Many people will describe their fake pearls as true pearls. At times it is an honest mistake. Then again, at times it could be a dishonest mistake. It is far too easy for those who aren’t experts in this field to become unsure. Being an artificial ‘pearl’ these imitations have no true value as a gemstone. Most imitation pearls are marketed as ‘artificial,’ ‘man-made,’ ’faux,’ or ’simulated.’ Within the United States it is against the trade practice to sell imitation pearls without describing them as such.

A majority of imitation pearls are made of plastic beads or solid/hollow glass beads. They are also usually coated with a fish scaled blend that is usually called pearl essence or essence of the orient. Majorca Pearls do seem to be the most popular imitation pearls around. These are basically glass beads that are coated with several coats of essence of the orient and is finished to a very high standard. At times, these pearls are sold at a much greater price than true pearls.

Some will call ‘semi-cultured’ pearls which is also a misleading marketing technique. This is where glass beads, rejected/discarded pearls are coated with a powdered ‘mother-of-pearl’ or a similar coating in order to make them appear to be real. These are in the class of imitation pearls.

The factors for valuing and grading pearls are some other things that should be considered. If the pearls are all the same luster , flawless, and perfectly matching. You can be positive that these pearls are definitely too good to be true.

One of the most common ways to test in order to tell if the pearl is an imitation pearl or not is the tooth test. This is considered to be one of the most hygienic, yet one of the easiest ways to test the realness of a pearl. Rub the pearl lightly along the biting edge of your top front teeth. If it feels gritty and sandy, it is most likely a true pearl.

Keep in mind that this test is not 100% fool-proof. However, this test will probably be safe to tell if it is an imitation pearl or not. Unless someone is really out there to rip you off, this will provide you with a good answer under most circumstances. If you’re not too sure, you can perform other tests on the pearl.

Using a magnifying glass you can inspect the surface of the pearl. Keep in mind that 10X is the industry standard. Unlike real pearls, imitation pearls will have a grainy finish. Whereas with true pearls, they will have a shiny finish.

Rock Ren is the owner of xaxe.com group. You can find more information at www.xaxe.com