Trendy jewelry: 9 ideas for freshwater pearl jewelry

The natural beauty of beads has always fascinated and seduced. Pearls were popularized by Coco Chanel for one of her collections, by Audrey Hepburn for Breakfast at Tiffany's and by Jackie Kennedy with her famous three-tiered pearl necklace. In recent years, however, they've been dismissed as old-fashioned or memorable... but wrongly so!
Today, beads are back with a vengeance! Beaded jewelry is becoming more democratic, and is making a revolution. They're very much on trend this season, and can be combined with both classic and chic clothing, as well as casual, bohemian and even streetwear... In short, beads suit every look.

Why not make your own pearl jewelry, choosing your favorite freshwater pearls?
Here are our 9 ideas for freshwater pearl jewelry you can make (if you feel like discovering more ideas, feel free to check out our DIY pearl jewelry tutorials):

Freshwater pearl earrings

• The marriage of freshwater pearl and gemstone is always a success. Make original creole ear rings with freshwater pearls and gemstones, accented with gold. These are made with Botswana agate beads, but we have plenty of other natural stone beads to choose from.
• To go with a dressy outfit or your favorite blouse, make dangling earrings with freshwater pearls and crystals.
• Gold + pearl = a beautiful combination for chic, bohemian earrings. What's more, the model in our tuto is super-simple to make.

Women's bead bracelet

Freshwater pearls on an elastic thread are all you need to make a piece of jewelry you'll never want to leave. But at Perles & Co, we've got a few ideas for spicing up a beaded bracelet.

• Make a 2-strand beaded bracelet with a few rhinestones. You'll have the effect of a multi-row bracelet on your wrist.
• Chunky chains are always on trend. Why not combine them with freshwater pearls? The pearly style of the pearls will soften the size of the XXL chain and give a bohemian chic look to this oversized bracelet.
• If you'd like to succumb to the charm of freshwater pearls with a more discreet piece of jewelry, we suggest you make this slender bracelet. Simply personalize it with the charms you like.

The bead necklace

The bead necklace is a timeless piece of jewelry. Whether it's a long necklace or a choker, it always makes a statement.

• It's easy to make a necklace with just beads slipped onto a wire, either simple or twisted like this women's necklace.
• You can also play with irregularities and contrasts by mixing freshwater beads and colored chips!
• We also like the crystal version, which is also very trendy. Ideal for a woman'sevening necklace.

What are freshwater pearls?

It's a mother-of-pearl bead that forms in a freshwater mollusk when a foreign body (a grain of sand or a larva) enters the shell. These river and lake pearls vary in color, size and shape. They may be round, oval or olive-shaped, but they are most often baroque and irregular. And that's their greatest charm!

What's the difference between a cultured pearl and a freshwater pearl?

The name "cultured pearl" is commonly used to designate pearls that have been created by human hands from a nucleus introduced into a saltwater mollusc. But freshwater pearls are also cultivated by man in lake and river pearl mussels. So they too are cultured pearls.

While saltwater cultured pearls are round and uniform, freshwater cultured pearls are irregular and generally smaller.
If you'd like to find out more, take a look at our pearl data sheet.