--- title: "Are My Pearls Real? A Checklist" description: "A checklist for telling pearls from imitations at home: the surface and drill hole under a loupe, the tooth test, and what only a laboratory can tell you." canonical_url: "https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/are-my-pearls-real/" last_updated: "2026-11-04" last_reviewed: "2026-10-26" reviewed_by: "Simon" publisher: "Unique Pearl" publisher_disclosure: "Learn About Pearls is published by Unique Pearl, a pearl jeweler." --- # Are My Pearls Real? A Checklist A few checks at home can point to an [imitation pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#imitation-pearl). Answer what you can below: the notes narrow to what GIA found for each answer, and a count shows which way your answers point. None of these checks proves a pearl real, and none can tell a [natural pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#natural-pearl) from a cultured one; a laboratory can. [1, 2] ## Check your pearls The notes below come from GIA’s studies of imitation pearls and from CIBJO’s standards. ### The surface - Overlapping platelets are what [nacre](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#nacre) looks like: it is built of microscopic platelets of [aragonite](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#aragonite), which imitations lack. [3, 4] - GIA describes [imitation pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#imitation-pearl) as often showing a glittery surface from their coating material, and sometimes molded drill holes. In one group of shell-bead imitations, magnification showed many tiny glittering particles instead of nacre platelets. [4, 5] - In GIA's study of Majorica imitations, strong iridescence on a smooth surface, with a very high [luster](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#luster), pointed to an imitation; on [cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#cultured-pearl) that kind of iridescence was more common on irregular surfaces. [1] ### The drill hole - Under 10× magnification, a cultured pearl shows a thin, often dark layer of [conchiolin](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#conchiolin) between the [shell bead](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#bead) and the nacre, and the edges of the hole are sharp and well defined. [1] - The imitations GIA examined had no such layer, and ragged edges. Coatings can chip and peel near the hole, sometimes exposing the white shell underneath. [1, 4] - An unusually large drill hole can be a warning sign. [5] ### The tooth test - In GIA's study, the [tooth test](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#tooth-test) was one of four conclusive tests: the cultured pearls felt gritty against the teeth and the imitations felt smooth. [1] ### What these checks can and can’t show - Weight isn’t a reliable guide: GIA found coated shell-bead imitations similar in heft to cultured pearls. [4] - Avoid any test that could damage a pearl. A dilute acid makes a cultured pearl effervesce, and CIBJO says pearls should be kept away from all acids. [1, 3] - [Natural pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#natural-pearl) share most surface characteristics with cultured pearls, so these checks can't tell them apart. X-ray imaging can: a natural pearl shows no bead or curved cavity at its center. [1, 2] - Imitations can still surprise a lab. In 2025, GIA’s Mumbai laboratory found one imitation among about 9,360 pearls in 18 strands. [5] - A [laboratory report](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#laboratory-report) states whether a pearl is natural or cultured, and SSEF’s reports also indicate treatments. [6] ## What you need A 10× loupe is enough for the surface and the drill hole; GIA examined drill holes at ten-power magnification. [1] The page [how to tell if pearls are real](https://learnaboutpearls.com/identification/how-to-tell-if-pearls-are-real/) explains each check in more detail, and [real vs imitation pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/compare/real-vs-imitation-pearls/) covers what imitations are made of. ## References 1. June Hanano, Mary Wildman and Philip G. Yurkiewicz (1990). Majorica Imitation Pearls. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/doc/Majorica-Imitation-Pearls.pdf) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.26.3.178](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.26.3.178) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20251005124434/https://www.gia.edu/doc/Majorica-Imitation-Pearls.pdf) 2. Changbo Zhu, Paul C. Southgate and Ting Li (2019). Production of Pearls. [Source](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5) · DOI [10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129152149/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5) 3. CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation, Pearl Commission (2026). The CIBJO Pearl Book (Pearl Blue Book) 2026. [Source](https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235254/https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf) 4. Jessie Yixin Zhou and Chunhui Zhou (2014). Shell Pearl as a Pearl Imitation. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2014-labnotes-shell-pearl) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260513190053/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2014-labnotes-shell-pearl) 5. Karan Rajguru, Anukul Belanke and Abeer Al-Alawi (2025). Imitation Seed Pearl with Blue X-Ray Fluorescence. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2025-lab-notes-imitation-seed-pearl) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261102191034/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2025-lab-notes-imitation-seed-pearl) 6. Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF. Pearls (SSEF reports). [Source](https://www.ssef.ch/reports/pearls/) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260611191437/https://www.ssef.ch/reports/pearls/) **Written by:** Learn About Pearls editors **Fact-checked:** Learn About Pearls editors, October 26, 2026 **Reviewed by:** Simon, October 26, 2026 **First published:** November 4, 2026 **Publisher:** [Unique Pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/about/), a pearl jeweler **Revision history** 1. November 4, 2026: First published. First published **How to cite this page** **APA:** Learn About Pearls editors. (2026). _Are My Pearls Real? A Checklist_. Learn About Pearls. https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/are-my-pearls-real/ **MLA:** “Are My Pearls Real? A Checklist.” _Learn About Pearls_, Unique Pearl, November 4, 2026, learnaboutpearls.com/tools/are-my-pearls-real/. **Chicago:** Learn About Pearls editors. “Are My Pearls Real? A Checklist.” Learn About Pearls. Unique Pearl. Last modified November 4, 2026. https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/are-my-pearls-real/. **BibTeX:** `@misc{lap-tools-are-my-pearls-real, title = {Are My Pearls Real? A Checklist}, author = {{Learn About Pearls editors}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/are-my-pearls-real/}}, note = {Learn About Pearls, published by Unique Pearl}}` Quoting with attribution and a link is welcome. See [how to cite and reuse](https://learnaboutpearls.com/cite/). **Suggest a correction** ## Related pages - [Is it a real pearl?](https://learnaboutpearls.com/identification/how-to-tell-if-pearls-are-real/): Simple checks that point to an imitation, what each one can and can't prove, and when to ask a lab. - [Real vs imitation](https://learnaboutpearls.com/compare/real-vs-imitation-pearls/): How pearls grown by mollusks differ from manufactured imitations, and how to tell them apart. - [Quality self-check](https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/pearl-quality-self-check/): Answer a few questions about a pearl and read what GIA says about each answer.