Pearl Necklace

Pearl Necklaces: Classical Necklaces and Unique Necklaces

Necklaces can be made from any sized pearls with great grace and luster. A necklace of perfectly round pearls is the rarest and most valuable.

Necklaces are classified as uniformed or graduated. In a uniform strand of pearls, all pearls are classified as the same size, but actually form in the same range. A graduated strand of pearls, most often has at least 3mm of differentiation from the ends to the center of the necklaces.

There is also a unique way of naming pearl necklaces. While most other necklaces are simply referred to by their physical measurement, strings of pearls have their own set of names that characterize the pearls based on where they hang when worn around the neck. A ‘collar’ will sit directly against the throat; they are often made up of multiple strands of pearls. ‘Pearl Chokers’ nestle just at the base of the neck. The ‘Princess’ comes down to or just below the collarbone. A ‘matinee of pearls’ falls just above the breasts. An ‘opera’ will be long enough to reach the breast bone or sternum of the wearer, and longer still, a ‘pearl rope’ is any length that falls down farther than an opera.