Anyone can afford to buy fashionable pearls

Not so long ago, a lot of people considered pearl jewelry to be a thing of the past, something that was to be found only about the necks of grandmothers and rich women with outdated fashion sense. But this attitude to pearls is changing fast. From the catwalk to the red carpet, Hollywood to the White House, pearls are making a comeback. It could be the current trend for retro fashion, or that a few of the most up to the minute fashion icons, including America’s First Lady, have taken their love for pearls public, but whatever has caused the trend pearls are definitely back with a vengeance.

Great news for anyone who was getting a little tired of all the ‘fake’ jewellery on the high street and wishing they could go for a more classic look. But how can you be sure you’re getting the genuine article when there are so many imitation pearls out there? And surely pearls are a bit of an unnecessary expensive frivolity, especially during a recession? Well actually, with so many different types of cultured pearls available to buy, you can pick up a genuine pearl necklace for a really quite reasonable price. All you need is to know what sort of pearls you are looking for.

Real celebrity-style big saltwater pearls like those that Michelle Obama is often seen in will be pricey, but there are many varieties of pearl which don’t need to break the bank. Natural pearls cost many times more than cultured pearls, and are far more highly valued as they are much rarer. Cultured freshwater pearls are usually the cheapest variety, they are much more common as they are grown in pearl farms and they come in the largest selection of sizes and colours. Saltwater pearls take longer to cultivate, and usually have a bigger, more regular shape, which is why they are rarer and more sought after. It’s easy to tell real pearls from fake ones as the fakes rarely have the correct lustre or weight, and feel more smooth and shiny to the touch. Real pearls have a slightly rough feel to them, and perfectly round pearls are very rare, so a string of perfect spheres being sold cheaply is likely a fake!