STORY B SHEUNG | IMAGE GOLAY GROUP Telling fake and real pearls apart is easier than most people think.
My friend Francis gave me a long strand of pearls when I got married. I had no idea how much such a strand would cost until my husband Alain and I came across a pearl specialist corner at Daimaru Department Store in Hong Kong. Seeing that the lowest price tag read over US$3,000, Alain turned and asked me, “Is there something between you and Francis that I should know?” My puzzled look did little to reassure him. Over at the costume jewellery counter at the same department store, we were puzzled by similar looking necklaces sold at a fraction of the price.
Soon after, I entered the world of jewellery journalism. This led me to an international jewellery fair in Hong Kong, and a booth selling “shell” pearls – one of the numerous names given to fake pearls to make them sound less artificial. Suddenly, a man rushed by, grabbed some pearls, and put them between his teeth before disappearing into the crowd. I later learned that the man had performed a “tooth test” on the pearls. Real organic pearls are said to have a gritty feel, while fake pearls give a slippery bite.
Is there a more elegant way to tell the real from the fake, without digging one’s teeth into a pearl?
Natural pearls and cultured pearls grow inside living molluscs in oceans and lakes, while imitation pearls are made in factories. Real pearls are composed of concentric nacreous layers of calcium carbonate secreted by molluscs, whereas fake pearls are made of substances such as glass, plastic, lacquer, or ground fish scales.
Besides this intellectual explanation, is there a simpler way to tell apart the real from the fake? When given three strands of pearls – one natural, one cultured, and one artificial – many of us can immediately tell the difference.
Generally, pearls set in antique jewellery are most – but not always – likely to be natural (that is, grown without human intervention). The first cultured pearls in commercial quantities reached the market in 1920s – a unique time when natural, cultured and imitation pearls were mixed and worn together in profusion.
In the case of natural pearls, divers have to search the ocean beds for oysters, generally fishing over thousands before finding a single natural pearl – economically unfeasible and environmentally unfriendly. Natural pearls usually range from 2 to 8mm in diameter. While anything over 8mm is rare, a natural pearl from a Philippine giant clam (not oyster) measures 230mm. Last year, the largest natural pearl – 62mm by 55mm by 31mm – from a South Sea pearl oyster was found in the Gulf of Manar. Such big natural pearls may be perceived as ugly, being irregular in shape. Given their range of shapes and sizes, it is difficult and costly to compose a necklace of matching natural pearls.
These days, trustworthy jewellers offer cultured pearls. These were first harvested in 1898 when pearl farmers successfully copied the process of nature by introducing a shell bead together with some oyster tissue cells into a pearl oyster. The oyster secretes an organic substance, nacre – the same substance that grows inside its shell – that envelops the implants. Over time, a cultured pearl is formed. Methods of growing spherical cultured pearls were mastered in the early 1900s, and these days, pearl farmers are able to grow larger, nicer pearls in sufficient quantity to satiate the desire of pearl lovers worldwide without depleting the oyster beds. Cultured pearls come in a good range of diameters, from below 2mm to over 20mm. The bigger and rounder the pearl, the higher the price it fetches.
Shops or counters selling fashion jewellery, and toy shops, typically carry pearl imitations of glass or plastic beads coated in pearly paint. Looking closer at the drilled holes of these beads, you will see where the paint ends and where the bead starts. most fake pearls have an artificial glow that resembles nail polish. Besides their incredibly low prices, the beads in a strand of imitation pearls are made from moulds and look identical to each other. The uniformity of colour and lustre is less striking in cultured pearls, and not uniform at all in natural pearls.
What is the simplest, safest way to buy authentic, quality pearls at appropriate prices? Reputable jewellers offer a good range of pearl jewellery, and a good choice of nicely matched cultured pearls for various budgets, and reassure you with a quality guarantee.
Why buy cultured when fake pearls are shinier and cost less? The beauty of real pearls lies in their inimitable inner glow. Nothing is more sensual than greeting the person you love in a strand of lively, organic pearls. After all, if your love for that person and your love for life is genuine, would you settle for fake? S
