Cultured and Natural Pearls
Can experts easily tell the difference between a cultured pearl and a natural pearl?
Without X-rays, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between cultured and naturally occurring pearls. When cultured pearls were first introduced to the marketplace in the early 1900s, dealers tried to discredit the gems as simulations. Kokichi Mikimoto, the first commercial producer of cultured pearls, fought through courts around the world to prove his pearls were genuine, differing only from natural pearls by the uniformity of the artificially inserted nucleus.
A simple way to determine the difference between a genuine pearl (cultured or natural) and a simulated pearl is to rub it against your teeth. A genuine pearl, though silky smooth to the touch, will have a distinctly gritty feel when rubbed against your teeth.
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