Real pearls?

[nyquestioner]

So sorry to bother you all with this beginner question. My grandmother recently passed away. She had her real jewelry all mixed up with her costume jewelry and it's been very confusing to sort out. She apparently really enjoyed pearls because she had many strands. I don't think all of them are real but I'm not sure how to tell.
The internet tells me to rub them across my teeth which does not seem to be an effective method for me.

Is there a better way? Or if I took them to a jeweler would they be able to sort it out?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

https://www.thepearlsource.com/blog/pearl-buying-tips/how-to-tell-if-a-pearl-is-real/
Please dont use the fire method

What a wonderful collection from your gran

Please don't discard any that turn out not to be real as many a famouse glamouress and rich lady has indulged in fake pearls and they are lots of fun - Queen Alexandra, Princess Di, Barbara Bush, Liz Taylor

I really love those smaller pearls
The pearls on the far right look baroque and are likely to bw real but i am no expert

what are the findings made out off ?
If any are higher karrot gold they are more likely to be real

As an aside do they need to be restrung - is there gaps between the knots where the cord has stretched

How old was your grandma ? Do you know where she got them from ?
Do you remenber her wearing them ?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Goodness - just having a closer look
they really do all look lovelly
hope your going to wear them

 

[pearlsngems]

The reason for the "tooth test" (which can also be done by rubbing one of the pearls gently against another in the same necklace) is that imitation pearls tend to glide smoothly against each other or against the edge of one's front tooth, while real nacre feels gritty when so rubbed. It has to do with the surface structure of nacre.

If you have a 10x loupe, you can also look at the pearls close up and see what the surface looks like. Real nacre looks very smooth while imitation pearls have a coarser appearance. If in doubt, compare what you see with the magnified appearance of a known-real or known fake pearl.
Real pearls look smooth but feel gritty; fake pearls look coarser but feel smooth.

There are other ways to tell. Try those tests first, though.

Just offhand from your photos I am guessing from left to right, they are...

1. Cultured freshwater pearls from China (from the shape); solid nacre, no bead inside.
2. Imitation
3. Cultured freshwater pearls from China. Solid nacre.
4. Imitation
5. These could be cultured pearls. I'm inclined to think they are. If so, they are the best of the lot. I see a bit of variation in the overtones. What is the size of the pearls? Is there a clasp? How long is the strand? I'd love to see another photo against a white background.
6. Black and white strand. Please post a closer up photo of the whole strand, maybe coiled, against a white background. What metal is the clasp? The larger dark beads next to the round white beads could be dyed freshwater pearls.
7. Imitation.
8. Probably imitation; luster is low. Tell us more about the clasp. Is there a metal mark?
9. These look like cultured pearls. How about posting a closer up photo of that one agaisnt a white background, coiled so we can see the whole thing. Are the pearls round or off-round? The camera can distort.
10. Imitation.

I just noticed the studs. Could be cultured pearls. Please post closer up photos with white background.

 

[nyquestioner]

Thanks for your advice!
Daisys and diamonds, I definitely will keep them all. After all, if I can't tell just by looking which are real (maybe they all are), then why not enjoy all of them? I guess that's how grandma felt about all her jewelry because she had diamonds all mixed up with crystal and CZ She was born in the 1920s so she had a long time to collect jewelry and I do remember her wearing many pearl necklaces.
Sounds like I need to get a magnifying glass/loupe to sort this out. I do have known real pearls and a known fake bracelet in my own collection so hopefully I will be able to compare.
Pearls and gems, thank you for that comprehensive run down. Here are a few that you asked for a closer look on. The middle necklace has no clasp. Now that I am getting a little better at discerning between the pieces, comparing that one (#5) to #8 (double stranded), I see that they look quite different.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thanks for your advice!
Daisys and diamonds, I definitely will keep them all. After all, if I can't tell just by looking which are real (maybe they all are), then why not enjoy all of them? I guess that's how grandma felt about all her jewelry because she had diamonds all mixed up with crystal and CZ She was born in the 1920s so she had a long time to collect jewelry and I do remember her wearing many pearl necklaces.
Sounds like I need to get a magnifying glass/loupe to sort this out. I do have known real pearls and a known fake bracelet in my own collection so hopefully I will be able to compare.
Pearls and gems, thank you for that comprehensive run down. Here are a few that you asked for a closer look on. The middle necklace has no clasp. Now that I am getting a little better at discerning between the pieces, comparing that one (#5) to #8 (double stranded), I see that they look quite different.

