Does "imitation pearl" always mean "celluloid"?

[AFAustin]

A knife seller recently told me that the description "imitation pearl" always means "celluloid". I thought that "imitation pearl" could denote other materials as well---Corelon, acrylics, etc.

I'd appreciate any insights on this small question.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[black mamba]

As there are few hard and fast rules in knife nomenclature, I'd not count on "imitation pearl" always meaning any certain thing, other than "not real natural pearl."

 

[knarfeng]

As there are few hard and fast rules in knife nomenclature, I'd not count on "imitation pearl" always meaning any certain thing, other than "not real natural pearl."

Agree.
Especially for knives newer than '60's. Lots of modern options for plastics with a pearlescent appearance.
Even prior to the 60's there were other options, but the assumption that "faux" pearl was automatically celluloid was more likely to be true.

 

[AFAustin]

Thanks, Jeff and Frank, for your comments.

Also, I found a discussion in this book on Case knives. The author makes clear that while celluloid was one material used for "imitation pearl", Case used a variety of materials over the years, including acrylic.

Andrew