Perla

Cultured freshwater pearl jewelry

Perla is my collection of cultured pearl jewelry beyond the classic string of pearls. Every piece carries a cultured freshwater pearl grown in a living mussel, and you can get it in 14K gold-filled or 925 sterling silver. There are two lines: pearls shaped like a heart, star and moon on a chain, and the oval pearl as a necklace, bracelet, earrings, hoop earrings and charm.

Cultured pearl necklace: heart, star and moon

On the Cultured Pearl Heart Necklace, the Cultured Pearl Star Necklace and the Cultured Pearl Moon Necklace, the pearl itself is the motif. The heart pearl grew in this shape inside the mussel, the star pearl formed over a star-shaped core of mussel shell, and the moon pearl has the shape of a slim crescent. Each pearl measures about 8 to 10 mm, is drilled through and runs directly on the chain without a setting. As you wear it, it finds its way back to the center on its own. These three pieces come with a 45 cm (17.7 in) or 40 cm (15.7 in) chain or as a pendant on its own, from 68 USD.

The oval cultured pearl to mix and match

The oval pearl comes as a necklace, bracelet, drop earrings, hoop earrings and charm, for 79 to 193 USD depending on the piece and metal. On the drop earrings, the pearl is a little larger and more elongated. This way, one motif becomes a whole set of pearl jewelry, or you can hang the charm on the box chain.

How to keep cultured pearl jewelry beautiful for a long time

Nacre has a Mohs hardness of only 2.5 to 4.5, so it scratches more easily than most gemstones. The chains are water-resistant, but it's best to keep the pearls themselves dry. They don't like perfume, lotion or long baths, and after wearing, a soft cloth is all they need. You can read how to recognize a good cultured freshwater pearl in the article Cultured freshwater pearls: how to recognize AAAA quality. The pearl is considered the birthstone for June and stands for the pearl anniversary after 30 years of marriage.