Your grandma was slightly younger than mine
mine had nice but not exspensive real stuff and also fun fashion pieces
I wish we had kept it all but as little kids we got to play with the fake stuff - im glad we had fun with it
i just love all pearls but im particularly in love with long strands of smaller pearls
im so glad you plan on keeping it all
its really a lovelly collection and you know pearls like to be worn rather than sit around drying out

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

The reason for the "tooth test" (which can also be done by rubbing one of the pearls gently against another in the same necklace) is that imitation pearls tend to glide smoothly against each other or against the edge of one's front tooth, while real nacre feels gritty when so rubbed. It has to do with the surface structure of nacre.

If you have a 10x loupe, you can also look at the pearls close up and see what the surface looks like. Real nacre looks very smooth while imitation pearls have a coarser appearance. If in doubt, compare what you see with the magnified appearance of a known-real or known fake pearl.
Real pearls look smooth but feel gritty; fake pearls look coarser but feel smooth.

There are other ways to tell. Try those tests first, though.

Just offhand from your photos I am guessing from left to right, they are...

1. Cultured freshwater pearls from China (from the shape); solid nacre, no bead inside.
2. Imitation
3. Cultured freshwater pearls from China. Solid nacre.
4. Imitation
5. These could be cultured pearls. I'm inclined to think they are. If so, they are the best of the lot. I see a bit of variation in the overtones. What is the size of the pearls? Is there a clasp? How long is the strand? I'd love to see another photo against a white background.
6. Black and white strand. Please post a closer up photo of the whole strand, maybe coiled, against a white background. What metal is the clasp? The larger dark beads next to the round white beads could be dyed freshwater pearls.
7. Imitation.
8. Probably imitation; luster is low. Tell us more about the clasp. Is there a metal mark?
9. These look like cultured pearls. How about posting a closer up photo of that one agaisnt a white background, coiled so we can see the whole thing. Are the pearls round or off-round? The camera can distort.
10. Imitation.

I just noticed the studs. Could be cultured pearls. Please post closer up photos with white background.

@pearlsngems becsuse im here primarily to learn and i have a long long way to go as i know next to nothing can you please tell me why you think #10 is fake ?

 

[pearlsngems]

Thanks for the extra photos. You really should do the so-called tooth test on all of them. It's the simplest test and you need no equipment to do it.

• Re: strand #5, with the extra photos showing great uniformity that is more typical of imitation strands, and knowing that the long strand has no clasp (also much more common with imitation strands), I am reversing to say they are likely imitation-- but test them. Do the tooth test. And look closely at the drill holes. If there are blemishes, take a close look or post a close-up photo.
• The black and white strand may be imitation white pearls and unknown black beads (I can't tell from the photos) alternating with dyed freshwater pearls.
• The last strand in your second photo (#9 in your first photo) I think is cultured akoyas.

Here are some more things to look for; these are more likely to be present with less costly imitations than with better imitations. The absence of these signs does not mean the pearls are real. Some fakes are better than others.

1. Look for places where the coating may have flaked or worn off, including near drill holes. Fake pearl coating is thin (thinner than real nacre). Sometimes you can see the glass or plastic bead where the coating is gone.
2. There is sometimes a buildup of excess coating near the drill hole.
3. The drill hole may be larger than with real pearls, resulting in the need for larger knots also.
4. The drill hole may have a beveled edge.
5. The most inexpensive fakes are made of plastic and are considerably lighter weight than glass imitation pearls and real pearls.
6. If you touch the pearls to your lips (which are very temperature sensitive), real cultured pearls feel cooler than glass imitation pearls.
7. The clasp is no guarantee, as pearls can be restrung -- and often are-- but imitation strands usually do not have gold clasps. They may have silver clasps. Real cultured pearls generally do not have base metal clasps.


@Daisys and Diamonds, you asked why I think #10 is fake. I've seen fake strands that look like that. The larger pearls are rather angular, and the color and luster are very consistent.

 

[Pearlescence]

With the tooth test, the pearls feel only very faintly rough. Don't expect it to feel as if you are filing your teeth to a vampirish point!

 

[pearlsngems]

Yes, and rub them gently-- you're not trying to produce any sort of residue!