STORY B SHEUNG Questions most frequently asked, Part 1.
How do I tell real pearls from fake pearls?
The most basic test is the tooth test. Glide the pearl gently along the edges of your teeth. Real pearls will feel abrasive and organic, while fakes feel slippery. For a pearl necklace, rub two pearls against each other. If they give a gritty feel, they are most probably real pearls. High quality shell pearls (imitations) can be very convincing. Buy from a trustworthy jeweller and you will not need to worry about fakes.
Are cultured pearls real pearls?
Cultured pearls are as genuine as natural pearls, as both of them are grown inside living oysters in oceans. The differences between them are comparable to the differences between the strawberries we cultivate in farms and the wild strawberries we find in the woods. Cultured pearls are generally rounder, bigger and of nicer quality than natural pearls.
How rare are natural pearls?
Natural pearls are rare. They are found in perhaps one of every 100 pearl oysters, and of the natural pearls found, only 1 out of 10 is of good quality. Many species yielding natural pearls are under protection. Over-harvesting can damage or deplete the oyster beds. The activities of cultured pearls is in many ways more environment-friendly than the fishing of natural pearls.
Are cultured pearls as valuable as natural pearls?
Natural pearls once commanded much higher prices than cultured pearls. Today, a natural pearl of big size and perfection will still command a higher price than a cultured pearl of similar size and quality. But in reality, natural pearls are often imperfect and relatively smaller (6mm on average) than cultured pearls, while sophisticated pearl cultivating techniques can yield pearls of superior quality in big sizes (15mm or up). These cultured pearls, however, often come with a big price tag.
How can I tell good-quality pearls from low-quality pearls?
Good-quality pearls look shiny and lively, and the surface is clean. Low-quality pearls have blemishes or cracks and hollows, and the surface looks dull.
Can I find a pearl in my dish of oysters?
Wouldn't it be nice? But the reality is, even if you find a pearl in your dish of oysters, it would be of no lustre and would resemble a pebble. Common edible oysters do not produce lustrous nacre and have little in common with molluscs used for pearl culture.
What gives pearls their different colours?
A pearl's natural colour depends mainly on the species of mollusc bearing the pearls. The colour of the pearl tends to match the inside of the mollusc's shell - black pearls are grown from black-lipped pearl oysters, and yellow and golden pearls from yellow-lipped oysters. The mollusc builds its shell and its pearl with the same nacre substance and the same pigments. The pigments of a pearl nacre reside in the organic layers, between layers of aragonite crystals.
Artificial colouring can change the original colours of the pearls. Pearls can be dyed, bleached, or chemically treated to give a different colour. If you want only natural colours, check with your jeweller and ask the jeweller to specify "Natural Colour" on the invoice.
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