Is it okay to wear Pearls these days?

[TalkingShop]

Hi,

I just wondered if it okay to wear pearls these days or would I look as though I'd got up in the morning and landed in the wrong century?

I was watching this really interesting video on youtube, which was an interview with Diana Mosley and she had a three strand pearl necklace over a navy blue roll neck jumper with a very striking broach just below.

This is the video:
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She was being interviewed about her association with the fascists, which was not so great, but I really liked her necklace and roll neck jumper and broach and how they complement her hair. I also live in roll neck jumpers with a similar hairdo, and I wondered if I could do that too or if I would look like a total idiot.

I'd have to wear plastic ones on a nylon thread from a craft shop, which might be fantastically naff too. That does sound naff actually doesn't it? Maybe it only works if they are real pearls and the person has the classy accent to go with them? I don't.

Anyway, do you think this is a bonkers idea? I thought it might be a bit nicer than a knackered gap sherpa hoodie, but maybe I can't carry it off. I'm nearly 50, tall slim, knackered looking. Same build and hairdo as Diana Mosley, but not the same posture or accent.

My hair is brown but with a silver streak at the sides.

Thanks!

I've got a single strand which an ex-boyfriend bought me at least 35 years ago (been with DH over 30 years which is how I can work out the date!). I've also got some pearl studs and some pearl drop earrings.

I've worn them on various occasions; black tie, dinner out and just with jeans and a t-shirt. I love jewellery and have got a wide range - probably too much. I'm very into vintage jewellery and recent purchases have been a couple of Bohemian brooches, both of which are 1920's/30's. I love the sense of history that comes from wearing a vintage/antique piece.

She looks timeless whereas the outfit of the interviewer is dated. Yes, I think it could be a good look, but maybe you have to have a certain look yourself. She is a lady and has great facial bone structure and neat hair.

Of course, the other great pearl-wearing style icon was Miss Piggy, and while it's fair to say she was a commendably Strong Woman, she was no fascist pig.

Yes, that was what I noticed too. I sort of have that look I think. I often try to wear nice feminine things and it never works, as I just look like a drag actress. Conversely if I wear rather severe looking androgenous clothes then I can look quite feminine in them. I think if I wanted to look genuinely feminine then I'd need to wear cord bootcut trousers and a polo neck. On top of that, pearls worn just like that might actually really look nice.

I like that video partly because her voice and accent and manner remind me a little bit of Joyce Grenfell, so was such a lovely person, and also of an elderly lady who used to live near to me, who had been to Cheltenham Ladies' College a very very long time ago. Hearing her voice, and seeing her manner reminds me of those lovely ladies.

“Which was not so great “

I would be utterly ashamed to suggest that Diana Mosley is worth looking at or listening to about anything

Yes I only realised that a bit after I posted this thread. I knew very little about the Mosleys before, and her interview in that video is very bland really, so it gave very little away. It was only when I went and read around a bit more that I understood what their views were.

It's kind of weird in a way. In the video she seems to deny holding fascist views and comes across as very mild. But when I read back about the history of her husband, he was literally running the fascist part in the UK so she definitely did hold fascist views. It's really perplexing to see how mildly she comes across in the video, having held such views.

It all boggles my mind a bit tbh.

A lot of the social history videos on youtube are a massive eye opener. There's one of a lovely lady who is living in abject poverty in a tenement flat and working so hard at earning money by repairing lace. It's very hard to watch without really loving her for all of her stoicism and hard work.

This is the video here:

Ebay is a great source of inexpensive pearls - in ascending price order - decent vintage fakes, freshwater and cultured. The first can be bought for under £20

