Pearl Pendants: Which One Actually Suits Her

A pearl pendant is one of the few gifts almost nobody gets wrong, and one of the easiest to get slightly wrong anyway, by picking the wrong shape for the person rather than the wrong pearl. We've already covered how to tell a real pearl from shell, so treat that as settled. What's left is the one that actually matters in front of the range: which pendant, for which person.

Solitaire, drop, or set with a stone

A round pearl solitaire, our Round Pearl Pendant or the Classic Pearl Solitaire Pendant Set, is the conservative choice, and the right one for someone who'll wear the same pendant every day without swapping it out. A drop reads dressier than a solitaire because it moves when she moves, catching light a fixed pearl can't. Skip a drop for someone on her feet all day, hands fuller than her neck. It swings. A solitaire doesn't. Pair the pearl with American Diamond, as in our Ethereal Pearl & American Diamond Pendant, and it reads more formal again, closer to an evening piece than a desk one. Match the pearl to how often it'll actually get worn before you match it to how it looks in a photo.

A pearl that doesn't look like a pearl pendant

Set into a moon or an infinity, a pearl reads as jewellery first and pearl second, which is useful if a plain solitaire feels a little like something her mother would wear. This doesn't. Our Infinity Pearl Pendant works this way, and so does the Pearl Moon Round Pendant & Earring Set. If the pearl itself should be the centrepiece rather than a detail tucked into a setting, look at the Ancient Moon Pearl Pendant with South Sea Pearl or the Moon Necklace with Cultured Freshwater Pearl, both built around a larger pearl rather than a small accent one.

The care nobody tells you

Pearls are softer than stones, and ordinary things damage them faster than most people expect. Perfume, hairspray and deodorant all work on a pearl on contact, even in trace amounts, which is why it should go on last, after everything else, not before. Take it off first too, before a shower and before the day's makeup comes off. Wipe it with a soft, dry cloth after wearing. That's the whole routine. Don't soak a pearl. Don't clean it the way you'd clean plain silver jewellery, either. It isn't the same material sitting under that shine, however similar the two pieces look side by side.

Chain length changes once a pearl is on the end

A pearl drop sits lower than a flat pendant on the same length of chain, because the pearl itself adds depth that the chain measurement doesn't account for. What lands at the collarbone on a flat pendant can sit noticeably lower once a pearl hangs off the end. If you're torn between two lengths, our chain length guide is worth five minutes before you order, especially for anything that drops rather than sits flat.

The metal itself

A pendant sits against the same patch of skin for hours at a time, so what it's made of matters as much as what's set into it. Ours is genuine 925 sterling silver, stamped accordingly, finished with our R-Coat™ anti-tarnish coating, and tested by the Sheffield Assay Office (UK) for what it releases onto skin, not just for purity. Nickel-free, cadmium-free, lead-free, the combination that actually keeps a piece worn daily from causing trouble.

Browse the full pearl pendants range to see these side by side, or start wider with the complete pearl collection if a pendant isn't the only pearl piece on your list. New to pearls, our pearl earrings follow the same rules on shape and care.