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looking to buy a pearl ring etc for a set but confused by all the variations,obviously simulated is fake are the others real pearls?

2007-01-27 02:24:13 · 4 answers · asked by Simon & Em M 3 in Science & Mathematics Earth Sciences & Geology

How can you tell if a pearl is real?

2007-01-27 02:29:12 · update #1

4 answers

pearls are produced when little pieces of debris land inside certain species of seashells. the shell tries to isolate the grain by covering with a layer of mother of pearl, which also lines its own shell's inside. that of course only increases the problem and the shell answers with a new layer of pearl. and so on and so forth...
now, this used to happen naturally, but nowadays is done on purpose, bringing so called nuclei into shells which live under controlled conditions, like on a farm, thus producing larger amounts of pearls.

these pearls are every bit as real as natural pearls, but much easier, hence cheaper to produce than natural pearls. to prevent the pearl market from collapsing an artificial distinction is made between cheap cultured and expensive natural pearls.

sweetwater pearls are ALL cultured. they are produced by other species of shells, that live in freshwater lakes, or even just big fishtanks.
they are not made by putting nuclei into them, but by making small incisions into the shells flesh and putting a little piece of another shell int the cut. this can be done seceral times per shell, sometimes as often as fifty times at once. while this allows for an even bigger harvest on pearls, there is a drawback: sweetwater pearls are seldom round, but very randomly shaped. while still consisting of genuine mother of pearl, these are the cheapest kind of pearls, little more expensive than good fake pearls.
see also here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl

2007-01-27 02:48:43 · answer #1 · answered by wolschou 6 · 0 0

The standard pearl is made by an oyster in the ocean without any outside interferance. Maybe 1 in 10 has a pearl.
A cultured pearl is made by a bit of irritation, usually a piece of the inside of an oyster shell, being put in the muscle, the oyster then being put in a bag and hung in the ocean for several years, collected and cut open. about 9 of 10 have a pearl. Much more uniform in color and size than "natural" pearls.
A freshwater pearl is one grown in a freshwater oyster, much less common and most are distorted from a round shape, more like a pebble.
Similarly for freshwater cultured.

2007-01-27 02:39:47 · answer #2 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0 0

A pearl is "real" if it is found in an oyster in the wild state, so to speak

A pearl is "cultured" if an oyster is chosen to make a pearl, something is inserted into its shell and it then makes a pearl.

~~~~~~~both the above from oysters found in salt waters

~~~~~~~freshwater pearls are created in the same way as the saltwater varieties,
but the creature lives in fresh water....

As you probably know, the oyster creates a substance to surround an irritating piece of sand or something of the ilk, so it will not be irritating to its tissues ... and the longer it is there, the larger the pearl...

2007-01-27 02:44:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

how to tell the value of a pearl necklace age 90 years old

2016-07-21 11:20:25 · answer #4 · answered by barbara 1 · 0 0

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