Imitation pearl 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: 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. Coral is sometimes used to imitate pearls from the pink conch, and hematite
Pearl of Kuwait at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which closed on 19 January 2014. Its owners have made claims that it is the same pearl that is depicted in the portraits of Mary Tudor. The Pearl of Kuwait outweighs La Peregrina by a small amount. The pearl is currently on loan to the Smithsonian, who make no claims of its history or provenance. The Smithsonian does say that it is exceptional, that is weighs 64.4 carats, that its setting is 19th century in style, and that the pearl itself "recalls" those that originate from the Persian Gulf. Pearl of Kuwait