People are getting fooled left and right by sleeky jewellers who sell fake pearls that are hard to identify with naked eyes.

They charge a hefty amount for it capitalising on the vulnerability of people.

And people buy these fake pearls not knowing that they have been tricked.

Tests to identify real pearls:

Here are the tests that tell you if pearls you bought are real or fake so you can never be fooled again when buying your favourite pearl jewellery.

Shapes and spots:

Fake pearls have a polished perfect round shape without any visible marks and flaws.

Real pearls will have irregularities in shapes and are never perfect. They will also have spots and dips.

It’s not very obvious to identify fake pearls in the modern world but if the pearls shape, size and colour are identical and uniform, it’s a fake pearl.

You just need to have a sharp eye to differentiate between real and fake pearls.

Like all things in life, real is never perfect.

Pearl Size:

In a strand, if all the pearls are of the same size and identical it’s a fake pearl.

If all the pearls in a strand are of slightly different sizes and unique, it’s real pearls.

Tooth test:

Taking a pearl and gently rubbing it against your front teeth is the easiest way to tell if a pearl is real or not.

If the pearl feels smooth like plastic or glass against your teeth, it's a fake pearl.

If the rub feels gritty like a sand paper and it's not smooth, then it's a real pearl.

Drill hole test:

Check the drill holes in the pearl jewellery you are having. 

If the drill hole is not clean and has a mountain-like build-up on the edge, it’s a fake pearl.

If the drill hole is clean and perfect without any visible build-ups then it’s a real pearl.

Colour test:

Like all things previously said, fake pearls in a strand have a uniform colour with no visible difference.

Real pearls will have slight inconsistency in colours and each one is unique. That’s how nature creates.

Drop and bounce test:

Take a marble or a smooth glass surface. 

Drop the pearl from around 3ft, if the pearls bounce around 1 feet in height it’s real.

Vinegar test:

Put a drop of vinegar over a pearl bead.

A real pearl has calcium carbonate in it, which builds its structure.

So it will react and have a chemical reaction with vinegar and show signs of erosion while a fake pearl won’t get affected.

Surface:

Real pearls have a fingerprint like surface. While fake pearls have a clean polished surface.

Temperature test: 

Real pearls feel cold and holding it for sometime makes it adjust to your body temperature. 

While fake pearls temperature remains the same when it comes in contact with body temperature.

Weight:

Real pearls feels dense and heavy.

Fake pearls are lightweight because they are mostly made out of plastics.

Pearl Coating:

This test involves damaging a pearl for testing, but if it's real it won’t be damaged.

When scratched, duplicate pearls wear off easily and reveal a different coloured inner layer.

If the coating is hard to scratch and once it comes off if the inner layer is lustrous and the same colour like the external, it's a real pearl.

Flame test:

You can easily tell whether a pearl is real or not with a lighter. 

Take a lighter and heat one of your pearls for sometime. This might bring potential damage if the pearls are fake.

If the pearls are fake, it will melt. Real pearls will only blacken and it returns to its original colour and lustre when wiped with a cloth or sponge.

Once you are able to identify real pearls from all these test, look into the different types of pearls to choose the perfect one.

Conclusion:

These are all the tests you can do to differentiate between a real pearl and a fake one. 

Don’t stop with one test and decide off face value. Do 3 or more tests which you can and conclude based on that before you judge the pearl as real or fake.