For well over 4000 years, pearls have been a favorite jewel to use in creating earrings and other pieces of jewelry. The desire to own and wear a pair of unique and different pearl earrings continues to be popular choice for unusual jewelry. Earrings made with pearls make perfect gifts for any holiday and it has become traditional for brides to choose pearls as the accessory of choice on their wedding day. Pearls are available in hundreds of shapes, styles and colors each with its own special quality. Different shaped pearls get the shape from such things as the position of the pearl inside an oyster or mollusk shell.
Antique Earrings
Earrings that are classified as antique pearl earrings as those that are over 100 years old. Any jewelry dating back to the early 1900s is considered to be antique. Some earrings, however, are considered to be antique at fifty plus years such as those from the Victorian or Edwardian eras. Antique earrings come in hundreds of styles that have been designed with pearls ranging from the smallest to the largest. When shopping for antique earrings, they can be found at a variety of places such as auctions, estate sales, yard sales and second hand shops. Many people buy earrings with pearls, in the hopes that they will someday become antique heirlooms that are passed down throughout their future generations.
Pearls And Other Gems
Earrings that are created with a combination of materials such as pearl and rhinestone pearl earrings create a unique and unusual pair of earrings. There are several different materials that are often combined with pearls to create one of a kind styles such as pearls and rhinestones that are alternating on a pair of dangle earrings. Brides may choose to wear a combination of pearls and diamonds for their wedding day earrings and give their bridesmaids a pair of smaller earrings with pearls and cubic zirconium settings. An elegant look in earrings is a combination of white pearls and black onyx which is perfect for a pair of drop earrings being worn to a formal affair. For a fresh and young look, pearls may be combined with different colored jewels to create an eye catching pair of earrings. For a traditional look shop for earrings that are a combination of silver and pearls.
Coin Pearls
Coin pearl earrings are fun, fashionable and unique. A coin pearl can range in size from as small as a pencil eraser to several inches. Coin pearls come in a wide range of colors and can either be shaped in perfectly round circles or in unique and unusual shapes such as a teardrop shape, oblong or oval. Earrings made with coin pearls are perfect for young children and teenagers because they are available in cute shapes that children adore such as hearts, crosses and diamond. A coin pearl is typically light in weight and can be used to create earrings that simple in style and worn everyday to dramatic chandelier earrings with several pearls or shapes in the design.
Double Pearls
Pearl earrings come in a vast array of designs, from simple and elegant to elaborate. Double pearl earrings are often elaborate in design such as a hanging earring or a chandelier style. They may have pearls that are all the same size or increase/decrease in size going down the strand. Pearls often are thought to be out of the price range for someone on a budget, however, a pair of double pearl earrings that are designed with small, about 3 mm in size can be found for under $75 and still be quality earrings.
Symmetrical Pearl
Although it is often assumed that pearls are always round, the fact is pearls come in a variety of unique and beautiful shapes. Pearls that are shaped with a drop shape, oblong, oval or a pair of pear shaped pearl earrings are often referred to as being a symmetrical pearl. The shapes are usually fun and make great starting points for a pair of unique earrings. A drop pearl is shaped like a pear or a teardrop and can be found in a variety of sizes. This shape is typically used in a single setting or they are often seen in chandelier style earrings with drop pearls in various sizes.
Baroque Pearls
A Baroque pearl is irregular in shape with an asymmetrical shape. This type of pearl is grown in both saltwater and freshwater shell fish. The pearl becomes irregularly shaped depending on how the pearl forms inside the oyster or mollusk shell. Some Baroque pearls may have the appearance of glass pearl earrings because the shape is so unique that it is mistaken for being glass or not a real pearl. A double pearl earring is also a Baroque pearl and is formed when two beads are close together, become coated with nacre and becoming permanently joined, creating a “Siamese” or double pearl. The most expensive baroque pearls are the Tahitian peals, often found in a black color with very unique shapes. A Keshi pearl is a poplar type of baroque pearl . Keshi pearls are free-forming and do not have a nucleus, meaning there are no beads that have embedded inside the shell so the pearl is composed completely of several layers of nacre.
Real or Fake
With the popularity of Baroque and symmetrical shaped pearls, it often difficult to distinguish between a real pearl and a fake pearl. There are a few different techniques to keep in mind when shopping for pearls and you are unsure if the pearl you are interested in, is real or not. The first tip is to hold the pearl, a real pearl has a slight heaviness to it regardless of the size. Feeling the pearls will also help to determine if they are real. A real pearl is cool when touched, but after holding for a minute or two will begin to feel warm. Real pearls are not perfect. If a pearl doesn’t have any blemishes, has unified color and no markings, it is most likely a fake pearl.