What is the difference between a metallic paint finish and a ';pearl'; paint finish?

Of lately, a slew of automakers have been offering an interesting array of colors of the spectrum. There will always be the customary solid colors and the premium optional metallic colors. What baffles me is the new line of finishes categorized as ';pearls'; and ';mica's';.





I looked at some Audi A6 cars the other day at the local Audi dealership and was mesmerized by the glossy premium finishes which to me all seemed like metallic finishes. A salesman soon informed me however, that some of the finishes were ';pearl finishes and he showed me an A6 brochure to prove it.





That only left me more addled for I could not distinguish the metallics from the pearls or mica's.





Can someone enlighten me as to how to differentiate them?What is the difference between a metallic paint finish and a ';pearl'; paint finish?
Metallic paint, sometimes also called ';metal-flake'; has actual pieces of metal in it, which are highly reflective. The individual pieces tend to lay in the paint in a horizontal manner, as they are themselves fairly flat, and you can discern the individual pieces if you look closely. They are mixed in with regular paint.





Pearlescent paints get their name from the pigments (the part that gives the paint it's color) they contain which are very round in shape, which gives the paint an iridescent quality, which is to say it looks like a different color depending on the angle. This is different than translucent (candy) paints, which let a base coat show through the top-coat.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearlescent鈥?/a>


http://www.google.com/search?q=Kosmoski%26amp;鈥?/a>What is the difference between a metallic paint finish and a ';pearl'; paint finish?
pearl is 3 parts: base color, then pearl coat (sparkly stuff), then gloss coat.





metallic paint is 2 parts: color with metallic speckles in it, then gloss coat.





pearl paint job costs more, obviously. If you can't tell the difference, then lucky you for your delayed artistic skills.


You are satisfied in cheaper designs.


You will be content living in a cheap house, drive a cheap car, buy cheap jewelries. Perfectly happy.


Being artistically delayed will save you money!

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