Pearls

I am a pearl kind of girl. Gemstones are lovely, but so… sparkly. And rocky. I like the mellow sheen of pearls, the subtle colors, the way they absorb body heat and seem to be alive when you handle them, and the fact that they come out of the water–I am a water sign, a Cancer, so my common birthstone is ruby but I can also claim pearls (for being a water sign) and moonstone (for being ruled by the moon).

Being a mystical sort of person, who likes to see patterns in life, I appreciate a strand of pearls as a symbol of the passage of time. Each pearl, like each place in time, reflects what came before and what will come after. (And, if you went to Catholic school, no, pearls don’t really reflect down!)

I was sorting through my jewelry drawer recently and realized that I have quite a nice collection. So, here they are. They are all cultured freshwater pearls, not a saltwater among them (alas).

White pearls. I wear the white pearl studs more days than I don’t. “Pearls are always appropriate.” Just be sure to wear strands of them in odd numbers, and never to wear pearl strands AND earrings AND bracelet all together.

Black pearls with pinkish-brown overtones. These disappear nicely around the neckline when I wear a black sweater.

Oblong black pearls on silver. This strand is opera-length or longer; I can wrap it around four times without it being tight at all.

Gray pearls with white gold and diamond dust. Even though their color is dark, these shine like stars.

Brown pearl in pink gold.