What are faux pearls?

Faux pearls are man made, or fake, pearls There are various ways to make fake pearls, including using fish scales and wax.

With the high demand of pearl jewelry, pearls have become very hard to find. In the past, oysters could not make natural pearls as quickly as they were needed. Jewelers had to come up with other alternatives to keep customers happy. Fish scales are used in some faux pearls because they give off the same shimmer as natural pearls. Salmon and herring scales are some of the most widely used fish scales. Other jewelers use glass beads filled with wax and coated with a shimmery powder to replicate natural pearls.