如何辨别珍珠的真假？
Key Takeaways
- The term "real" can be confusing, it refers to both natural and cultured pearls, which can be both Saltwater and Freshwater pearls - neither of which are fake pearls.
- Visual cues to look out for in fake pearls include smooth surface, uniform colours, superficial shine, and low price point.
- Cues to look for in real pearls include a more gritty surface, difference in overtones, deep lustre and a higher price point in comparison to fake pearls.
- There are tests that you can conduct to assess whether a pearl is real or fake, like the tooth test, temperature test, and weight test.
- We recommend avoiding the more risky methodologies like the bounce and fire tests to see whether a pearl is real or fake.
Summarise this article
在我们了解如何辨别珍珠的真假之前，让我们先学习一些基本术语，了解“真”的含义。
天然珍珠与养殖珍珠
当有些人谈论珍珠是否真实时，他们可能指的是它是野生的天然珍珠，还是人工养殖的。正如我们在文章《 什么是珍珠，它们来自哪里？》中提到的那样，养殖珍珠和天然珍珠的区别在于，养殖珍珠是在珍珠养殖场养殖的，而天然珍珠是在野外生长的，无需人工干预。因此，养殖珍珠是人工干预（称为播种）的结果，而天然珍珠则不是。珍珠和珠宝市场上的大多数珍珠都是养殖珍珠。由于天然珍珠非常稀有，每 10,000 到 50,000 个牡蛎中才有 1 个能产出这样的珍珠，因此世界上大多数天然（非播种）珍珠都是古董。
海水珍珠与淡水珍珠
既然我们已经确定您可能不会寻找“天然”珍珠，那么下一个要考虑的因素就是它是海水珍珠还是淡水珍珠。海水珍珠通常（但并非总是）比淡水珍珠更贵，因为它们很稀缺。淡水珍珠更有可能经过化学处理，才能呈现出闪亮的外观。淡水珍珠生长在淡水蚌中，大多数来自中国，但它们几乎可以在世界各地的任何池塘、湖泊或河流中找到。海水珍珠生长在海洋中的牡蛎中，原产地包括泰国、澳大利亚、日本、印度尼西亚、菲律宾和塔希提岛等地。
因此，海水珍珠和淡水珍珠都被认为是真的，但是，下一类珍珠我们将归类为假珍珠。这些珠子本质上是用塑料、贝壳、雪花石膏或玻璃制成的。
真珍珠与假珍珠
珍珠表面
您可以通过几种方法判断珍珠的真假。首先，您可以查看珍珠的表面。除非非常昂贵，否则真珍珠的表面更可能存在不规则性，而假珍珠的表面通常非常完美。这意味着假珍珠摸起来比真珍珠光滑得多，真珍珠具有粗糙的质地。您还可以使用牙齿测试来检查珍珠的粗糙程度。这需要用牙齿轻轻摩擦珍珠的正面。记住不要用牙齿摩擦珍珠的侧面，因为这可能会划伤珍珠。同样，您需要查看珍珠的粗糙质地，如果珍珠是假的，则不会有这种质地。
珍珠的颜色
您可以做的第二件事是查看珍珠的颜色。假珍珠的颜色是均匀的，因此如果珍珠是真的，我们要寻找的是半透明的色调，在主色上可能呈现绿色或粉红色。然而，品质卓越的珍珠可能具有均匀的颜色，因此不应单独使用这一因素。
珍珠的形状
第三件事是观察珍珠的形状。真珍珠经常会变形（巴洛克风格），所以如果你检查的珍珠是完美的圆形，而且价格低廉或由信誉不佳的零售商出售，那么这些“珍珠”很有可能是假的。此外，真珍珠的独特之处在于没有两颗完全相同的珍珠——它们的形状和大小会有所不同。
珍珠的光泽
正如我们在表面、颜色和形状方面所看到的，真珍珠的光泽（珍珠散发光线的方式）也各不相同，而假珍珠则更有可能在整个珍珠表面均匀散发光线。此外，真珍珠的光泽深度非常明显，给人一种光线从珍珠内部散发出来的感觉。假珍珠的光泽或缺乏光泽给人的印象是这种效果很浅，只出现在宝石的表面。
假珍珠通常采用一种工艺制成，即对上述化合物进行模制，然后在表面涂上一层类似珍珠的物质。因此，假珍珠不像真珍珠那样致密，而且通常重量较轻。假珍珠也可能感觉异常沉重，因为它们可能被赋予了一些额外的重量，而真珍珠的重量则与你预期的一样。
珍珠的声音
辨别真假珍珠的另一种方法是通过声音。真珍珠的声音没有假珍珠那么“尖锐”，假珍珠的共鸣往往更空洞。辨别两者的另一种方法是通过摩擦反应。真珍珠在摩擦时会产生粉末，而假珍珠则不会，但是，这种行为会损坏珍珠的表面，因此我们不建议以此作为判断珍珠真伪的方法。
测试你的珍珠
弹跳和射击测试
让我们在这里澄清一下。不要进行弹跳或火烧测试。您可能会遇到这些方法，人们过去可能使用过它们，但考虑到还有其他方法不涉及人身伤害和/或珍珠损坏的可能性，因此不建议使用这些方法。珍珠是敏感的宝石，需要特别的护理和注意，我们将在另一篇文章中介绍这个主题。
弹跳测试是将珍珠扔到玻璃上。如果珍珠弹跳超过一英尺，那它很可能是真的。火烧测试是将明火放在珍珠上。假珍珠会产生难闻的气味并失去光泽，而天然或养殖珍珠则不会产生气味并恢复光泽。如果将火焰放在真珍珠上，大约两分钟后珍珠会发出砰砰的声音，而假珍珠则听不到这种声音。
Drill Hole examination
To hand craft our pearl jewellery, our jeweller's need to drill into the pearls to secure them in their setting, or string them onto silk thread to create pearl strand necklaces or bracelets.
