A sales girl at a pearl jewellery counter in a mall once told me of another test to check pearls. She held a pearl for a few seconds in a lighter flame and asked me to touch it. It was surprisingly cool and unheated. She also added that fake plastic pearls would fail the heat test by melting or warping. She actually did a demo for me
I just tried this with a lighter on some freshwater pearl necklace I bought today from an artisan at a arts an craft show I went today. I had a fake plastic set at home. The fake set burned black and the freshwater didn't burn at all but was hot. I kept them both for a good 20 secs each. I was impressed idk if this is an accurate test but it was cool to see
I had collected two necklaces. One single strand, the other a triple strand from a free box. The min I saw and felt them I knew they were real. Your video confirmed they are, both necklaces. Thank you so much.
Thanks for taking the time to explain. I do work with real Pearls and my business and I do know the differences between real or fake. But one thing I did not know was rubbing the pearls together to see if you get that gritty feeling so I just learn something new. Thank you very much.
An elderly woman I knew an dused to help, was surprised that I didn't know there was such a thing as a special box to hold the strand of pearls in. She then actually gave me a necklace and a box as well. Pearls are indeed very special and elegant as well as sophisticated in their sheer simplicity! I appreciate the work it takes to harvest them and turn them into jewelry.
Keep the real ones in a nice box or boxes with your good jewelry and keep the fake ones somewhere else with costume jewelry. This will not only help you, but your heirs will know, in the event of your death.
Thank you so much for this video. My aunt recently passed away and left a safety deposit box that contained my mother's, my grandmother's, and her own genuine pearls along with costume jewelry strands that were bought before they got real pearls. (My aunt live in Japan from 1954 to 1956 and was able to purchase pearls at very good prices.) Unfortunately, she always just knew which were which until early dementia set in. She had not only necklaces, but earrings and brooches that are real pearls. I was faced with trying to decide what to spend money on getting appraisals done for. Thanks to your video, I now have a starting place.
@@mattharrispearls I wish that she had been able to tell me. There was just so much to take care of in the end that I didn't realize that I didn't know enough about the treasures she left us.
I have a set from Japan WWIi era Clasps are how they id the mfg.. and many records were lost during the war in Japan. I have platinum clasp w/inlaid pearl .Mikumoto.. sent to Japan.. no record of the clasp..can't id be not selling so now big deal.
I got a quart mason jar full of pearls, when thrifting jewelry. It contains both real (allegedly) and fake. I've been staring at it for 2 years. It's going to be a long haul to get through them, but I think you told me enough that I didn't know, to make it possible. Thanks!
in 2020 my dad gave me 3 boxes of jewellery that my step mother didn’t want, i said thankyou but couldn’t use it because they were earings and my ears aren’t pierced. i only gained awareness on life just this year sooo when i finally paid attention to the beautiful jewellery that had been sat on my shelf for years i opened the box and said “WOW” , there is this beautiful necklace, silver chain with a pearl at the end probably from thailand , i showed my mother and asked her to tell me if it was a real pearl , she didn’t know so i looked this up and turns out it is real 😀😀😀 tooth test is great! thankyou matt
I bought a strand of pearls and matching earrings in 14k from a estate sale for $30. I had been wondering if they were fake because the pearl earrings don't quite match the necklace. The pearls on the necklace look similar but no identical. Now what I thought made them fake may actually be incorrect and they could be real. I will definitely try these tests out. Thanks!
Testing pearl texture with your teeth was much better known even a couple of generations ago, probably because you were more likely to see real pearls then, when today, real pearls are few and far between. Im 59 and I know it.
I currently have a pearl necklace that belonged to my Momma. So yes, I’m gonna get them from my jewelry box, & do the “test” on it. Momma has been gone for 23 years now, & I’ve always wanted to know if the necklace was made with real or fake pearls. Thank you for this bit of information…☺️🌸
While on vacation from Europe, I did the tooth test at a very respectable jewelry store in the US. In front of the salesman while looking straight at his eyes and told him--"If I am going to spend this large amount of money on this piece, I will check if it is real." It passed the test and I bought it. Thank you for your brilliant advice! 💥
Hi, I bought a string of pearls made out of mother of pearl and paid quite a sum Could you plz confirm if these pearls are real, semi precious or absolutely fake
This is GREAT information !! Love the beauty of pearls but always hesitated to buy them. I now feel confident enough to actually buy a piece of pearl jewelry. Thank you.
