Pearl Embrace Studs
£96.50
Lumina Pearl Station Necklace
£86.02
Pearl Harmony Bracelet
£43.39
Baroque Pearl Drop Earrings
£73.31
Freshwater pearl pieces from our collection
Pearls are one of the most imitated gems in the world — and with modern imitations getting better every year, it's fair to wonder whether the strand in your jewellery box is the real thing. The good news: real pearls have physical characteristics that imitations struggle to copy. Here are seven simple checks you can do at home, plus what to do if you're still not sure.
First, what counts as a "real" pearl?
A real pearl is one grown inside a mollusc — either naturally or on a pearl farm. Farmed pearls are called cultured pearls, and they are genuine pearls: the mollusc builds them layer by layer from nacre, exactly as it would in the wild. The vast majority of real pearls sold today, including the freshwater pearls we use at Micoryan, are cultured. An imitation pearl, by contrast, is a bead of glass, plastic or shell coated with a pearlescent finish. That's what these tests are designed to catch.
The 7 tests
1. The tooth test
Rub the pearl gently against the edge of your front teeth. Real pearls feel slightly gritty or sandy, because nacre is built from thousands of microscopic crystal layers. Imitation pearls feel glassy-smooth. This is the classic jeweller's test — just do it gently and with clean pearls.
2. Rub two pearls together
Same principle, no teeth required: rub two pearls lightly against each other. Real pearls create a faint gritty friction and may leave a trace of pearl powder. Fakes slide smoothly past each other.
3. Look at the lustre
Lustre is the way a pearl returns light. A real pearl has a soft glow that seems to come from inside the pearl, with depth to the reflection. Imitations tend to have a flat, uniform surface shine — more like paint than glow.
4. Check for tiny imperfections
Because they're grown by a living creature, real pearls are rarely flawless or perfectly identical. Look closely for small bumps, ridges or slight variations in shape and colour from pearl to pearl. A strand of perfectly round, perfectly identical pearls at a low price is a warning sign. This is also why baroque (irregularly shaped) pearls are prized — their uniqueness is proof of nature.
5. Feel the temperature
Real pearls feel cool to the touch for a moment before warming against your skin. Plastic imitations feel closer to room temperature straight away. One caveat: glass-based fakes can also feel cool, so use this test alongside the others rather than on its own.
6. Feel the weight
Real pearls have a solid, slightly heavy feel for their size. Plastic imitations are noticeably light. Bounce them gently in your palm and compare.
7. Inspect the drill hole
If the pearl is drilled, look at the hole with a magnifying glass. On real pearls the edge is usually clean and sharp, and you may see the nacre in distinct layers. On imitations you'll often see flaking or chipped coating around the hole, sometimes revealing glass or plastic underneath.
Quick reference
| Test | Real pearl | Imitation |
|---|---|---|
| Tooth / rub test | Slightly gritty | Glassy smooth |
| Lustre | Deep inner glow | Flat surface shine |
| Surface | Small natural irregularities | Uniform, "too perfect" |
| Temperature | Cool, then warms up | Room temperature (plastic) |
| Weight | Solid for its size | Often very light |
| Drill hole | Clean edge, layered nacre | Flaking coating |
Still not sure? Ask a professional
None of these home tests is 100% definitive on its own — they work best in combination. If real certainty matters (for example with inherited or high-value pearls), a jeweller or gemmological lab can identify pearls conclusively, and can also tell natural pearls from cultured ones, which home tests cannot.
Our promise
Every pearl piece at Micoryan Jewellery uses genuine cultured freshwater pearls — each one slightly different, because that's how real pearls are. We describe every material exactly as it is on each product page.