Every woman should own a pearl necklace.  In fact, every woman should own several pearl necklaces.  Pearl necklaces come in a wide variety of styles so there is one for every woman and every occasion.  Today, pearls are also available in many colors and pink pearls have become one of the most popular choices for jewelry.  But which type of pink pearl necklace should you choose?

A pearl necklace is described by the length and by the size of the pearls.  Over the years, various standard lengths have been named and they are traditionally worn in different contexts.  Broadly, pearl necklaces can be divided into short, medium and long lengths.

Short pearl necklaces are very popular as they are affordable and can be worn with both casual and formal outfits.  The two types of short necklace or the collar and the choker both of which fit snugly around the neck.  Collars can be as short as 10 inches while chokers are usually between 14 and 16 inches.

Medium length pearl necklaces are the princess style, usually between 17 iand 19 inches long, and the matinee style, usually from 20 to 24 inches long.  These necklaces will hang from below the neck to above the breasts.  These lengths go well in formal situations and can be worn with business wear but they can also work with some casual outfits.

The long length pearl necklaces are most often worn in formal contexts and are traditionally worn as evening wear.  They are the opera style and the pearl rope.  The opera will range from 25 to 34 inches and the rope is any pearl necklace over 45 inches long.  Both styles can be doubled over to create shorter multi-strand necklaces.

Pearl necklaces are also graded by the size of the pearls relative to each other.  The most common style is referred to as uniform and this is a string of pearls of the same size.  There is also a graduated style where the pearls on the string get larger towards the center so that when the necklace is worn the largest pearl is hanging down at the front of the necklace.

Necklaces are also measured by the size, quality and color of the pearls.  As with all with jewelry, the bigger, better and more unique the pearls, the more the necklace will cost.  However, as farmed pearls have made pearl jewelry more affordable, there is no reason why a woman should not have a selection of pearl necklaces for different occasions in her jewelry box.  For more information on essential pearl necklaces and pink pearls visit Think Pink Pearls, the pink pearl site.