How to Tell if Pearls Are Fake

I'm a great believer in mixing fake jewelry with real jewelry. If your rings are diamonds, surely your earrings are too, right? I think you can get away with a lot, though I'm so stupidly honest that if somebody compliments me I'll say, "It's fake. I got it at Target."

Plus I'm fickle so I don't want much that lasts. My grandmother had a very valuable very ugly piece of porcelain. I was so pleased when someone else wanted it. What a burden -- it's my grandmother's, it's worth a lot of money, it's fragile and it's ugly. Give me something with no obligation I can cast aside when I'm tired of it. (Note: This does not apply to people, animals, vehicles, trailers, computers, iPods, refrigerators or any other useful, costly thing.)

But, if you're buying Pearls, caveat emptor! There are a lot of fakes out there. I don't mind fakes, but I don't want to spend real money on fake pearls. If you see pearl jewelry for sale on the Internet and the price is too good to be true, well, use your head. It's a fake.

Kind of like if there's a fabulous, fancy horse in my price range, he's got navicular or something else wrong with him. (More on this tomorrow. Or whenever I get around to it.)

We've all seen how they test pearls to see if they're real or fake in the movies -- by biting down on them. Turns out this is a real test. (Not sure how you do it on the Internet, though.) Here's how you do it in person: gently bite down on the pearls with your front teeth. Slide your teeth up and down the pearls. If they're real, they'll feel gritty. If they're fake, they'll feel smooth.

You can also make sure you're getting the real thing by buying from a legitimate source. Terry Shepherd, who's known as The Pearl Hunter, says that all the fake pearls are bad for business. If you want to find out more about him or pearls, go to his site www.thepearloutlet.com.

Comments

[risingrainbow]

I've heard that about pearls before but have never been in the position to try it. I'm so focused on horses jewelry is not anywhere in the forefront of my mind or wants, either.

[photogchic]

The most expensive piece of jewlery I owe is a silver bracelet made my a famous silversmith from New Mexico. I paid $220 and still cringe when I think about it. I love that bracelet--something about the feel of heavy silver. I am a sucker for turqoise things as well...not the gaudy stuff, the quality Zuni pieces.

[tungsten wedding rings]

Well, thank you for bringing up this very important matters i loved pearl so much and its always my choice,thank you so much for sharing this,its obvious that it so informative.

by: rhianne