Examples of the first https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335805376806?_skw=pearl+choker+vintage&itmmeta=01JM7NY7R55SYK9XGP02JCM5S0&hash=item4e2f8f6926%3Ag%3AT7MAAOSwaednqPDz&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eERZpRBGMpv8IOuDRmcAr3nOO%2FGaooYIlza6ocykVn7i%2BtZDmgObZDE0hPVniKNQqQf8azpGPqO6QItPlx4nKegJ2IZVZesEg9XiG0dUT5Df17ouRQbNXkGSO7OgPtoazDSv84s%2Befpgu9%2FZ2GIObYKeDgZWHMi1JnLHnD%2FQPoaURiD4f30Ib54hDIKio%2FvXg%2FGdVECo0F073iueJMQFkPj9XIsT37rWf4HMCk9Rn8xLzLsPDIhhy3UQ88ClZRd3M%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6L8-PWhZQ&LH_ItemCondition=4
or
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204300566020?_skw=pearl+choker+vintage&itmmeta=01JM7P5D322TJX1QEDTFEBQ5G1&hash=item2f91433e04%3Ag%3AXgoAAOSwCS9kNBdK&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fWEdDu%2F2dmWKbzBDqyYiWllqPIbsIqM2%2FqWI8XKEObwbLMZaj%2BHZzmUYOBIH95vE%2F3T4WvJM5Tj3BzTm1z4m0JZ%2FYLtXHE9cS%2FTj%2B8lA48dri%2BA3S62vFHxcjG%2BE48UT8%2FLN0COqLZpnIlD507dYYWS9U8E1NpiBLTEeFz7CQxant6yfV2fuSA1g3t4DsQyqFfx8tdaSlZxz0L9BT8nFwV65feMLAdA%2F890P9WP4fn4%2BCs0jgSnu%2FJsoCCnb6UoiE%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9TRlfahZQ&LH_ItemCondition=4

Freshwater are around the £50 mark https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/396155535413?_skw=freshwater+pearl+choker+vintage&itmmeta=01JM7P7P5C0FM2198D9MA4NDD9&hash=item5c3cb5c035%3Ag%3AP-EAAOSwmwdnl6ZD&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA4FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dcQ0gMh0I2Urs4mq8%2F%2BoR4URnCCSuXJfdPHqF7g3UnXSJCjguSLDm%2FZmOQIJiRPd2g8GxAt0Apdb542uPhqUv6fMzx5BpTwE2XfujWhFdoKHaJ9O45O4p23jaZul9H92WzaN9CYdmVGqX5pjdo0gWyrkzvymDVt2b%2Bx1PZwTDNDrR963xsHficWBDgK6a8VsaqyTo%2Fy4mxnIES6Rtq%2B6X9Gmwf3fj7sVzpxohxjZ9dK%2BRXOQNM4HtoSUVpESNpxz89cy%2Frs%2Bh3I8Jpc7fjhenN%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-jinvahZQ&LH_ItemCondition=4

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135002269959?_skw=freshwater+pearl+choker+vintage&itmmeta=01JM7P7P5BV8MASY6W4BQRZQXS&hash=item1f6ec32907%3Ag%3AMKkAAOSwTlxl%7ECe0&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAABAFkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fPR2zfhOGMnHgwk6%2FWB4ipf4hsQKXY5RXjHdOPqIJDfMjlP%2F03Mx3q3Q0WS02E8v8xWwR56TAf8v%2FEj5xaPAq4SiP%2BaTd70rwFbL0iRRvfTI9DEKHrAtpTEHYqBu9PuX5EB1J4yZbbmndH60RYgmbPD2oC1sY36nLn8EIdRlB9aogHC0jpSgQIPftgJowlcYbluGyum5jck%2BwXNB0s3LMacwey3%2BX2b4gxcQm0l%2Bcv8EO942XIlXFIHmn6Jhph3vuB0nNR8ysg0cW2R0e3HnCFobqMsTnki5hJlurcyLhArR--TfjI3gWLOpWlXS5Nuhs%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-binvahZQ&LH_ItemCondition=4

@warmheartcoldfeet I am glad to see someone else thinking about the ethics of pearls.

OP, I would never buy new pearls (or silk, wool or leather) but I do have a couple of pearl necklaces that have been passed down from my grandmother. And I would buy second hand if I found something I wanted.

I've worn my pearls with goth, punk, casual, preppy, Boden, hippy, whatever style and I think they always look good. Of course, other people might just think I've got no style, but at least I get a lot of use from them!

You've also prompted me to get my fancy brooches out and wear them more!

Check out black pearls - I have a black pearl necklace which I adore: Clara Minimalist Pendant Necklace | QP Jewellers

It was gift from someone -they said they take longer to form, then they reveal their beauty within, which I thought was a lovely sentiment.

