Luxurious and Affordable -Handmade Pearl Jewelry

At one time not too long ago, pearls were VERY expensive ... and rare. The reason is simple ... pearls were an accident of nature; the only pearls that existed were natural. Found by lucky pearl divers, or occasionally found by a diner eating oysters, pearls were among the rarest of gems until the early 1920's, after Kokichi Mikimoto had built his network of pearl farms and began producing large amounts of perfectly round cultured pearls. Now, we have many choices - pearls come in many shapes, sizes and colors!

These handmade jewelry pieces - a bracelet, a necklace, a ring and a pair of earrings - all are made with beautiful cultured freshwater pearls. These pearls are fabulous - and very affordable!

I'll start with this lovely pair of pearl earrings. These dangles are a nice everyday pair of pearl earrings ... they'll go with anything you wear, from jeans and a sweatshirt to formal wear!

You'll find these pretty earrings at LotusStone's shop on Etsy along with lots of this artisan's other great handmade jewelry!

These pretty Constance Earrings are a great choice! I love the little hearts on the bottom ... what a nice touch! This jewelry artist also offers a Red version made with ruby accent beads. These freshwater pearl and sterling silver earrings may be small ... but they sure are big on style - and low in price! As shown, the white pearl Constance Earrings are just $15.00 ...

Head over to BeadzNBling's shop for a TON of fabulous pearl jewelry! Its hard to choose one item to feature from this shop, but ... this bracelet caught my eye ... made with black peacock and ivory white freshwater baroque pearls, this eye popping double strand black and white pearl bracelet is finished with a sterling silver toggle clasp. This bracelet is a generous 8" length to fit a slightly larger than average wrist.

This artisan makes beautiful jewelry affordable ... only $29.00!

I love this style. The gallery wire bezel makes it look really special; and its such a classic design. The coin pearl is so lustrous you can easily see from the picture the quality is top notch.

This ring is just one of many beautiful designs you'll find while browsing at KiraFerrer's shop on Etsy; browse through and you'll find all kinds of handmade goodies!

When you order this ring, you have to specify a size; this is a good sign ... you know this jewelry is handmade just for you. Since this jewelry artisan makes each ring to order, the Tudor Pearl Ring is available in any size. Wear one ... for just $65.00!

Last for today is this pretty oxidized silver and freshwater pearl necklace. Created by Marcie Jane, the talented artisan jeweler at MarcieJaneDesigns, this very pretty pendant will arrive ready to wear on the oxidized silver chain shown.

The .999 fine silver circle was hand formed, fused and hammered by the artist; she wire-wrapped the pearl and applied the beautiful oxidized patina.

Necklaces like this are so versatile; they match almost any type of clothing from casual to business and are great for everyday wear. The Timeless Pearl Drop necklace could be yours ... for a great price ... only $48.00!

Each one of these jewelry artists puts time, design knowledge and skill into their beautiful jewelry. You'll love everything they have to offer! So take some time to check out these wonderful shops. Remember to add them to your favorites ... these are all great places to shop for a gift!

Robert Edwards is a proud member of the Jewelry on Etsy Team - JET. He is a jewelry designer and metalsmith in New York City with over 30 years experience in the jewelry trade, specializing in handmade silver jewelry and custom made silver chains. This article may be reproduced provided all content and links in the article including this author's statement remain intact. ©2010 Robert Edwards