Pearls; A Girl's Best Friend

The Swarovski pearl and crystal necklace I made to wear on my wedding day & the triple-strand peacock pearl necklace that started my obsession with pearls.

As I was drafting today's post I received a Beading Daily newsletter in which Jean Campbell, beader extrodinaire, discussed pearls! She says many of the same things about pearls that I'm about to get to here... Needless to say I was sufficiently creeped out by all this. I think Jean was reading my mind (even though we've never met)! If you would like to read Jean's post you can find it here: http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2010/04/28/Popular-Pearls_3A00_-8-Shapes-for-Modern-Style.aspx

Anyway, back to today's topic: Pearls!

It has become my firm belief that all women should have at least one strand of pearls in their jewelry wardrobe whether they're real or fake. I know that not everybody is a jewelry hoarder/ lover like me, but having a few simple pieces stashed away for special occasions is always a good idea. I think that there is a strand of pearls out there for every woman... You don't have to feel like grandma with that perfectly matched or graduated set of stark white pearls! There are so many shapes, colors, and sizes out there now that it's easy to find something to fit every personality and mood. The Japanese have revolutionized the freshwater pearl industry by developing quicker ways to grow pearls. The amount of variations they produce is mind blowing! Swarovski produces nice faux pearls in many colors and sizes that look fabulous when mixed with their crystals! There's no rule that says your pearls have to be the real thing... The pearl necklace I made for my Mom (pictured in last week's post) is Swarovski.

Three hand-knotted pearl necklaces...The red ones are mine all mine, but the other two I made to sell.

Three examples of fun strands of 'fake' pearls...Swarovski pearls and crystals all hand-knotted.

A nontraditional pearl necklace with matching earrings. Red freshwater pearls mixed with silver beads, tiny Swarovski crystals, and an over-sized natural stone pendant.

My favorite pearl necklace! I made this uber long one strand pearl necklace for my birthday last year. I swear the thing is longer than I am tall! I had to triple it to make it fit in the camera frame. I wear this necklace every which way from Sunday... Doubled, Tripled, with broaches, etc... The two vintage broaches I hook to the clasp of my necklace. A nice way to change the look.

Happy Beading & Go out and find or make YOUR strand of pearls! -Jessica