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First real pearl necklace

newtojewels

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
1,045
My first time ever wearing pearls was when I was 15 years old on a family trip. An extremely charming woman my uncle was dating invited me into her room before dinner. She saw my dress and said something like, "oh, newtojewels! I know what your dress needs: a necklace!". She came back with a pearl strand. I knew nothing about pearls at the time but put them on. She said, "oh they're perfect, you just have to keep them! Don't worry, they're completely worthless. Just promise me that some day you'll get exactly this length but in real pearls". Now I know that they're cheap baroque freshwaters and I haven't seen her since that trip, but I've thought about someday getting that "real pearl" necklace ever since.

So now moving to the present: I bought a pair of AAA 7.5-8mm natural white Akoyas from Moline a couple of years ago and went to a local jewelry repair place to have them made into drops that can dangle from a hoop earring. While there, I happened to walk by a pearl vendor in the same building and decided to pop in. I ended up getting this strand!

The earring drops are still being made but I had to share my necklace photos in the meantime. Of course it's impossible to photograph pearls, especially with my crummy 6-year-old phone camera, but I tried. In real life they absolutely pass the 'how many fingers am I holding up' test. The pearls are only 6.5-7mm, so they're small, ungraded, from a random vendor, and with creamy body color, plenty of blemishes, and imperfect matching. But the luster holds up to the Moline earring pearls, the color matches them, I think the size suits my lifestyle, and I was on a budget, so I'm happy with my find!

I had the necklace strung with a fun flower clasp to 16.25", which is the same length as that freshwater necklace from way back then. I have 6 extra pearls so I may make some kind of station bracelet. This is my first day wearing them and I am always in casual clothes, so today is pearls and a wrinkled vintage men's flannel :)
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They are really nice! Congrats!
 
They are gorgeous on you. I'm so glad you are happy with them. :kiss2:
 
Beautiful champagne pearl necklace! They look great on your neck. Enjoy them!
 
Really pretty and they look great on!! Congratulations on replacing that sentimental necklace from your teens.
 
stunning
also loving that clasp
:kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2:
Thank you! I love your recent necklace, too, the half and half was so fun!

They are really nice! Congrats!
Thank you!

They are gorgeous on you. I'm so glad you are happy with them. :kiss2:
Thank you!

Beautiful champagne pearl necklace! They look great on your neck. Enjoy them!
They are about the color of champagne! That makes them sound more desirable than this color probably is :) I think of the color as making them look like nice vintage pearls.

Really pretty and they look great on!! Congratulations on replacing that sentimental necklace from your teens.
Thank you! I still have the original too but am not sure what to do with it.... I was thinking that a half-and-half strand like Daisys and Diamonds made recently might be the trick.
 
From your photos, I think the color suits your skin tone nicely.

There is no one, best, color for pearls. Nowadays the fashion trend seems to be for whiter-white pearls, but except for a very tiny per cent that are naturally white, they are bleached to attain that color-- so it isn't intrinsically better.
People should just get what they think looks good on them and what makes them feel good.
 
What a fabulous story! And congratulations on fruition of this long-promised strand :love: It’s a beautiful tribute to the original and it looks lovely on you!!
 
She was wise, and she was right.
So pretty, and the clasp is lovely.
 
HI:

Oh and pictures of the earrings as well!!! (cuz we aren't needy AT ALL:bigsmile:)

cheers--Sharon
 
I finally was able to pick up my jewelry repairs, which included having the Moline pearls set onto drops. Here are a few photos! Please excuse the stringy/limp hair, I decided to take one more while in my pajamas to try to show the scale a little better.

Again, the necklace is 6.5-7mm from a B&M store, and the earrings are 7.5-8mm AAA Natural Whites from Moline. The necklace is a little darker and warmer than the earrings, but considering the price I paid and the match in luster and the super fun clasp, I'm happy with them! I have 6 leftover pearls from the necklace and am debating a tin cup necklace versus a bracelet.

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:love:Just. Lovely.
 
Beautiful pearls!
 
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