9–11.2 mm AA+ / AAA Round Australian Pearl Necklace, 90 cm

Some pearls are recognized for their size, others for their light. Australian South Sea pearls have both.

They grow in the Pinctada maxima, the largest of the pearl-bearing oysters, in Australian waters. Over the course of several years, the oyster coats the nucleus layer by layer in nacre, forming pearls with a diameter few varieties can match, luminous white with silver reflections.

This necklace brings together 86 of them, measuring 9 to 11.2 mm, each chosen individually so they read as a single whole: very round and with very high luster. Finding so many South Sea pearls that match in luster, shape, and tone is a slow search: the more pearls a necklace has, the harder it is to find ones that don't disrupt the overall look.

At 90 cm, it can be worn long or doubled around, like a double-strand necklace close to the neck. A piece that goes just as well with an evening dress as with a white shirt, designed to be worn for decades.

We grade it factor by factor according to our scale: AAA for luster, shape, color, and matching, and AA+ for surface.

The necklace shown in the photos and video is exactly the one you will receive.

What sets it apart

Very high luster. Luster is the clarity with which a pearl's surface reflects light, and for us it is a pearl's most important quality. This necklace has very high luster: each pearl shows a crisp reflection and a light that seems to come from within the nacre.

Very round pearls. In South Sea pearls, round is the rarest and most sought-after shape. The pearls in this necklace are very round and roll naturally in the hand.

Carefully matched. Matching means bringing together pearls that resemble one another in color, luster, and shape, so the necklace reads as a single piece. Here, throughout the 90 cm length, no pearl disrupts the overall look, and the color, luster, and surface are very well matched.

White with a silver overtone. An overtone is the hue that floats over a pearl's base color. The overtone on these pearls is a light silver. Some also show a very subtle pink, visible only in certain lighting and at certain angles; in other light, the necklace simply looks white with a slight silver sheen. It is a tone very characteristic of white South Sea pearls.

Long or doubled around. Worn long, it falls below the chest, moves with the body, and elongates the silhouette. Doubled around, it becomes a double-strand necklace of about 45 cm, with the pearls in two strands close together around the neck: a more compact, formal effect. Two pieces of jewelry in one.

Small marks. Pearls grow inside living oysters, and their surfaces almost always bear some trace of this process. The pearls in this necklace have tiny natural marks: visible when you examine them up close with the necklace in your hand, but difficult to make out from the distance at which jewelry is usually viewed when worn.

If you like, you can request a Virtual Appointment and we'll show it to you up close and under different lighting.

Silk-knotted, with your choice of clasp. We assemble the necklace by hand, separating each pearl with a knot in silk thread. This prevents the pearls from rubbing against one another and, if the thread ever breaks, keeps them from all coming loose. You can choose a clasp in 18-karat yellow or white gold.

Selection

Miguel Carabel, founder of SY Perlas and a GIA graduate in pearls, personally selects every necklace. We buy directly from producers, and only 5% of harvested pearls meet our standards. Behind this approach are three generations devoted to pearls since the 1960s.