My Love Affair with South Sea Pearls

Unlike other 30-something ladies I know, I am not much into clothes.   I think I buy clothes only once in a semester.  My usual attire would consist of jeans (or capri pants), polo shirt  (usually from Lacoste or  Columbia Sportswear) and my ever-reliable Fit Flops.  They’re my signature outfit if I’m not in my office uniform.

My only weakness and the most likely thing I would hoard would be jewelries and south sea pearls.   My love affair with these nature-made jewelries started in 2006.  I’ve actually been collecting jewelries since 2004 but was always hesitant to buy south sea pearls not because of their price but because they require extra, extra care.

For one, south sea pearls must not be kept with the rest of our diamond and other stone jewelries to avoid them being scratched.   They must also be kept “moist” because they are considered “living” objects.  That’s why I place them in a separate jewelry box which I keep slightly open, with a shot glass filled with water placed beside the jewelry box.  This will keep them “hydrated” and will keep the luster longer and better.

I also wear them as much as I can because our skin’s natural moisture will help them keep their luster and shape.  Although such may not always be the case with pearl necklaces since some people have skin that are more acidic than the others, and because of the close contact, the acid may damage the pearl’s luster and shape.    The best solution to this would be to refrain from putting perfumes in the chest and neck area with the pearls on.

That aside, we cannot discount the beauty and elegance that pearls project.   They’ll look very nice with a dress, jeans and office uniforms.   They’re also perfect as everyday office jewelry or when attending a special event or celebration at night.

Here’s my collection of south sea pearl jewelries, consisting mostly of earrings:

(1st column from left):  bluish-grey 13mm south sea pearl earrings and Palawan golden south sea (about 12mm) with diamond-encrusted removable jacket.

(2nd column at right):  Tahitian black pearls(about 11mm) with princess-cut stones, quality white south sea pealrs (9mm) and grey south sea pearls (12mm).

I started with the 9mm south sea pearls (my very first south sea pearl set) and decided to try on the bigger pearls after AJ gifted me with the grey south sea pearl earrings.

Finding the golden south sea was pure luck as I saw these being sold at eBay for just P8,000!   Had them appraised at Jewelmer in Makati and was told that they are valued at P20,000!   Lucky me!

The rest were bought from my trusted jewellers and if not for their generous lay-away plans, I wouldn’t be able to collect  this many right now.

Next in my wish list is to own a strand of south sea pearl necklace.  This one’s gonna cost me half-a-million but I can avoid that by slowly building up on my loose pearl collection and have them made into a necklace later.    My dream necklace is going to look like this:

It’s multi-colored with big, chunky pearls.  Love it!  I would like mine to have white, gold, bluish/greyish and champagne/pink pinks.   But at the rate I’m going, I might be able to see this in 10-years’ time hehe!

How about you?  Do you love pearls as much as I do??  I would love to hear from fellow pearl lovers out there.