Pearls Unconventional

When most of us think about pearl jewelry, what comes to mind is pearl earrings or a pearl necklace. Pearl jewelry has come to be associated with elegant simplicity. These days, however, the fashionistas are trending toward more unconventional pearl jewelry including the color of pearls.


Pearls are always white, right? Wrong. Freshwater pearls can be purple, black, pink or white. Tahitian pearls are black, South Sea pearls can be cream colored, golden yellow, and even silver. Usually black and creamy white pearls command top dollar, pearls in other colors can be equally beautiful and lustrous, and in some cases eminently more affordable. Then there is a pearl's shape.


The classic pearl shape is round, and the rounder the pearl the more expensive it is. Take for example an Akoya pearl necklace, it's made from round white pearls, while a Tahitian pearl necklace is usually made from round black pearls. Most people don't realize that pearls actually grow in a variety of shapes, that include teardrops, sticks, and even asymmetrical shapes. When you choose pearls that aren't in the traditional round shape, your pearl jewelry becomes a very unique personal statement. And then there is the setting.


The fashion possibilities become almost endless once you get away from the traditional round white pearl necklace and plain pearl earrings. A good example is that you can select a multicolored pearl pendant with three pearls, one pink, one white, and one black. Or you can choose pearl earrings that add a Swarovski crystal roundel and a fiery red carnelian stone. You can even opt for multiple strands made from freshwater pearls, silver, Hematite, and crystals. Depending on how you overlap the strands. Wear them as a necklace, bracelet, belt, or a choker.

Spectacular coin pearl earrings seem to be the latest pearl choice trend catching on fashion-wise. Lustrous and energetic with their tropical purple color, these fairly-flat-pearls are accented with Swarovski crystals set off in silver roundels. Similarly, coin pearl bracelets can be seen on the wrists of trendsetters. These bracelets take copper coin pearls and accent them with Swarovski crystals, silver roundels, and a toggle clasp, and there are other colorful pearl jewelry combinations.


Pearls and Swarovski crystals aren't the only pairings being sported by the fashionistas. For a cool, colorful summer, multicolored pearls look sometimes up to ten different colors are combined with a dozen different colors of seashell pieces to create a dazzling necklace. Irregular shaped freshwater pearls can be combined for an extraordinary evening look when mixed with other irregular shapes of bright coral and gold spacers to protect the pearls. This kind of chunky necklace is the perfect accessory to the simpler, more tailored lines in fashion for spring and summer.

When it comes to buying pearl jewelry, tradition certainly has its place. But it's important to remember that pearl jewelry can also make a fashion statement, and can easily be incorporated into your everyday personal style.