Kinked Knots

Q: My husband gave me pearls from you for Christmas. They seem to look crooked and do not lay flat on my neck. They look the same in the box. Is this normal? I have a pair that is not real and they lay better. I need to know if I have to return them.

A: It is normal for a new strand of pearls to hang a bit crooked or appear kinked up. We purposely have our strands strung and knotted very tightly because during the first several hours of wearing a new strand, the silk thread naturally relaxes into the knots and settles into place. When this happens, the pearls loosen up just a bit and then hang in an attractive and fluid manner. If the strands were knotted to appear smooth and fluid at the beginning, when the thread relaxes, the pearls then would become too loose and the pearls would wiggle back and forth between the knots. The choice to have them strung very tightly has another benefit as well, it protects the thread from becoming soiled and frayed too quickly which requires re-stringing. While it is necessary to re-string pearls approximately once a year, when the thread becomes damaged it is more likely to require re-stringing more frequently and does increase the possibility of the strand breaking. Once you wear your strand a few times, it should hang out nicely!