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-> Household Management
amother
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Mon, Oct 19 2009, 4:31 pm
So I have some ignorant questions.
Are Mother of Pearl and Freshwater pearls considered "real"?
Also, is sterling silver jewelry "real"? Or does it only refer to real gold?
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louche
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Mon, Oct 19 2009, 7:43 pm
Silver is a precious metal and silver jewelry is certainly 'real', though obviously not as prestigious as gold. Freshwater pearls are 'real" and are made the same way as oyster-borne pearls. they come from shellfish other than oysters and are not as prestigious as pearls from oysters because they're less rare. If the clasp or spacer beads on a freshwater pearl bracelet are gold or sliver, you could consider it "real"; if they are base metal, you would consider it costume jewelry.
Mother-of-pearl is "real" but inexpensive, so it would depend on the makeup of the setting. A gold or silver item with a mother-of-pearl inset would be "real", while a base metal item with a mother-of-pearl "stone" would be costume jewelry. A carved mother-of-pearl brooch with a base metal pin glued to the back is technically costume jewelry, but who cares? Beautiful is beautiful and should be worn proudly. It's not pretending to be anything it isn't. Fake mother-of-pearl made of plastic is another story.
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amother
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Mon, Oct 19 2009, 9:04 pm
Thanks louche for the explanation.
So if someone asks on my freshwater pearl earring with silver post if its real, I could say yes? Even if it was so cheap? Or if someone asks on a silver bracelet if its real, do they mean real silver, or real gold? Could I just say yes, or do I have to say "well, its real silver" ?
And btw, why ARE they so cheap?
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Mommy3.5
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Mon, Oct 19 2009, 10:21 pm
amother wrote: | Thanks louche for the explanation.
So if someone asks on my freshwater pearl earring with silver post if its real, I could say yes? Even if it was so cheap? Or if someone asks on a silver bracelet if its real, do they mean real silver, or real gold? Could I just say yes, or do I have to say "well, its real silver" ?
And btw, why ARE they so cheap? |
First of all that is a really rude question.
Second of all its a REAL earring, the answer is yes even if you got it at the 99 cent store. If it wasn't REAL, you couldn't wear it.
Fresh water pearls are Naturally formed. They are cheap because they are not cultured to be unnaturally large.
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Mrs Bissli
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Tue, Oct 20 2009, 8:11 am
I'm sorry to say but a close friend of mine has been a pearl buyer in Asia. Most of the very cheap freshwater pearls are not real pearls. They could be made in factories in China from ground-up shells bound together with glue into a small ball, then covered with several layers of lacquers to give that pearly luster. It's really hard to tell the difference.
Fresh water pearls are cheaper than cultured pearls because the formers are less labour intensive, usually smaller and less perfect round shape. Not to mention they can be produced in more countries.
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Ruchel
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Tue, Oct 20 2009, 8:15 am
Mrs Bissli wrote: | I'm sorry to say but a close friend of mine has been a pearl buyer in Asia. Most of the very cheap freshwater pearls are not real pearls. They could be made in factories in China from ground-up shells bound together with glue into a small ball, then covered with several layers of lacquers to give that pearly luster. It's really hard to tell the difference.
Fresh water pearls are cheaper than cultured pearls because the formers are less labour intensive, usually smaller and less perfect round shape. Not to mention they can be produced in more countries. |
Fascinating!
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louche
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Tue, Oct 20 2009, 10:37 am
A person who is rude enough to ask if your jewelry is "real" doesn't deserve to know. Yes, it's real. Maybe not real gold or silver, but it's real. And if it's real gold or silver, it's not costume jewelry.
To check if your pearls are real or fake, run them across your front teeth. Fakes will feel smooth; the real thing will feel slightly gritty. This tells you nothing about the quality of the pearl, only that it's genuine. A real pearl can be of low quality just as a real diamond can be of such poor quality that it's of no value as a gemstone and is useful only in crushed form as an abrasive. (Think diamond nail files. No engagement rings were sacrificed to make them.)
BTW, Mrs. B, cultured pears are not the same as 100% natural oyster pearls. Natural pearls are the result of the oyster's catching a grain of grit and are therefore very rare and expensive. Cultured pearls are the result of deliberately inserting a grain or even a bead inside the oyster, and are therefore less expensive for the same quality. You have no way of knowing how much of the pearl is really nacre (the substance that makes both pearls and mother-of-pearl) and how much is the bead that forms the nucleus. Larger pearls are more likely to have larger beads inside. Chemically, cultured pearls and natural pearls are identical.
But getting back to OP: If you don't want to answer, don't. Just ask them why they want to know, or else say it's real mother-of-pearl, or real freshwater pearl, or say "what do you THINK?" in an insulted tone. (OK, check with your rav on this last one, as it may not be quite kosher to imply something that isn't true, even if you don't come out and say it, and even if the person is asking something she has no right to know.)
I personally see no shame in saying that jewelry is costume, but I might not care to say so if someone is prying, simply because nosy people shouldn't be given the satisfaction. And I don't live in a community where everyone is always sizing up everyone else's jewelry, estimating the cost, and judging their worth as a person based on that.
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amother
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Tue, Oct 20 2009, 12:19 pm
Quote: | But getting back to OP: If you don't want to answer, don't. Just ask them why they want to know, or else say it's real mother-of-pearl, or real freshwater pearl, or say "what do you THINK?" in an insulted tone. (OK, check with your rav on this last one, as it may not be quite kosher to imply something that isn't true, even if you don't come out and say it, and even if the person is asking something she has no right to know.)
I personally see no shame in saying that jewelry is costume, but I might not care to say so if someone is prying, simply because nosy people shouldn't be given the satisfaction. And I don't live in a community where everyone is always sizing up everyone else's jewelry, estimating the cost, and judging their worth as a person based on that. |
Oh I have no problem answering, and saying that its not real. I was just trying to understand what ppl. mean when they ask it.
And btw, nobody ever really asked me. It was my daughter. My teenage dd has a silver bracelet with stones, and she said that girls ask her, and what is she supposed to answer? She also said the girls talk about pearls, and that they "could tell" which girls are wearing real pearl earring and which arent. So I was just wondering what they would consider my dd FW pearls. Teenagers!
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