The drill holes made by jeweller's can give away the difference between real and fake pearls in most instances. Often, fake pearls will have an uneven build up of material around their drill holes - usually consisting of acrylic paint that has been sued to cover a bead. This build up is commonly a pearlescent outer coating which has chipped away or peeled away.
On the other hand, real pearls will have a clean drill hole, with no build up of material around the drill holes. Furthermore, there isn't the ability to peel off any layers or outercoating - because their simply isn't an outercoating!
结论
temperature & weight test
The temperature of the pearl can be a good indicator of its authenticity or otherwise. A real pearl will feel cool but will warm up once it’s been in contact with skin. Fake pearls can feel sticky and will be warm even without having been handled.
Fake pearls are often created using a process of moulding one of the compounds mentioned above and then coating the surface with a pearl-like substance. As a result, they are not as dense as real pearls and will usually be lighter in weight. Fake pearls may also feel abnormally heavy as they may have been given some additional weight, while the real thing will have a weight that you would have expected it to have.
Bounce and Fire tests
Let us be clear here. Do not perform the bounce or fire tests. You may come across these methods and people may have used them in the past but given there are other methods that don’t involve the potential for personal injury and/or damage to the pearl, these are not recommended. Pearls are sensitive gems that require specific care and attention, a topic we will cover in another article.
The bounce test involves dropping a pearl onto a piece of glass. If the pearl bounces more than one foot, it’s probably real. The fire test involves holding a naked flame to the pearl. The fake pearls will develop a bad odour and will lose their lustre, whereas the natural or cultured pearl produces no odour and will retail its lustre. If you keep the flame on a real pearl, after about two minutes the pearl will make a pop sound, while no such sound will be heard from the fake item.
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE WHEN SELECTING BETWEEN REAL VS FAKE PEARLS
If you want to be sure you can always find a specialist who can use a magnifier to quickly tell if what you have is the real thing, or whether you’re holding a strand nice looking, but plastic beads.
Pearls are beautiful and unique gems that have been prized by humans for centuries. Now that you know a little bit more about pearls, feel free to browse our collection and find the perfect piece just for you.
