Freshwater pearls you need in your life

I'm not a big fan of pearls. I mean, I am. I admire them mainly from afar. But where my go-to necklace is a black onyx choker that I wear pretty much every day, when it comes to me choosing colours it's go dark or go home.

That being said, I do find myself staring at a string of glowing ivory beauties when someonepairs a string with a vintage 50's dress, or better still, jeans and sneakers.

Classic freshwater pearl necklace on 925 sterling silver push clasp

When I first bought pearl beads, I bought them because I'd seen a necklace that I fell in love with, and planned to make one myself.

I wanted it, and I wanted to recreate it. And when I did it, it was worth it.

I can honestly say that when I did finally get around to learning how to string them (some 4 years later after many failed attempts), the finished pearl necklace was ten times better than the lacklustre original I'd spotted in a jeweller's.

I was amazed at the variety of natural shades available. Pearls really are amazing.

It is always my habit to follow a successful project by binging on materials as if I were going to repeat the process ten times over, which nearly never happens. This particular bead binge really opened my eyes to some of the pearl colours available.

I don't know why, but I'd always presumed it was just white and black that was available. I hadn't considered anything in between.

I adore these pale silver pearls. I have visions of a bride wearing them with a crisp white dress and simple silver earrings.

What helped me fall lustfully in love with the above pale grey pearls, was their perfection in shape and colour. I have never liked gold, I'm very much a silver girl, and these really speak to me.

I reckon a group of bridesmaids would look stunning wearing these with a satin grey simple gown. They'd look amazing!

This filigree stirling silver clasp really sets off these unusual dark blue pearls.

And then the colours available in dyed versions are endless. Usually dyed using potatoes, look out for red, black peacock and even navy blue pearls. Just as authentic as the natural peach, cream and grey shades, these pearls are arguably more modern, vibrant and open the door to some major custom options.

What colour would you go for?