Tips For Choosing Pearl Necklace
Choosing a pearl necklace begins with understanding how a pearl is formed. This precious ’stone’ is born from the formation of nacre within an oyster. With the class and elegance that a pearl necklace brings, there is little wonder why this piece of accessory is highly sought-after by women the world over.
Naturally produced pears are a rare and extremely valuable but the more common types of pears are cultured pearls. It can be difficult to tell the difference between a natural pearl and one that’s been cultured. There are also synthetic pearls that are much cheaper than natural and cultured pearls. If you’re on a tight budget, some pearl necklace buying tips include buying synthetic pearls that come in a diverse range of colors, designs and sizes.
With 3 different shapes, symmetrical, round and baroque, you can find a pearl necklace to suit any style and physical body type. A commonly chosen shape is the round or spherical pearl. Irregularly shaped pearls are classed as baroque and can look like sticks or crosses, for example. Symmetrical pearls come in oval, button and drop shapes.
Because collar necklaces are the shortest at 10 to 13 inches long, they are worn high on the neck and are great for evening as well as casual wear. Choker is slightly longer and worn at the base of the neck. One of the most flexible lengths for a pearl necklace and suitable for almost any neckline, is the princess. These tend to be 17 to 20 inches in length.
The collar pearl necklace is worn high and above the base of the neck, and is suited for evening and casual use. Chokers, on the other hand are 16 to 18 inches long and worn around the neck’s base. The princess is a very popular length (17″ to 20″) and can be worn with any type of neckline.
If you’re choosing a pearl necklace to wear with corporate or business outfits, or for semi-formal events, then the matinee length is ideal. The rule-of-thumb goes that people with short necks should wear necklaces that sit at least 2 inches below the collarbone while people with longer necks should wear necklaces that sit at the base of the neck.
One of the world’s highest quality pearls, renown for their beauty and brilliance, are cultivated by Mikimoto. With fans from the British and Japanese royal families, a high-grade Mikimoto pearl necklace has been known to have an almost mirror-like reflective quality.
Tahitian pearls are known for their darker tones, created by the island of Tahiti’s black-lipped oysters. These mollusks produce black, gray and green-black pearl necklaces. Pearl necklace buying tips for this type of pearls include spotting the quality and flaws with high quality pearls having a clear and almost metallic sheen while flaws can comprise of discolorations, irregularities, bumps and spots.
A couple of pearl necklace buying tips include buying a set with a pearl necklace, earrings and bracelet or ring. This will increase the probability of you scoring a discount on your jewelry. Another way to buy a pearl necklace on a budget is to try finding an original supplier. Although these suppliers usually prefer to sell in large quantities, you may try to find people who are willing to combine their purchases with you so that you can all enjoy discounted rates on your timeless accessories.
