Imitation pearl
Imitation pearls are man-made objects (often beads) that are designed to resemble real pearls. A variety of methods are used to create imitation pearls from starting materials that include glass, plastic, and actual mollusc shell. Some beads are coated with a pearlescent substance in order to imitate the natural iridescence of nacre or mother of pearl. Varieties of imitation pearls include:
- Bathed pearl (also called Angel, Sheba, Mikomo, Kobe, Nikko, Sumo, Fijii, Aloha or "improved cultured pearl"): a mother-of-pearl core coated with a mixture of plastic enamel, lead carbonate, mica, and titanium dioxide, then with a film of iridescent nylon.[1]
- Bohemian pearl: cut and buffed mother-of-pearl protuberance.[1]
- Glass pearl: glass bead dipped or sprayed with pearlescent material, or hollow glass bead filled with pearlescent material. A variation is called Majorcan pearl. Wax-filled pearl simulants are hollow glass beads coated with essence d'orient and filled with wax. Variations of these wax-filled simulants, which are produced in slightly different manners, include Parisian pearls, Paris pearls, French pearls, Bourguignon pearls and Venetian pearls.[1]
- Mother-of-pearl pearl: crushed nacreous shell powder, sintered into the desired shape. See also shell pearl (1) below.[1]
- Plastic pearl: plastic core coated with pearlescent material.[1]
- Roman pearl: alabaster core coated with pearlescent material.[1]
- Shell pearl (1): cut, buffed, and sometimes dyed nacreous portions of mollusc shells. Variations and alternate names include cat's-eye pearl, coque de perle (from nautilus shells), mother-of-pearl pearl (from mother-of-pearl), and hinge pearl (from the hinge of bivalve shells).[1]
- Shell pearl (2): spherical shell core coated with pearlescent material.[1]
The pearlescent substance used to coat various cores may contain essence d'orient, isinglass, fish scales, oyster scales, mother-of-pearl powder, along with binders or dyes.[1]
Coral is sometimes used to imitate pearls from the pink conch, and hematite is sometimes used to imitate black pearls.[1]