Natural pearls are formed naturally inside mollusks, such as oysters or mussels, without any human intervention. They occur when an irritant, like a grain of Sand or a parasite, enters the mollusk's shell, leading to the secretion of nacre (mother-of-pearl) layers around the irritant over time. Natural pearls are rare and highly valued due to their organic formation and unique characteristics. Cultured pearls are created through a process called Pearl culturing, which involves human intervention. In pearl farming, a technician carefully implants a nucleus, often a small round bead, into the mollusk's mantle tissue. The mollusk then reacts to this irritant by secreting nacre layers around it, resulting in the formation of a pearl. Cultured pearls closely resemble natural pearls in appearance and are available in various shapes, sizes, and colors. They are more affordable and readily available compared to natural pearls.

It is very difficult to distinguish natural pearls from cultured pearls due to their similarity in appearance, and their specific weight is used for this purpose. The specific weight of natural pearls is usually less than 2.73, while the specific weight of most cultured pearls is higher than the above figure (of course, not all of them). Natural original pearls have a special glow and by turning the pearl string in the light, original pearls have ambient reflection, but sometimes low-quality pearls do not have the shine they should, and in this case, other methods should be considered for detection. Cultured pearls show a luminescence phenomenon under ultraviolet light, which is usually yellow in color and has a green glow in X-ray light.

Regarding artificial pearls, it can be said that this model of pearls is made from hollow crystal grains. in such a way that they Paint their insides with a substance made from the transparent and shiny scales of some fish. Then the inside of these spheres is filled with wax and with this method artificial pearl seeds are created. These pearls look so natural and beautiful that sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish them from the original pearls. It is interesting to know that today, China, by entering the pearl market and producing a large volume of artificial pearls, has caused serious damage to the natural pearl fishing industry in the Persian Gulf.

Artificial pearls, also known as imitation or faux pearls, are not produced by living organisms. They are man-made and typically made of glass, plastic, or other materials. Artificial pearls are manufactured by coating a nucleus or a bead with a material that mimics the appearance of natural pearls. They lack the depth, luster, and organic structure of natural or cultured pearls. Cultured or cultured pearls are created in an interesting way. The pearl cultivator places a small amount of sand between the shell and the soft shell of the fish. After 2 or 3 years, the cultured pearl can be extracted by breaking the shell. The only difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls is that these pearls do not have a perfect appearance. But the country of Japan has been able to create cultured pearls that are completely similar to natural pearls by placing sand particles right in the shell.