Testing for Real Pearls

A lovely customer came to Handiwork today and wanted to have her pearls re-strung. The cutest part was that she did not know if they were genuine pearls. I taught her this simple pearl test everyone should know how to do.

Take two of the pearls and scratch them together. You should feel a slight resistance as the pearls nacre create friction against one another. Note the small feathery "scratches" left where the two pearls rubbed against one another.

Here is another close up of the "scratch," which can actually be easily removed with your fingers.

Fake pearls will NOT scratch against one another. In fact, you will find they are slippery and have a plastic feel to them. Natural pearls may also have small blemishes, bumps, and color gradations.

Hopefully this pearl scratching trick will replace that funny habit people have developed -- using one's teeth to scratch the pearl's nacre!