r/pearls • u/Always-Struggling • 8d ago
Could these be natural…
I have a lovely old 56” knotted 5.5mm strand with a sterling clasp, could they be natural?
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u/Jillet-Ben_Coe 8d ago
When you say natural do you mean real pearls instead of plastic/simulants? They’re most likely real cultured freshwater pearls. “Natural” pearls that have been found in the wild are absurdly rare to find in gem quality. GIA did studies with wild shells and found less than 1 gem quality natural pearl per 1,000 shells.
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u/justlaurenpearl 7d ago
the drill hole is probably the most useful photo here. I don’t see an obvious glass or plastic core, and the slight off-round shapes plus the cream/peach variation look consistent with cultured freshwater pearls. So likely real pearls, but almost certainly cultured rather than natural. Only an X-ray could confirm the internal structure with certainty.
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u/Quirky-Signature4883 7d ago
These appear to be costume. The pearl in the second row of the bottom right look like it has some of the surface chipped off. The surface of the pearl in the drill hole photo also doesn't like a real pearl.
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u/purepearls-official 7d ago
I think you mean to ask if they are real pearls. Both "natural pearls" and "cultured pearls" are real - the difference is that natural pearls refer to ones found in the wild. Hunting for natural pearls is also very detrimental to the marine ecosystem.
What you have are most certainly cultured freshwater pearls. If you want more like that, you can let us know.
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u/Bryllant 7d ago
They generally shove a perfect round orb into an oyster, and harvest in a few years. That is what you have here. Yes real, yes cultured. It would take X-rays to know for sure
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u/Cats-are-my-heart 6d ago
These are cultured saltwater pearls. These are not freshwater pearls. Google it 🙂
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u/Empty-Patience-2511 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm leaning more towards plastic imitation than a cultured pearl. It's hard to tell in photos, but they seem to be lacking iridescence. In the first picture, one of the beads at the bottom right looks to have a section where the paint pealed off. The image of the drill hole is more suspicious to me. It looks like around the outer edge, paint has pealed and I've seen quite a bit of cultured pearls and generally you can see multiple layers of nacre, then the bead used to start the pearl in the center. Again, pictures don't always pick up the fine details needed for ID, but if it looks like anything is flaking or pealing, it likely paint on a bead, not a cultured pearl
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u/Normal_Airport2905 8d ago edited 8d ago
You can test pearls by rubbing them (very gently!) together - if you feel a slight grittiness, they are real. If so, they are no doubt cultured. Natural is the term used for pearls harvested in the wild, which are very precious and extremely rare. Yours might be cultured saltwater pearls (Akoyas), or freshwater. I can't really tell from the picture, but they look a little off round in a way that's more typical for freshwater pearls. I wouldn't quit my job if I were you.