Steps in Making Man-Made Faux Shell Pearls

Steps for creating man-made shell pearls.


Man-made pearls are growing in popularity and offer uniform beauty. For those of you interested in how these faux pearls are made, here you can clearly see the steps.

This particular factory is in Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam. Special thanks to the Can Phu Company (www.canphu.com) for suggesting I add this information and giving permission to use their photos and text.

What is a shell pearl?

A pearl made from shell is laboratory made from the shell of an oyster. The process of making a shell pearl involves several different stages. The raw material for the base of the pearl is the sea shell, which is coated and polished to the final shape of the pearl. In order to produce a good quality pearl, a key ingredient is what we call a 'mother of pearl bead'. This element adds weight, value and durability to the pearl. In fact, the materials used in order to make shell fake pearls are the same materials from which cultured pearls are made.

Pearls from Shells compared to Cultured Pearls.

There are a lot of reasons why many pearls lovers all over the world like buying man-made pearls. The first one is their price.

These man-made pearls have an affordable product for every pocket. The range of prices varies, of course, and some shell pearls are expensive as a result of their excellent quality, but comparatively speaking shell pearls are still much easier and cheaper to buy.

The second reason is the quality of the man made pearl. The rarity of the cultural pearl not only makes it expensive, but also makes it hard to find in perfect shape and size.

The manual production of the shell man made pearl enables the manufacturer to determine the shape, size, and color of the pearl, thus making the final result seem perfect.

The modern technology of pearl production can also assure its durability. The shell pearl will always keep its shine and color, and will not be affected by sweat, perfume or detergents. The pearl in its marketing form is a result of a long process of shaping and coating, and intensive quality control inspection.

Thirdly, is the possibility of controlling it's shape and color. This means the client is able to choose between different colors and shapes, and buy the one which suits his/her taste the best. This also means the manufacturer is able to offer a whole new world of colors and shapes, which are not to be found in cultured pearls.

Type of Material and Quality Control

The great advantages of shell fake pearls are their top quality material, and the strict inspection and quality control during manufacturing.

The quality of the man made pearl is greatly determined by the quality of the sea shell from which it's made.

Over many years the shell was collected along various parts of the South China Sea, including Japan and Hainan Island, on the southern China coast. The shell in these areas is mostly old and damaged and its age can affect the final quality of the pearl itself.

The Can Phu Company uses shell collected in new collecting zones by the Vietnam southern coast. It is new and fresh in terms of sea shell age, and it is being processed as soon as it gets the factory. This means the pearl's base is not damaged, and the final product's quality is better.

The production process itself is accompanied by intensive quality control.

 
Raw material
Cutting into cubes
 
Rounding
Shaping
Quality control(a)
Drilling
Stringing
Framing
Protecting
Dyeing
Baking
Polishing
Quality control(b)
Final stringing
Measuring
Quality control(c)
Packing
Shipping
More about how mother-of-pearl beads are made.

Go to main "How Faux Pearls are Made" page after reading about Shell Pearls.

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