**6.3 Artificial or imitation pearls**

Artificial pearls are made by covering a hard, spherical core or base with pearllike materials to substitute natural or cultured pearls. From low-cost gleaming paints to synthetic pearl essences derived from fish scales, the coating can indicate a difference. Artificial pearls, unlike natural or cultured pearls, have a smooth surface texture and leave a scratch on the surface when rubbed against a sharp object figure depicts the 3 types of pearls and not artifical pearl, only.

**Figure 3.** *Graphics depicting distinct types of freshwater pearls.*

**Figure 4.** *Production of designer pearl in L. marginalis.*
