About Pearls...

At Frankie Loves Fred we use real pearls in the majority of our jewelry. Where we use manufactured pearls (because they suit a particular look, the piece needs a lighter feel,  or price point)  we will always specify this in the item description. 

How can you tell the difference between real and manufactured pearls? Here's how...

...Real pearls are created by an Oyster that lays down layer after layer of mucus (yum...!) called nacre on an irritant in it's shell, (like a grain of sand) in an effort to protect itself from that pesky irritant. The layers of nacre build up into a rarely perfect or regular shape to create a pearl. 

• Therefore, most real pearls are rarely round. They come in all shapes including oval, button, near-round, circled, coin, drop and totally irregular baroque. In general, round pearls command a higher price than pearls of other shapes. But even with a strand of natural pearls that is perfectly round, you can still see some slight differences in their pearl shapes.

So whatever the pearl shape, if you find them completely identical, it’s probably a sign that they’re made by machines.

• Both natural and cultured pearls have textured surface due to their layered nacre structure. So when you rub the pearls lightly against each other or on your front teeth, they feel a little gritty.

Fake or imitation pearls, however, usually feel smooth or glassy.

• In a strand of natural pearls, you can always see very tiny differences between them, even when they are top quality and well matched.

If the pearls are completely perfect and identical in terms of shape, size, colour and surface characteristics, they are probably fake.

• In addition, cultured and natural pearls reflect light differently from the fake ones.

The lustre of fake pearls has a glassy look and is unnatural.

 

• Both natural and cultured pearls often have an overtone, a translucent colour that appears on the outer surface of a pearl. It is especially noticeable among fine quality pearls. You’ll see a hint of pink, green over the main pearl colour.

If you notice the pearls have only one uniform colour and are lack of depth, they are likely to be fake. But it’s worth noting that some real pearls have no overtone either. So this method alone cannot tell the authenticity of a pearl.