I’m sure most every woman reading this article has some sort of pearl jewelry by this time in her life. It seems like many of us have been gifted the items or they’ve been handed down through the generations.

And while we have these items, I have to ask, how much do you wear them?

I’m sure we all think to pull them out for the dressier occasions and especially for weddings. But have you ever worn them with jeans or a t-shirt? Well, as part of my soap box to have us enjoy the items that we have in our closets, I’m trying to get into the habit to wear even my “nice” jewelry for regular days. And it’s quite modern right now to wear your pearls with anything.

For example, I’ve included many photos with this article where we, the models – who are my mom, my stepmom and myself – are wearing our pearls with a fancy outfit. But there are also a couple outfits that are more casual or office appropriate. One example is another blogger, Carrie, shown here, wearing her perfect pearls with a work outfit.

What Variations and Styles Are Available?

Even if you shudder to think of wearing your real pearls with a casual look, how about wearing some of the faux pearls? There are some fun and interesting designs at the retail stores right now. I’ve seen the large faux pearls (and by large I mean at least the size of a grape) on necklaces, chokers and even bracelets.

For the pearl bracelets, instead of just having a string of pearls available, they are being made in a variety of ways. One of my favorite designs is an open cuff design where the pearls are on the ends of the openings. I’ve also seen bracelets with colored pearls instead of just the basic white ones! And then there are others that are clustered with various stones and metals to give the bracelet a thicker look.

Stacking your pearl bracelets with other bracelets, so they are part of a group is also a big trend. It mixes things up, so it’s not as obvious that you are wearing your pearls, and yet adds in more texture and color.

In the post, here, with Nancy’s look (the 60s model) we can see an example of the colored pearl bracelets that are available right now. Nancy has these bracelets in blue, green and purple, whereas I have some in yellow, pink and pastels. But there are many other colors if you’re interested including black and grey!

The Modern Style

It’s all about the dichotomy of an outfit. I know most of us were brought up with the fashion rules of those times. And those rules governed what we could wear and when we could wear it. Well, these rules have changed in the last years. One of the modern ways to dress is to incorporate some yin and yang. By this, I mean to pull together opposites. If you were wearing a frilly, feminine dress, then a modern way to update this dress would be to add a masculine leather jacket over it.

I had Nancy, the 60s model on my blog, do this here! We were styling a chambray shirt that I consider casual, yet we added in her pearl bracelet! I think you all should try this idea! And don’t worry – the fashion police are not going to pull you over and tell you to take off your pearl jewelry because you are too casual.

Combinations with Your Pearls

Another way to have fun and wear your pearls is to try to combine them with other jewelry items. Take, for example, Nancy’s two different necklaces, here. Now, I admit, this didn’t turn out as perfectly as I’d hoped (I think the pearl necklace should have been on top of the silver one), but you get the idea, right?

Margaret, the face behind Sixty and Me, had a wonderful idea on one of her morning videos! She suggested wearing a brooch on your pearl necklace. She also adds a pendant to a couple of her other pearl necklaces in order to wear them in different ways.

She’ll show you all about it here in this video! It’s a unique idea and one that most of us could do very easily since we already have the pieces in our possession!

Some Advantages of Wearing Your Pearls

There is a saying that the more you wear your pearls, the better they will look. This comes from the fact that pearls like moisture or otherwise can develop cracks. But our skin does not only provide the pearls moisture. Our skin can also give off dirt, oils and acidity, so it is important to take good care of our “real” pearl jewelry, if we want it to last! That could be one advantage to buying the faux pieces – the upkeep isn’t as important.

But another great aspect of actually wearing your pearl pieces more than just for dress up, is the memories and good feelings that they can bring to you.

Since many of us have been gifted our pearls for some special occasion or another, they remind us of those memorable events. Or were your pearls a hand-me-down from a family member? This too can be a fabulous remembrance of that person or the time they gave you these items!

Wear Your Pearls!

I hope this article has inspired you to pull out your pearl jewelry and try to wear it more often. I always say that the wonderful thing about accessories is that you can gain five pounds and they still fit!

And if you’re in interested in the stories behind the pearl pieces featured in a blog collaboration spanning four generations.

Do you own any pearls? What memories do they bring back for you? Are there special stories that go with them? And how do you get creative wearing your pearls? Please share in the comments.