I have some from my grandma. My mother said more than once, “these are real pearls, bite them”. I said are you crazy? I don’t know how many other people have bit them. She never said why to bite them though. So I’m glad I saw this video.
Very important video. Pearls are a wonderful jewelry accessory. Faux pearls can add beauty to your wardrobe without worrying about damaging real pearls. Good faux pearls no one will be able to tell. Thank you.
Teeth grinding is a way to test. Fake is smooth, real is sandy. The weight is only telling you if the pearl is high or low quality. Real pearl does not have same weight because of the quality and categories, just like diamond, jade, and other gems. Also the shading and color of high quality pearl change with lighting.
Glad to come across this video. My Aunt gave me her pearl necklace decades ago. I had put them away until recently and thought I would see if they are real or not. This video helps a lot!!
@Matt Harris I don't know yet....I am taking them with me to work on Friday, a co-worker knows a lot about them. For some reason, I don't trust that professionals will be honest with me about them. Will let you know when I find out.
I love pearls. They are my signature "jewels". I also love Thrift Stores. I've found some amazing necklace and bracelets in those shops. Thank you for the Education on Pearls.
Great video. Would you do a video about cleaning, caring and storage of pearls. Will make up ruin a pearl necklace? Can pearls be worn with other gold necklaces or will that damage the pearls? Would love to see more videos on pearls and pearl types and their care. Thank you.
I have a whole calendar of videos that I will start recording next week and cleaning / caring should be in about 3 weeks! Rubbing against other jewelry can scratch the nacre over time and / or dull the pearl.
@@jframe-os2zi That's what I thought. My grandmother used to wear make-up and perfume (we had to open the car windows), but I think she was pretty careful when she wore her pearls. I'll have to check them. Thank you for reminding me. 😊
I don't know too much about crushed "pearls"... I'd probably consider them a bead at that point though. I'll be diving into freshwater, saltwater and naturals in upcoming videos!
Nice tips I have one that helped with large quantity of pearls.....I had a huge tray of pearls and to quickly weed out the plastic ones Black light flashlight I use on glass worked very well and then I could focus on the other pearls and narrow down. 😊👍
@@mattharrispearls pearl consists of calcium carbonate. So there will be fluorescence when you put UV light (black light) on calcium carbonate. I don't know the specific colour of the fluorescence in this case, but you may google it or check yourself easily. I know there are flashlights shaped as pens that are used to test money (bank notes), same flashlights are good enough to detect calcium carbonate.
Great video. Appreciated the advice. My three strands of pearls are real. Couldn't do the tooth test. It was like fingernails scraping down an old fashioned black board lol I checked the drill holes and rubbed the pearls together. Thank you.
Thank you. You didnt mention cultured pearls vs??? I love pearls and will be checking my mothers old strands. I used to wear them all the time but havent in several years. New inspiration😊
I had a friend that had a pearl necklace that needed a new clasp so as a surprise birthday gift I took her necklace to a jeweler to get a new clasp and he tells me the clasp will be more expensive than the necklace was worth. I was a bit embarrassed at my lack of jewelry knowledge but asked him to fix the clasp anyway explaining my friend had inherited them from her grandmother. Well he didn't charge me for the clasp and even gave me a nice box to put it in. I never told my friend.
I think I am going to buy the tools and learn to restring pearls from the thrift stores. The strings are always weak but some of them, and the clasps, are so pretty, it would be fun to wear them :)
Learned from old timer pearl stringers 40 years ago the exact points you make here, Matt. Bravo!
Thanks for the compliment!
A sales girl at a pearl jewellery counter in a mall once told me of another test to check pearls. She held a pearl for a few seconds in a lighter flame and asked me to touch it. It was surprisingly cool and unheated. She also added that fake plastic pearls would fail the heat test by melting or warping. She actually did a demo for me
You're probably the 10th person to mention that! I have never tried putting a flame to a pearl. I might do an experiment on video for y'all!
I just tried that on a set I found. They didn't melt or discolor and was not hot. Thanks.
Problem is you might want to keep the fake and now you have ruined it
I just tried this with a lighter on some freshwater pearl necklace I bought today from an artisan at a arts an craft show I went today. I had a fake plastic set at home. The fake set burned black and the freshwater didn't burn at all but was hot. I kept them both for a good 20 secs each. I was impressed idk if this is an accurate test but it was cool to see
@@isb5772 Cool !!
