What is the pearl "tooth test" ?

[gloriosaysplendido]

Is the pearl "tooth test" a good way to see if the item is a genuine pearl or not?

Thanks!

[DancingGirlArt]

I believe it's supposed to be. Real pearls do certainly have a roughness when you rub them against your tooth, I know cos I've tried it. Haven't ever tried it with fakes though so can't swear to it.

[willajunejewelry]

I would just take it somewhere, I think the tooth test is unreliable and if your looking for a solid answer an jeweler or appraiser is better.

[Former_Member]

The "tooth test" for pearls is about as reliable as the "bite test" is for gold.

First you need to clearly know what the difference is in the feeling between real and fake, and some fakes now have a general roughness to them to compensate for the of grittiness that real pearls inherently have or from shoddy manufacturing. Then you need to be willing to take the chance of putting a possible toxic substance (both real and fakes can have bacteria from handling or the dye/coatings on can contain heavy metals or some other dangerous substance) in you mouth for a unreliable testing method.

[Former_Member]

Take it in to a jeweller, I've always used the tooth test myself but usually only as a rule of thumb.

www.stonesandfindings.com

[wavejewelry]

I use the tooth test when I'm buying from a source that seems a little shady. My teeth can pick up subtle textures that my fingers can't. It's not a garanteed accurate test but with practice you can use it to figure out if something is made of plastic, glass or something more organic. Try practising on various stones or beads that you know what they're made of to get a feel for the different textures. Again, I use this test when buying at a big gem show with venders from all over the world.