Add A Pearl Necklace

Q: I am searching for what used to be called an " add a pearl "necklace. They had the first three middle pearls, and they were added to on special days until the young lady had a complete strand when she graduated from college. Do you carry anything like this?

A: The Add-A-Pearl necklaces were a popular method of purchasing pearls for young women in years past. While the tradition was a lovely, sentimental choice and made a strand more affordable when pearls were harder to come by, today the Add-A-Pearl custom has many disadvantages. It is much more difficult to match individual pearls for colour, overtone, luster, and overall quality one at a time. The size graduation is also very difficult to manage for a smooth and pleasant shift without having the existing pearls in our possession. It’s also necessary to add labor cost for the time required to match one or two pearls to the existing pearls in the collection. Another problem with the Add-A-Pearl plan is that the pearls were traditionally put onto a chain until there were enough to create a complete strand. This often means the pearls need to be drilled with a larger hole to accommodate the chain. Unfortunately this can cause a problem when the final strand is knotted on silk thread because the hole is often too large for the silk and the knots slip inside the pearls instead of resting between. The chain will also wear away at the drill hole over time if they are handled very much and can potentially damage the pearls. When you then add the cost of shipping the pearls back and forth, potentially several times a year, the tradition becomes far more expensive in the long run.

We have an option for customers interested in pursuing this tradition to consider that is far more cost effective in the long run and is much easier to manage. If you would like either a strand or a set for the recipient, our suggestion is to purchase a completed strand or set and give one or two pearls at a time. We can send you the pearls on what are called temporary strands or loose hanks so that the pearls can easily be removed. The price of an already matched strand is much lower, the pearls are perfectly matched for colour, overtone, luster, nacre quality, and the graduation of size is smooth and attractive. It is also more convenient to have the completed strand in your possession so that you can remove the pearls when you want instead of spending your valuable time searching for those individual pearls.

When you are giving the pearls as gifts, it’s best to determine if you want to start in the centre of the strand and work your way out to the ends, or to start at one end and remove the pearls consistently from one end to the other. Should you decide to start with the centre pearls and work towards the ends, this adds the option to string the necklace at a shorter length with fewer pearls for someone younger. Then as she gets older and you continue to add pearls to the ends, she can restring the necklace to a longer length so it grows with her. To keep the drill hole for the pearls at the same size as is required for a knotted strand, the pearls can be wire-wrapped to a cable-link chain that will keep the pearls stationary on the chain until there are enough pearls to make a strand. This system will maintain the quality of the pearls since they will not be sliding on a chain which might wear down the nacre. This can be done at most local jewelry stores for a minimal expense.

The most popular sizes of Akoya pearls are 6.5-7.0mm and 7.0-7.5mm. These sizes are appropriate for women of all ages and are the most versatile. We offer a variety of strands and sets in these sizes and you have your choice of grade quality and overtone. The strands are available in both 16” and 18” lengths with the standard being 18” which offers the maximum versatility over time.