I had collected two necklaces. One single strand, the other a triple strand from a free box. The min I saw and felt them I knew they were real. Your video confirmed they are, both necklaces. Thank you so much.
A real life example of how this helps... love it!!
Thanks for taking the time to explain. I do work with real Pearls and my business and I do know the differences between real or fake. But one thing I did not know was rubbing the pearls together to see if you get that gritty feeling so I just learn something new. Thank you very much.
A little late on my reply, but I'm glad I was able to teach even a seasoned pearl seller something new!!
An elderly woman I knew an dused to help, was surprised that I didn't know there was such a thing as a special box to hold the strand of pearls in. She then actually gave me a necklace and a box as well. Pearls are indeed very special and elegant as well as sophisticated in their sheer simplicity! I appreciate the work it takes to harvest them and turn them into jewelry.
And what is so special about the box?
I needed this. Over the years I have forgotten my real ones from fake.
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Keep the real ones in a nice box or boxes with your good jewelry and keep the fake ones somewhere else with costume jewelry. This will not only help you, but your heirs will know, in the event of your death.
lol. Loved your comment. The point is they are yours regardless and you’re enjoying them.
Thank you so much for this video. My aunt recently passed away and left a safety deposit box that contained my mother's, my grandmother's, and her own genuine pearls along with costume jewelry strands that were bought before they got real pearls. (My aunt live in Japan from 1954 to 1956 and was able to purchase pearls at very good prices.) Unfortunately, she always just knew which were which until early dementia set in. She had not only necklaces, but earrings and brooches that are real pearls. I was faced with trying to decide what to spend money on getting appraisals done for. Thanks to your video, I now have a starting place.
There's a good chance those pearls are Akoya pearls if she bought them in Japan in the 1950's!
@@mattharrispearls I wish that she had been able to tell me. There was just so much to take care of in the end that I didn't realize that I didn't know enough about the treasures she left us.
I have a set from Japan WWIi era
Clasps are how they id the mfg.. and many records were lost during the war in Japan. I have platinum clasp w/inlaid pearl .Mikumoto.. sent to Japan.. no record of the clasp..can't id be not selling so now big deal.
Mikimoto
@@chinkayeok6117 I can't type on the phone misspell everything ugh🤔
Thank you very much for this video. I have both real pearls and faux pearls. Love them all😍
I got a quart mason jar full of pearls, when thrifting jewelry. It contains both real (allegedly) and fake. I've been staring at it for 2 years. It's going to be a long haul to get through them, but I think you told me enough that I didn't know, to make it possible. Thanks!
Awesome that I could help you finally evaluate those!
Sounds like a fun and exciting project! 😊
in 2020 my dad gave me 3 boxes of jewellery that my step mother didn’t want, i said thankyou but couldn’t use it because they were earings and my ears aren’t pierced. i only gained awareness on life just this year sooo when i finally paid attention to the beautiful jewellery that had been sat on my shelf for years i opened the box and said “WOW” , there is this beautiful necklace, silver chain with a pearl at the end probably from thailand , i showed my mother and asked her to tell me if it was a real pearl , she didn’t know so i looked this up and turns out it is real 😀😀😀 tooth test is great! thankyou matt
I bought a strand of pearls and matching earrings in 14k from a estate sale for $30. I had been wondering if they were fake because the pearl earrings don't quite match the necklace. The pearls on the necklace look similar but no identical. Now what I thought made them fake may actually be incorrect and they could be real. I will definitely try these tests out. Thanks!
This was the most informative and helpful video I've found about identifying real/fake pearls. Thanks for making it.
Thank you for your great video, info, and tips, well appreciated!
Wonderful wonderful wonderful thank you thank you for your information
Three wonderfuls! Love it! Thanks Wayne!
Wow! The episode of MASH with Margaret Houlihan rubbed her pearls against her teeth was checking it correctly. 😂
Must have good researchers on that show! ;)
Testing pearl texture with your teeth was much better known even a couple of generations ago, probably because you were more likely to see real pearls then, when today, real pearls are few and far between. Im 59 and I know it.
Wonderful info. Thank you!
I currently have a pearl necklace that belonged to my Momma. So yes, I’m gonna get them from my jewelry box, & do the “test” on it. Momma has been gone for 23 years now, & I’ve always wanted to know if the necklace was made with real or fake pearls.
Thank you for this bit of information…☺️🌸
Wow…did your mama’s pearls pass the test😊
Yes, we'd love to know!
