What Are Shell Pearls?

• Authentic pearls are formed by molluscs when an irritant gets into the creature. It reacts by coating the irritant with layers of nacre, which eventually builds up and forms into a pearl.
• Shell pearls, on the other hand, are created by humans using the inner lining of oyster shells, the substance known as Mother of Pearl.
• This makes shell pearls quite interesting, because although they’re made by humans, they are made of the same materials as real pearls.
• How Are Shell Pearls Made?
• Unlike imitation pearls which contain glass or plastic, the base of shell pearls is nacre. The pearl is made using a bead of mother-of-pearl.
• First, nacre is collected, then pulverized and combined with other materials to form pearls. The outer surface is then coated and polished to attain the luster that we associate with pearls.  
• Taken this way, shell pearls are fake pearls, but they’re made using the same ingredients as a cultured pearl. Because of this, we like to think of shell pearl as synthetic pearl or lab-created pearl, rather than a fake pearl. Although the process is different, shell pearls, in essence, are quite similar to lab-created gemstones.

Shell Pearl Characteristics

Shell pearls may look like real pearls, but there are some major differences between these two types:

1. Shell Pearl Price. Shell pearls provide an affordable alternative to authentic pearls which are much more expensive. For example, a strand of Akoya pearls that cost more than £200 might only cost about £30 - £40 and yet you might be hard-pressed to find the difference between the two.
2. Shell Pearl Quality. While it might be easy to dismiss shell pearls as fakes, in reality, most have high quality and a beautiful appearance. Shell pearls can be manipulated by the manufacturers to create the best shape, color, size and surface quality, creating the perfect pearl.
3. Shell Pearl Durability. Shell pearls are more durable than genuine pearls, because of the way they’ve been created. They don’t tend to discolor or fade and are more resistant to damage. They can tolerate chemicals, sweat, body oils and detergents better than real pearls.
4. There are stringent measures in place in the shell pearl industry that ensure the pearls are durable and able to withstand exposure.

Should I Avoid Shell Pearls?

• There’s nothing wrong with shell pearls, as long as you know that the product you’re buying is a shell pearl. The problem is when shell pearls are being sold to you as real pearls. As long as you check carefully with your vendor about this and ask all your questions prior to purchase, you should be fine.
• As we’ve mentioned above, shell pearls offer a lot of benefits to the buyer. In addition to that, it’s a way to use up a part of the oyster shell that would otherwise go to waste. It’s a more sustainable option, as it allows for more ‘pearls’ to be made from a single oyster.
• Shell pearls are perfect if budget is a concern, but you want the look without the price tag. No one would be able to tell the difference and one could argue that you’d essentially be getting the same stuff, just made in a different way.

Avoid shell pearls if:

• You want authentic natural or cultured pearls
• Budget isn’t a concern
• You want to invest in a valuable piece of jewelry
• You want to be able to pass on your piece of pearl jewelry in the future, like an heirloom
• You don’t like the idea of created pearls