I lost my mum 4 months before we got married. I wore her pearls on our day. I don't think they're out dated, just super special occasions

Thanks for the thread OP
I inherited from my mother a rather amazing 3 row pearl necklace WITH an emerald/diamond clasp/brooch already as part of the necklace. I have only worn it twice for formal evening dos as I think it’s a bit OTT for everyday wear…but now I’m in my early 60’s myself I guess I could start channeling grand old lady and get it out of its velvet box more often. I could always “hide” the rather amazing brooch at the nape of my neck so it’s not too much for casual wear?
For those who have inherited rather large pearl necklaces dating back quite a few decades: have you had them restrung?

I'd rock it, clasp and all, with jeans.

I do need decent looking evening jewellery for formal events every now and then so all my restringing has been back to the same design. I did have a double string of very chunky freshwater pearls restrung to include some white lampwork Murano beads added to make it look a bit more contempory (and a more flattering length). You can also wear a multi row of pearls over a roll neck - looks good with a black roll neck and black cargo pants and DMs.....

Agree. The MIL of a friend of mine (80s now) has had as her signature look for as long as i have known her - 3 decades - she wears jeans, a blue striped shirt, blue cardigan and her three strand pearl choker necklace with diamond and sapphire clasp pretty much every day. She inherited the choker and usually teams with with a tatty gilet and hunters wellies as she is genuinely mostly out with her dogs and horses. I've never seen her without it. Plus her ash blonde bob. Thinking about it now, I assume she gets the choker serviced regularly to ensure there are no jigggly hinges that might make anything fall off.

It's quite a look. I'd not be able to carry it off, but she does.

Oh and to answer your other question- I inherited a pearl necklace from my grandmother and had it restrung. It was originally just on a length of very fine chain, without knots in between. I got it restrung with knots so if one part breaks you lose 1-2 pearls not the whole lot.

Thank you @godmum56 , @SilverBlueRabbit @Londonmummy66 for your replies.
I don’t wear high necks due to being very inverted triangle shape (34G chest) but I’ll see if I can rock them with jeans and a wide crew neck top…and take them to a jewellers to have the stringing assessed as it dates back to the sixties (I think).
The brooch:clasp is really wow but who knows? People may think I’m wearing fakes instead of cultured pearls with emerald:diamonds 😁 I have inherited other lovely jewellery too which I wear more often like massive amethyst cocktail rings and cuffs and always feel sad the pearls barely sees the light of day.
If I wear casually I’ll keep humming that old ZZ top song “pearl necklace” 🤟to myself

q

I've totally enjoyed this thread, thanks all .
I have a strand of tiny seed pearls which i wear with my very old denim shirt and often get nice comments.

You're worrying about what a potential future DIL might think about the way you dress and your DS is 14? Wow!

Anyway, you have reminded me that i have some pearls of my mother's that I almost never wear as they do feel a bit old-fashioned to me. Maybe I need to give them another try from time to time. I think it would be easier if I was 20. I think at 50+ they might just look a bit old lady-ish and frumpy.

not with jeans....with jeans they look rock star. I am in my 70's and my pearls are Honora not antique but I love them.

I wear pearls. I have some lovely pearl jewellery bought over the years. Most recent was this https://www.iowpearl.co.uk/product/pearl-necklace/?attribute_pa_metal-colour=silver&attribute_pa_pearl-colour=white-pearls&attribute_pa_pearl-quality=crown-excellent&attribute_pa_pearl-size=5mm&attribute_pa_length=18-46cm.

Exactly. No-one. Anyway, how many people do you think would know who she is?

Fake pearls are really easy to spot.
Real ones always have knots to stop the pearls rubbing their neighbours.
Fakes chip and don’t have the same depth or feel to them.
Isn’t it nacre, the substance they are made from, like many fine layers, rather than artificial coating over plastic (?).

Dont be ridiculous, seeing someone in a roll neck jumper with some pearls over the top in no way is going to make people think of a fascist.

Its simply a classic 50s and 60s look

yes, she is very much the lady. And stunning bone structure.