Pearl or Celluloid?
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:01 pm
Four years ago, I bought a Bulldog 4th generation 1996 standing dog 5 blade sowbelly with the peacock etch on ebay. The seller said it had genuine pearl handles, and I had no reason to doubt him. I don't remember for sure who it was but at the time there were only one or two who I believed to know what they were talking about. Anyway, a few weeks ago the exact same knife appeared on ebay but the seller, a reputable well-informed dealer, said the handles were celluloid "that looks just like pearl"! EEK! 
The 4th gen knives are not well documented, in fact barely mentioned. The handles seem to show a little green & red color. Here are some pics trying to show the handles without worrying how the rest of the knife looked (the back of the blades are shiny like the front). Can anyone tell me how to tell the difference between pearl and cell? The handles are tight, no shrinkage and no sign of damage on the blades, but if it is cell, I need to get it away from my other knives. I have a 3rd gen peacock sowbelly that did have shrinking handles - they got replaced with bone. Thanks in advance.
The 4th gen knives are not well documented, in fact barely mentioned. The handles seem to show a little green & red color. Here are some pics trying to show the handles without worrying how the rest of the knife looked (the back of the blades are shiny like the front). Can anyone tell me how to tell the difference between pearl and cell? The handles are tight, no shrinkage and no sign of damage on the blades, but if it is cell, I need to get it away from my other knives. I have a 3rd gen peacock sowbelly that did have shrinking handles - they got replaced with bone. Thanks in advance.
