For years, pearls have been a must have jewelry in each woman’s wardrobe. Many men give pearl jewelry to their loved one as a special and romantic gift. Pearls come in various pastel shades of pink, peach, lavender, white, black, plum, and tangerine, depending on the type of mussel.

There are three types of pearls: natural pearls, cultural pearls and imitation pearls. Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Natural pearls will attract a high price regardless of location in the world. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials. Based on where they come from, pearls can be divided into two categories: freshwater pearls and southsea pearls.

When looking for pearl jewelry, there are five factors to consider: nacre, surface, luster, shape and size. A good quality pearl is always thick in nacre (nacre thickness higher than 0.4mm is highly recommended), smooth in surface, high in luster (mirror like luster is best), round in shape and big in size. However, the pearl jewelry that you choose will very much depend on your personal preference. Take your time to shop around and find the perfect pearl jewelry that will flatter you.