Freshwater Pearl Earrings
Freshwater is the one pearl that gives you size and color without the price of either. Every pair is matched from loose pearls at our bench in Los Angeles, in white, lavender and pink to peach, with clip-ons for unpierced ears. Choose size, color and style below.
Choosing freshwater earrings
Four things decide how a pair wears and what it costs.
Size
Studs run from about 5.5 mm to 11 mm. 7.5 to 8.0 mm is the everyday size. 9 mm and up is where freshwater gives you real presence for the money.
Grade
AAA and Freshadama. AAA looks round and wears beautifully. Freshadama is our own top grade and those are almost perfectly round with noticeably higher luster. On a stud, sitting still against the ear, that difference is easy to see.
Color
White, lavender and pink to peach are the pearl's own color, not dye. Lavender and peach are the ones people buy when they already own white, and they read warmer against most skin than a photograph suggests.
Metal and backs
14K white or yellow gold, solid throughout, posts and backs included. Never gold-plated. Clip-ons are made for unpierced ears and use the same pearls as everything else here.
Before you buy
Are the lavender and pink colors natural?
Yes. White, lavender and pink to peach are the pearl's own color, straight out of the mussel, with no dye involved. Black is the one exception in freshwater, because no freshwater pearl grows black, so anything black has been dyed and we say so on the product page.
What is Freshadama?
Our own top grade, and the name is ours. AAA freshwater looks round, but roll a AAA pearl on a table and it will wobble. Freshadama pearls are almost perfectly round, with high luster and clean surfaces. On earrings this matters more than people expect, because a stud sits still and gets looked at.
Do you have clip-ons for unpierced ears?
We do, in several sizes, and they use exactly the same pearls as the pierced pairs. Filter by Clip On above. If you want a design that is only shown with posts, ask us, because we can usually fit a clip back instead.
How closely are the two pearls matched?
We match to within a tenth of a millimeter on size, and a pair also has to agree on shape, luster, surface and color. Finding two pearls that do can mean going through a great many, which is the whole reason we match at our own bench instead of buying pairs already made up. You should not be able to tell them apart at arm's length.
Can you match these to a necklace I am buying?
We already do. If you order earrings at the same time as a necklace, bracelet or pendant, we match the pearls to that piece before anything is set. You do not have to ask and there is no charge for it. On colored freshwater this is worth more than it sounds, because two lavender strands bought months apart will not necessarily agree.
Still deciding?
Our specialists will show you pearls on camera and talk you through what you are looking at. Most appointments run about twenty minutes.
