A String of Pearls, for a vintage touch of class

Nothing says "classy vintage dame" like a string of pearls - in fact, Glenn Miller even wrote a song about it!

One of my all-time top tips for how to add a dash of vintage style to a modern outfit it to accessorize it with pearls (and I'm pretty sure I was saying it before Sarah Jessica Parker was doing it). Whatever the outfit from boardroom to boudoir, pearls really make the girl.

Diamonds evoke glitter and glamourousness, but can if overdone can actually look tacky and 'try hard'. Pearls, on the other hand, are more refined and sophisticated. They're less 'in your face' but just as classy and without needing to scream from the rooftops. Where diamonds can sometimes be brash, pearls are more quietly self-assured. Sort of a Ferarri vs. BMW kind of thing.

Sure, diamonds are still a girl's best friend (as spoken by a true Diamond Dame), but diamonds do need to be worn judiciously - a sparkly diamond necklace is more of a dress up item, whereas pearls are a hugely versatile accessory that can more easily be worn dressed down as well as fully 'up'.

And, just like diamonds, a classic string of white pearls will go with just about everything in your wardrobe :)

Not for Nannas - pearls are for sexy ladies

When thinking about vintage pearls, the first thing that usually springs to mind is the super-long pearl necklaces of the 1920s flapper era. These pearls mirrored the feelings of the the women who wore them, jangling around freely while they danced the Charleston, evoking a lassiez-faire attitude with a dash of sexuality thrown in.

Pearls were worn by many Hollywood stars and other celebrities in the 1920s, including entertainer Josephine Baker and actresses Pola Negri, Louise Brooks (the ultimate flapper), and Mary Brian, to name just a few.

1920s Alfred Cheney Johnston portrait of Jean Acker
(Johnston actually used a lot of fake jewellery in his early portraits
because he couldn't afford the real stuff - but he knew the effect pearls
would have in the photo, real or not)

Josephine Baker

Pola Negri

Flapper icon Louise Brooks (sporting a lovely pearls-and-feathers combo and
looking like she's off on a date with Hawk from Buck Rogers)

Mary Brian looking totally glamourous

But pearls weren't just the domain of flappers - in the 1930s and 1940s pearl necklaces (and accessories) continued to be worn as a symbol of success, sexuality and glamour, with the longer flapper-length necklaces giving way to shorter styles.

Peggy Knudson (of The Big Sleep fame),
sports a long-yet-short pearl necklace

Ann Miller rocks the sultry 1940s look with short pearls

So what does today's Diamond Dame need to know about pearls? Here's some of the basics:

Are They Real?
If you've got some secondhand pearls bargin-hunted from a flea market or inherited from Aunt Bessie you'll want to find out if they're the real McCoy. If they feel cold to the touch and quite heavy, they're probably real. If you want to get more scientific, check out How to Tell if Your Pearls are Real. Quick summary - if you can crush one by stamping on it, it's ain't real. If you can dissolve it by putting it in a glass of Coca-Cola, it is real (but sadly, dissolved).

Pearls and Perfume Do Not Mix
Perfume contains alcohol which can be damaging to pearls - so spray your Chanel No. 5 on your wrists not on your neck if you're wearing a pearl necklace.

Know your pearl necklace lengths
Choker: About 16”. The most popular length, suitable for both formal and casual occasions.
Princess: About 18”. Longer version of the choker.
Matinee: About 22”. The usual length for daytime wear.
Opera: About 30-32”. The most common length for formal wear–may consist of two strands.
Rope: About 40” or longer. There are a number of variations, including two strands, three strands, and knots.

Freshwater vs Saltwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls come from various species of freshwater mussels that live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water. Saltwater pearls grow within pearl oysters that live in salty oceans and are usually farmed in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls.

Generally speaking, freshwater pearls are not as round as saltwater pearls, and don't have the same degree of luster and shine, therefore they tend to be less expensive pearls from saltwater oysters.

Natural vs Cultured Pearls
Natural pearls are created 'by accident' in nature (the kind of pearl you hope to find when ordering oysters in a restaurant). Cultured pearls are created 'on purpose' by human intervention - a small granule is inserted into the oyster to kick-start the pearl formation process.

Essentially, any pearl that is grown and marketed today, (with few exceptions) are considered cultured pearls, whether freshwater or saltwater.

Mikimoto - the Rolls Royce of Pearls

"I would like to adorn the necks of all the women of the world with pearls" -Kokichi Mikimoto [no arguments here!]

Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan is widely regarded as the grandfather of the cultured pearl industry. The son of a noodle maker, he saw the potential for pearls as high end jewellery and way back in 1905 he successfully created the world's first perfectly round cultured pearl. From that moment on, he worked tirelessly to promote the high-quality of Mikimoto pearls - in 1932 he staged a publicity stunt where he burned a mass of inferior quality pearls in order to emphasise his standards of quality.

The 'Yaguruma', a sash clip with interchangeable

settings displayed at the Paris Expo in 1937

Just as you have the '4 Cs' of grading diamonds (cut, color, clarity and carat), pearls are graded based on five characteristics: luster, surface perfection, color, shape and size. Mikimoto pearls are widely regarded to be the best in the world, with only the top 5% of cultured pearls evaluated as good enough to carry the Mikimoto.

Mikimoto pearls were famously worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in the 'Sex and the City' movie. You can buy the same style 'Sex and the City' pearl necklace online for mere US$11,900. Note too that the Carrie Bradshaw character wears them in a variety of scenes, including in bed with Mr Big - proving that pearls really DO go with everything!

From movies stars of yesterday to today - pearls are still a favourite

The Mikimoto range includes some pretty amazing stuff - like this US$1.6million dollar necklace called "Goddess" featuring 25 perfectly matched, perfectly round cultured pearls that took the company almost a decade to create. Oh, and the clasp has 7 carats worth of diamonds. In the CLASP. My mind boggles.

The Mikimoto "Goddess" pearl necklace
(available at the company's showroom at
730 Fifth Avenue, New York, if you're interested)

But don't despair, there's a wide range of Mikimodo pearl jewelry, with quite a few items under US$1,000.

Mikimoto pearls are so sought after that there are quite a few that crop up on the secondhand market, and there's also a lot of fakes around. Genuiune Mikimoto pearls are usually identified by the unique Mikimoto clasp, but there's no telling if someone has used a Mikimoto clasp and put it on an inferior string of pearls. Apparently Mikimoto clasps are are sold on the black market for this express purpose!

If you want to know more, check out this eBay Guide on How To Identify and Buy Mikimoto Pearls

Personally, for a purchase of such value and where imitations abound, I'd want the piece of mind of buying new rather than secondhand.

If you'd like to splash out on yourself, or perhaps make a not-so-subtle suggestion to your significant other (well, Christmas IS coming up, after all!) why not go shopping online to buy Mikimoto pearls. My favourite piece is the triple-strand 18" 'Princess' necklace. Now I just need to find a Prince willing to give it to me :)

Some, dayyyy my Princess necklace will come...