South Sea Pearl Pendants
One very large pearl, set in solid gold, on a real gold chain rather than a filler chain you will want to replace. A pendant is the least expensive way to own a South Sea pearl, and the one place where a single exceptional pearl does all the work. Choose size, color and shape below.
Choosing a South Sea pendant
Four things decide how a pendant wears and what it costs.
Size
Pendants run 8 to 15 mm. A pendant shows one pearl with nothing beside it, so size reads directly and a South Sea at 12 mm is genuinely commanding. 10 to 11 mm is the comfortable everyday choice. We also hold loose pearls as large as 18 mm, so ask if you want something exceptional.
Color
White from the silver-lipped oyster, natural gold from the gold-lipped. Both are the pearl's own color. On a single pearl the color has nowhere to hide, which is the best argument for looking at it properly before you buy.
Chain
A solid gold box chain is included at no extra cost. Shimmer and rope chains are offered as upgrades on the product page. A heavier chain suits a heavier pearl, so on the larger sizes the upgrade is worth considering.
Metal and diamonds
14K white or yellow gold, solid throughout, chain and bail included. White gold keeps a white pearl crisp. Yellow gold is the natural partner for a golden pearl. Any diamonds are natural.
Before you buy
Is the golden color natural?
Yes, and it is the question to ask anyone selling golden pearls. The gold-lipped oyster produces the color itself and we do not sell treated golden South Sea. Treated gold is common in the trade and tends to look uniform, with color often concentrated in the drill hole. On a single pearl pendant that is easy to spot once you know to look.
Does the pendant come with a chain?
Yes, a solid gold chain at no extra cost, in the same karat as the setting. Every stocked pendant comes on a 16 to 18 inch adjustable chain, so it can be worn short at the base of the neck or long, or anywhere between. It is real gold, not a plated chain you will want to replace within a year. Shimmer and rope chains are offered as upgrades on the product page, and on a larger pearl a heavier chain often looks more balanced. If you need the chain longer or shorter than the standard, tell us before you order and we will make it to the length you want. A few one-of-a-kind pieces vary, and their product pages say so.
Is a pendant a sensible way to start with South Sea?
It is the way most people do it, and we would say so even though a strand costs more. A pendant puts one excellent pearl where it will be seen, for a fraction of what a matched strand of the same quality costs. If you later want earrings or a strand to go with it, tell us and we will work from the pendant.
Can I see the exact pearl before it ships?
Ask us and we will photograph it. At this level nobody should buy from a catalog photograph, and on golden pearls a camera's white balance will push the color warmer or cooler than it is. The pearl is chosen by hand and the pendant is set to order. Photographs and video are free, with no obligation to buy.
Can you match a pendant to earrings or a strand I am buying?
We already do. If you order a pendant at the same time as earrings, a necklace or a bracelet, we match the pearls to each other before anything is set. You do not have to ask and there is no charge for it. On South Sea this is worth real money, because matching size, color and luster at this scale across separate orders is difficult and sometimes not possible.
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.