Good tip. Checking the hole helped me a lot
While on vacation from Europe, I did the tooth test at a very respectable jewelry store in the US. In front of the salesman while looking straight at his eyes and told him--"If I am going to spend this large amount of money on this piece, I will check if it is real." It passed the test and I bought it. Thank you for your brilliant advice! 💥
Why not!? LOL. I'm excited that you have some new pearls!
Hi, I bought a string of pearls made out of mother of pearl and paid quite a sum Could you plz confirm if these pearls are real, semi precious or absolutely fake
@@iqbalkarim755 mother of pearl is a different gemstone. But I want you to keep it, mother of pearl is a very beautiful stone😍
Are cultured Pearl's considered real or fake?
Dell
This is GREAT information !!
Love the beauty of pearls but always hesitated to buy them.
I now feel confident enough to actually buy a piece of pearl jewelry.
Thank you.
I have some from my grandma. My mother said more than once, “these are real pearls, bite them”. I said are you crazy? I don’t know how many other people have bit them. She never said why to bite them though. So I’m glad I saw this video.
Thank you for this video! I've been wanting to get pearls for a long time now, and now I feel comfortable doing so :)
This makes me feel great! Report back when you buy some!
This is great information. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for the tips.
Great information! Thank you! ❤️
Great information! Thank you!😊
This is absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for sharing such valuable information! I feel like an expert now and am so grateful:)
Very informative! I've got my mothers pearls from the 40's and I didn't know how to test them. Now I do, thank you so much!!!
Thanks for watching!
Super,thank you give us more about how to clean jewry 😊
I promise to very soon!
Very important video. Pearls are a wonderful jewelry accessory. Faux pearls can add beauty to your wardrobe without worrying about damaging real pearls. Good faux pearls no one will be able to tell. Thank you.
I mean when wearing as jewelry some faux pearls can fake real pearl jewelry without close inspection.
@@erikahahn5823 in the light they really make a difference.
Very helpful. Thank you
Thank you so much. Very informative.
Great info. Thanks. Im heading to my modest jewellry box right now.
Teeth grinding is a way to test. Fake is smooth, real is sandy. The weight is only telling you if the pearl is high or low quality. Real pearl does not have same weight because of the quality and categories, just like diamond, jade, and other gems. Also the shading and color of high quality pearl change with lighting.
That is not true
Glad to come across this video. My Aunt gave me her pearl necklace decades ago. I had put them away until recently and thought I would see if they are real or not. This video helps a lot!!
What was the result??
@Matt Harris I don't know yet....I am taking them with me to work on Friday, a co-worker knows a lot about them. For some reason, I don't trust that professionals will be honest with me about them. Will let you know when I find out.
@@justagirlnamedshawnso you tell him this video will help alot and then you take them to another person to look at them?...uhhh?
@@Jeremya74 I do what I want
@@justagirlnamedshawn durrrrr
Brilliant!! Thank you so much. God bless you
Thanks for the compliment!
Thank you for your important information.
Thank you 🙏. Great info!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom.
God bless
You are very welcome!
I love pearls. They are my signature "jewels".
I also love Thrift Stores. I've found some amazing necklace and bracelets in those shops.
Thank you for the Education on Pearls.
Thift shops are a great place because often they don't know what they have!
Wow! Thank you for the info!😍
Informative, thank you.
Thank you this very useful video!
Thank you. Yesterday I was looking at some pearls I inherited and wondering if they were real. Now I think I know.
Thank you!
Thank you very much for this information.
Great video, thanks!
Fascinating and very informative. I’ll watch your other videos with interest.
Thanks AJ!!
GREAT INFORMATION! THANKS!
Thanks for the compliment, Pamela! Please subscribe if you haven't... more coming!
Thank you for the information.
Thank you so much, the information that you gave this absolutely wonderful.
You are so welcome!
Thanks for the info.
Thanks
Thank you. Really helpful ❤
Thank you for the information
This was fun to watch. Great idea for the kids craft day. Ty for sharing
Thanks Liz!!
I m so glad I watched this video, so will try it out. 🇬🇧
Awesome advice, thank you, i have a couple of strands i was in the air about. Not anymore. Thank you for sharing 👍👏
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. Would you do a video about cleaning, caring and storage of pearls. Will make up ruin a pearl necklace? Can pearls be worn with other gold necklaces or will that damage the pearls? Would love to see more videos on pearls and pearl types and their care. Thank you.
