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Posted by dutch-hippy on 02-Apr-2011 11:49 Report
Can you tell real pearls from fakes?
With the price of gold so high, I had someone break in and steal every gold item of jewelry. I now want to sell all my stuff and have a few pearl ear rings. How can I tell if they are the real thing or should I just sell tthe lot?
 
Replied by busymitts on 02-Apr-2011 12:36 (Ref 2281952) Report
I hope you were covered with insurance on the theft. I'll also be watching this thread for I have estate pearl jewellery from my mum that I can't tell arthur from marther either, not that I'll be selling it but - so I hope someone can answer, cheers. :)
Replied by issabella10 on 02-Apr-2011 12:50 (Ref 2281965) Report
You can but by saying that it comes from experience so it's a bit difficult . If the pearls are fairly old then usually you can assume that they are real , glass pearls are heavy . What kind is another thing . Cultured /Natural etc.
Real Pearls feel 'nice' , if you run them along your teeth they will feel very different then say a glass pearl.
If they are old , they may have yellowed slightly which could also be an indication of a real pearl.

The best bet to make sure is to see if a jeweller will look at them , perhaps get a valuation done so then you'll have a record for Insurance purposes should you want to keep them.

if they are imitation and you want to sell them , unless they have gold findings they won't be valuable .

Hope you send lots of Karma back to the low life thief .
Replied by busymitts on 02-Apr-2011 15:18 (Ref 2282023) Report
If they are old , they may have yellowed slightly which could also be an indication of a real pearl

I remember mum saying they were when I was a kid - would appear I'm in luck then with your reckoning - thanks Issabella & have a great weekend. :)
Replied by rubyrose on 02-Apr-2011 16:36 (Ref 2282038) Report
Real Pearls feel 'nice' , if you run them along your teeth they will feel very different then say a glass pearl.

This is actually a very good indication of real pearls. When you  run them along your teeth they have a slightly gritty feel to them . If pearls are completely smooth chances are they are  not real. I have a very old string of Mikimoto pearls that are classified as very fine pearls and these also have that slightly gritty feel when placed between  your teeth. I also have several other pieces pf cultured pearls and freshwater pearls and they all have this same feel on the teeth.
cheers
Replied by dutch-hippy on 03-Apr-2011 02:10 (Ref 2282156) Report
Unless you insure your jewelry seperately, you can only get $1000.00 and because I have a $500.00 deductable I got $500.00.
I don't think these are the real thing so might just sell them together, 4 sets, if they are real, the buyer will have a nice suprise. I will take them to a jeweler first though. I live in a small town and have a fair idea who the thief is but if I told the police my suspicion I would be scared if he would retalliate. I am an old lady, living by myself so will let sleeping dogs lie. I changed the locks, which the insurance paid for!
Replied by busymitts on 03-Apr-2011 06:08 (Ref 2282159) Report
I live in a small town and have a fair idea who the thief is but if I told the police my suspicion I would be scared if he would retalliate.

Dutchhippy all you have is an idea of who, the police would possibly follow it up & whoever it is shouldn't be doing anything of the sort towards you just because you reported a theft. This person comes across as being someone that may have had the keys to your place so good idea on changing the locks. Maybe get a few dogs too. :)
Replied by manuteapearls on 21-Apr-2011 01:20 (Ref 2285994) Report
I can't believe there was a pearl thread and I missed it until now!

Resident Oztion/QS pearl-girl-expert here!

Firstly let me say that I agree that you should tell the Police about the robbery. It may be just the thing they need to Get Him at long last!

Re the pearls....

If you run your teeth it will feel 'gritty' as said before. Pearls are made from layers of shell (nacre).
With a coated bead, the coating will come off.

Pearls feel 'warm' to the touch, and will be heavy. (shell)

Real pearls will sink in water, as they are either nucleated with shell, or nacre all the way through. Pearls round a plastic bead will float to a certain extent.

To clean pearls, mix a glass of warmish water with a nice lot of salt in it.
Soak the pearls for about 30 minutes, then polish with a soft cloth.

Manu  :-)
Replied by busymitts on 21-Apr-2011 07:06 (Ref 2286001) Report
Thanks Manu - was wondering where you were for this thread - lol, & thanks also for the tips, I'll give them a try when I've got some time to, have a good one all. :)
Replied by manuteapearls on 21-Apr-2011 11:06 (Ref 2286074) Report
I forgot to say, that real pearls also tend to have 'flaws' in them, unless they are very high quality, like the Mikimotos.

A flaw can be a pinprick dimple, or quite a large one, but as pearls are natural creations, no two are the same.

If they are all the same colour and with no flaws, they could very well be fake, as the Fakers don't put the Natural Flaws in, when they make them.
Just have a real close look - especially round the area where the drill-holes are.

To those with pearls they wish to keep.... Re-stringing them every now and again is recommended, as the silk they are strung on (if they are real) can rot and break.

And wear them lots! The skin's oils improve the pearls... They hate to be kept in boxes! They tell me that ALL the time.....

Manu  :-)
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