How to Style Pearl Jewelry with Other Jewelry Pieces

A custom pearl necklace is definitely a unique piece of jewelry, but just because it’s unlike anything else in your jewelry box doesn’t mean you can’t mix and match it with your other jewelry pieces. Do you struggle with mixing different metals and gemstones? If so, we want to help you understand how you can get the most wear out of your jewelry wardrobe - by not being afraid to have fun with it.

Try layering your jewelry

Did you know that layering is a top fashion trend that isn’t expected to go away anytime soon? You can easily try this trend by layering the necklaces you already have in your jewelry box, and the good news is that they don’t even have to match! In fact, you’ll look even more fashionable if you have fun with your layering and don’t take your layers too seriously.

Since you’ll want to make your custom pearl necklace the main focus of your layering arrangement, you can start by putting that necklace around your neck. Then, choose necklaces of varying lengths from your jewelry box and experiment with how the layers look with your neckline. Depending on the diameter of your pearls, you may want to try some thicker and thinner chains, and you can even add a pendant necklace for an extra statement. To avoid going overboard, stick to three or four necklaces at most.

Focus on overtones

While some pearls - like Akoya, white freshwater and white South Sea pearls - have a white overtone, others have golden and even black overtones. The overtones in your pearl necklace will guide you toward sensible jewelry pairings. White overtones look great with sterling silver, white gold, and yellow gold; your choice will depend on your goal. While silver or white gold paired with white-overtone pearls results in an easy and versatile look, yellow gold paired with white-overtone pearls offers a nice contrast. Pearls with golden overtones almost always look best with yellow gold.

When in doubt, add diamonds (or diamond simulants)

If you’re still not sure how to combine your custom pearl necklace with other pearl jewelry pieces, just remember that you can never go wrong with pearls and diamonds (or diamond simulants like cubic zirconia, white topaz, and moissanite). If you need proof, simply look at a photo of Elizabeth Taylor’s famous diamond, pearl, and ruby necklace, which features the legendary pear-shaped “La Peregrina” pearl! Diamonds on their own can be rather cold and flashy, but pearls add warmth to diamonds, making them more accessible for everyday wear. At the same time, diamonds can make pearls look more edgy and modern. A pearl-and-diamond pairing can be dressed down for daytime wear or glammed up for a nighttime affair.

Now that you have some new ideas for styling your pearl jewelry with other pieces in your jewelry wardrobe, you’ll be able to get more wear out of all your jewelry pieces We hope these tips inspire you to have fun with your jewelry and help you realize that how you wear pearls is a matter of personal preference and should not be limited by any fashion rules.