Ah, pearls, pearls! These seemingly completely ordinary white balls have a truly magical effect on women all over the world. Pearls have long been the subject of a real cult, and products from it have turned from trinkets into true masterpieces of jewelry, eclipsing even precious stones in price. But pearls still need to be chosen correctly. How to distinguish river from sea?
Instructions
Step 1
Pay attention to the sparkle of the pearl. The technology for the production of sea and river pearls is practically the same. A nacreous core is implanted into the mantle of the pearl oyster, around which the mollusk forms nacreous layers over several years. It is they who turn the implant into a beautiful pearl. However, due to the peculiarities of the structure and physiology of different types of mollusks and pearls, they make different ones. Saltwater pearls shine better and shimmer, but its river freshwater counterpart looks a little less shiny.
Step 2
Look at the color of the pearl. Color uniformity is another characteristic feature of sea pearls. A freshwater pearl cannot boast of such an even color as a sea pearl, and the variety of shades is much scarce here than among sea pearls. It is for this reason that river pearls are less valued than sea pearls and are not so readily purchased by jewelers and collectors. By the way, price is an important indicator of the origin of your pearls. River pearls are always much cheaper than their marine counterpart. Therefore, if you are offered a sea pearl "at a bargain price" - this is a reason to doubt its origin.
Step 3
Examine the shape of the pearl. A perfectly round pearl is very rare in nature and even in artificial cultivation. But if you compare a river and sea pearl with each other, most likely the sea pearl will have a smoother and more regular shape than the freshwater one. It is worth saying a few words in defense of pearls produced by river molluscs. If you wear a string of such pearls, know that it is much stronger and stronger than the same string of sea pearls. Despite some pallor of the mother-of-pearl layer, over time, the river pearl does not wear out and retains its original appearance, which cannot be said about the sea pearl, which loses the upper part of its mother-of-pearl coating.
