genuine pearl bead from a fake usually just by having a look at it.

Hopefully this article will help you identify the difference between real and fake pearl beads.




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