Do you have any questions about pearls that we didn’t cover in this article? Feel free to drop us a line or book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our experienced staff. And if you found this article helpful, be sure to share it with your friends so they can learn more about these amazing gems too!
为何选择澳大利亚珍珠作为您的珍珠首饰？
发现 Pearls of Australia 珠宝的与众不同之处，这里的工艺与澳大利亚本地珍珠的道德采购相结合。发现我们在高级珠宝世界中脱颖而出的独特之处。
找到适合您的完美珠宝！
在购买我们的珍珠饰品之前，您是否想与我们的珠宝和珍珠专家交谈？他们很乐意为您提供任何帮助，请发送电子邮件至hello@pearlsofaustralia.com.au或致电 (08) 6478 6886 联系他们。
Real vs Fake Pearls FAQs
How can I tell if pearls are real or fake?
Real pearls, whether freshwater or saltwater, are formed in pearl shell and have unique surface variations, subtle overtones and deep lustre. Fake pearls, like plastic or glass, tend to be perfectly smooth, uniformly coloured and overly shiny. Try a gentle tooth test: real pearls can feel slightly gritty, while fakes feel smooth when rubbed on the front of your tooth. You can also look for slight irregularities in shape, depth of light reflection, and consistent weight and cool temperature to touch - all signs of genuine pearls.
How to identify genuine pearls from imitations?
Here are our top tips to help you identify whether a pearl is genuine or an imitation:
- Surface: Real pearls usually have tiny blemishes or imperfections while imitation pearls are unnaturally smooth and even.
- Colour & Overtones: Genuine pearls show nuanced overtones, not flat uniform colours.
- Shape: Naturally grown pearls vary slightly in shape; perfectly uniform beads are likely fake unless highly valuable.
- Lustre: Real pearls reflect light with depth, giving a glow "from within".
- Temperature & Weight: Authentic pearls feel cool at first but will warm up to your body temperature when worn. They also have a natural weight to them.
What stores in Australia sell certified real pearl jewellery?
There are reputable pearl jewellers in Australia that sell authentic, certified pearls, including Pearls of Australia.
Every pearl jewellery piece from Pearls of Australia include a Certificate of Authenticity stating the origin details of the pearl, the pearl's grade, size, shape and the metal setting details.
What are the key differences between natural and cultured pearls?
Natural pearls form in the wild with no human intervention, and are extremely rare.
Cultured pearls are created with human intervention when a nucleus is inserted in the pearl shell to stimulate nacre production.
Most pearls on the market are cultured, and both cultured and natural pearls are real unlike imitation pearls.
Which brands offer affordable real pearl necklaces with authenticity certificates?
Pearls of Australia offers a wide range of pearl necklaces with Certificates of Authenticity that ensure clear provenance, pearl details and metal setting information.
It's important to note that "affordable" is relative with genuine pearls, freshwater cultured pearl strands often cost less than saltwater varieties. Learn why this is the case in our Freshwater vs Saltwater pearls guide.
What are the best methods for testing if a pearl is real at home?
We recommend trying non-destructive tests like:
- Tooth test: Gently rub the pearl against the front of your teeth, real pearls feel slightly gritty.
- Visual Inspection: Look for slight surface irregularities under good lighting.
- Temperature & Weight: Real pearls feel cool to the touch and have a natural heft.
Where can I get fake pearls tested for authenticity near me?
You can usually take your pearls to local jewellers or gemologists who offer authenticity or grading services.
Although we are pearl experts, we can not value or ascertain authenticity of pearls outside of the pearls that are grown at our own pearl farms. Every pearl jewellery piece from Pearls of Australia comes with a Certificate of Authenticity to guarantee the authenticity of your pearls.
Where to purchase authentic pearl jewellery safely online?
When buying pearl jewellery online, choose retailers that can provide:
- A Certificate of Authenticity with pearl origin, species and grading.
- Clear photos, product details (size, lustre, surface quality).
- Transparent return policies and customer reviews.
Pearls of Australia is proudly a trusted online option, discover our pearl jewellery today.