I have a whole calendar of videos that I will start recording next week and cleaning / caring should be in about 3 weeks! Rubbing against other jewelry can scratch the nacre over time and / or dull the pearl.
Yes please!❤
Keeps perfume away. The alcohol damages the pearls and go easy with the make-up as cheap stuff has chemicals that aren't good for your skin or pearls🌺
@@jframe-os2zi That's what I thought. My grandmother used to wear make-up and perfume (we had to open the car windows), but I think she was pretty careful when she wore her pearls. I'll have to check them. Thank you for reminding me. 😊
@@loisruthstrom8143 😊 thank you
Thanks!
So interesting. Thank you🇬🇧
Thanks for this information
Great information
Interesting, thank you so much!
Thanks for the compliment!
Wow. So simple, but such good info. THX!
Thanks for watching Katherine!
Loved this video!!!! Thanks pearl's are beautiful ❤️
Thanks Terri!!
Thanks for bringing this very Informative video about Pearls.
Thanks for watching!
So interesting, thank you! 😲😀
Such wonderful information. Thank you so very much. Your a gem.
Glad it was helpful!
Good to know - thanks for sharing
Helpful video..thanks
So nice of you!
Thx for the info..
Thanks for a highly informative video. Please talk about fresh water cultured pearls, and man made pearls produced from crushed pearls.
I don't know too much about crushed "pearls"... I'd probably consider them a bead at that point though. I'll be diving into freshwater, saltwater and naturals in upcoming videos!
@@mattharrispearls looking forward to your video identifying cultured freshwater and saltwater👍
Thank you so much!!
Great video. Informative and easy to understand.
Glad it was helpful!
I love Pearls, thank you for this. Very helpful.
Thanks Chantal!
Thanks for this. Very educational
I appreciate you watching!
Very nice tips, and nice advise
Thanks a lot!
Thank you very much.
Such a great video, thanks so much ❤
Thanks for watching!
Nice tips I have one that helped with large quantity of pearls.....I had a huge tray of pearls and to quickly weed out the plastic ones Black light flashlight I use on glass worked very well and then I could focus on the other pearls and narrow down. 😊👍
Thanks! What do you look for exactly when you are using your uv light?
@@mattharrispearls pearl consists of calcium carbonate. So there will be fluorescence when you put UV light (black light) on calcium carbonate. I don't know the specific colour of the fluorescence in this case, but you may google it or check yourself easily. I know there are flashlights shaped as pens that are used to test money (bank notes), same flashlights are good enough to detect calcium carbonate.
Good to know! Thanks for sharing!
Very informative. Thank you👏
Thanks for watching!
WOW! Thank-You.
Great video. Appreciated the advice. My three strands of pearls are real. Couldn't do the tooth test. It was like fingernails scraping down an old fashioned black board lol I checked the drill holes and rubbed the pearls together. Thank you.
I love the grey peal you are wearing. Beautiful
Thanks! My favorite!
Thanks , wanted this info for long .time
Thank you for the information,
You bet!
Thank you. You didnt mention cultured pearls vs??? I love pearls and will be checking my mothers old strands. I used to wear them all the time but havent in several years. New inspiration😊
Excellent presentation!
Thank you kindly!
Thank you for sharing 😊
And thanks for watching!
I had a friend that had a pearl necklace that needed a new clasp so as a surprise birthday gift I took her necklace to a jeweler to get a new clasp and he tells me the clasp will be more expensive than the necklace was worth. I was a bit embarrassed at my lack of jewelry knowledge but asked him to fix the clasp anyway explaining my friend had inherited them from her grandmother. Well he didn't charge me for the clasp and even gave me a nice box to put it in. I never told my friend.
Thank you.
I have been wanting this info - glad you made this channel - just subed.
Awesome, thank you!
Thank You.
Great video 🥰 thank you!
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much
I think I am going to buy the tools and learn to restring pearls from the thrift stores. The strings are always weak but some of them, and the clasps, are so pretty, it would be fun to wear them :)
Try using the silk bead cord sold on little square cards.
Thank you
Thank u u really helped me with this knowledge.
Happy to help!
I love pearls. Use to have a dog and I knotted up some “pearls” from the craft store for her to wear, everyone loved seeing her in them.
That's great! My cat wears one on her collar!
@@mattharrispearls
I made my cats pearl collars too. All the neighbors know where they lived. 😸