A beautiful pearl jewelry is a great addition to a feminine look. Mother of pearl products help to emphasize femininity and give elegance. Fashionistas love them, and jewelry stores offer many original products. Moreover, increased demand has long forced manufacturers to use not only natural, but also artificial minerals. We will teach you to understand which offer you.
Different backgrounds - different prices
Natural pearls are quite difficult to obtain. This is due to the process of their formation.
Natural
Several years pass until, with the help of a special substance - mother of pearl - a sea or river mollusk transforms a foreign body, which appeared in its shell, into a pearl.
Even freshwater mother of pearl (one of the cheapest options) is very expensive, some necklaces can cost up to hundreds of dollars.
Cultured
To increase the volume of the produced mineral, a person began to cultivate it, that is, to grow it in conditions close to natural. A tiny mother-of-pearl pebble planted by a person processes, as is the case with natural pearls, a mollusk shell.
Artificial
Today, in addition to natural and cultured nacre, artificial (synthetic) mineral is also used in jewelry production. A synthetic pearl is the work of the person himself, who covers the beads from different materials with a mother-of-pearl emulsion. Factory manufacturing is widespread, so the cost of producing such a mineral is much lower. Hence, jewelry with it should cost less.
Therefore, the question arises: is it possible to independently understand which particular mineral is in front of you, natural (including cultivated) or synthetic. Let's say right away: you can!
Important! You should not buy jewelry and accessories on the street or from unverified sellers, especially with a big discount. If you want to purchase this product, it is better to contact a jewelry store with a confirmed certificate and license.
Available methods for determining the naturalness of the decoration
If you want to quickly and efficiently verify the authenticity of the purchased jewelry, you can use one of the options below.
- Visually assess the quality of the beads .
Important! These specimens have an uneven shape in contrast to artificial variants.
Look at the pearls, it should have an uneven pear-shaped or egg-shaped .
- With a visual assessment, you can see an interesting play of color . Real mother-of-pearl, when a light stream hits it, begins to shimmer in white, yellow and pink .
- Quality pearls should shine in good light. With its visual inspection, you can see your reflection on the surface.
- Remove the pearls from the thread and look at the hole in the central part . It is necessary to evaluate its edges and the course of the channel itself. On real pearls, you can see a perfectly even channel with clear edges. Outwardly, it will resemble an ideal cylinder with a cavity. In the case of artificial material, an uneven curved channel with rounded edges is noticeable.
- A careful examination of the channel reveals characteristic lines indicating the presence of several layers of pearlescent coating . In the case of this option, you will see a clear border (one line) of the transition of nacre to the core. Fake variants of these lines may have several or they may be absent altogether.
Since none of the presented criteria can unambiguously indicate the authenticity of the product, it is necessary to take them into account in a complex. Such an assessment will help determine the authenticity of the product most accurately.
What methods are better not to use to check the naturalness of pearls
Often on the Internet you can find additional methods for verifying the authenticity of pearl jewelry. However, not all of them can be suitable.
Among the least effective verification methods that can ruin a product include several options.
- Fire testing is a dangerous and ineffective way. Because some types of real pearls can also burn, as well as artificial varieties.
Important! When exposed to fire, the pearls become very hot, which can cause a burn.
- Quality assessment using teeth and friction . Real pearls should be with a rough surface. However, with careful polishing, the surface can become smooth, as with artificial varieties.
- Do not check the jewelry with vinegar . In the case of the genuine option, you simply lose the jewelry, as it will dissolve in acetic acid .
And remember: exotic names are not an indicator of the authenticity of products!
