Shine Bright: A Complete Guide To Styling Pearls On Your D-day

It’s your wedding day and everything has to look picture perfect. The venue has to be gorgeous, everyone has to be having a gala time and of course your outfit needs to be on point. To make that bridal outfit look stunning though, you need to style it with the most magnificent jewelry. There are obviously lots of options for Indian wear including kundan, diamonds, emeralds, rubies and so many more but what we find is classic and goes with both traditional as well as contemporary looks is pearl jewelry for wedding day. 

So if stunning pearl jewelry design is what you’re looking for, then we’ve got all the details for you.

When looking at the types of pearls you may have noticed that each pearl differs slightly in tones of white and that many of them come in different colours like pink, grey, blue etc too. There are many different types of pearls and we’ve got the main categories for you here:

• Akoya Pearls
• Freshwater Pearls
• Tahitian Pearls
• South Sea Pearls

Akoya pearls are fairly small Japanese pearls with an off-white shade or clear white colour. For over a hundred years, Akoya pearls grown off the coast of Japan have been the classic pearl choice. When one pictures a string of round, white pearls, they are usually thinking of Akoya. Although rare baroque shapes and natural colours like silver-blue and gold do exist, Akoya pearls are best known for their perfectly round shape and sharp, reflective lustre. Most Akoya pearls produced today range in sizes from 4 to 10 mm, while there are obviously some exceptions. These are the most commonly used and bought pearls and are also versatile in terms of colour to be paired with multiple things. 

The most affordable pearls sold today are freshwater pearls which are known for baroque shapes, white and pastel body colours and softer lustre than Akoya. This is except in the case of rare metallics. The colour range is mostly natural and pastel colours that range from perfectly round to free form baroque freshwater pearls and are also the most in terms of variety. There are loads of types and colours and hence are the best if you don’t want to go with traditional-looking pearls. The most common size that they’re found in is 5 mm to 12 mm but recent findings have led to the development of round and baroque pearls as big as 20 mm. Woah! Affordable and fashion-forward these unique shapes and combinations of colours, these freshwater pearls offer the best variety.

South Sea pearls were produced in the Philippines, Austria and Indonesia. They’re really large in size naturally and range from 9 mm to 20 mm. They come in three types of pearl colours including white, gold or cream. They are collected from the oyster Pinctada maxima.

Despite what the name suggests, Tahitian pearls don’t only come from Tahiti. They’re grown throughout many of the Polynesian islands. Their size generally ranges from 8 mm to 16 mm. When naturally coloured, they come in the shades of blue, purple, green, and grey but they are collectively known as black pearls. The Tahitian pearls come from the black lip oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. They are often considered the most eye-catching and striking. They are also the most sought after pearls in the market so if you get your hands on them you should totes go for them. Even though they’re called black pearls, their colours range from silver-white to jet black. They also come in other colours like peacock and green, gorgeous right?! If you wanna go for a really stylish look then these are the ones you should go for.

Real brides have loads of options for their wedding jewelry but pearls are a great option. While most go for diamonds or kundans, the thing with pearl jewelry designs is that it makes the look more fashionable and contemporary. Also, pearl jewelry designs aren’t usually as heavy as other bridal pieces so they can be re-worn with other outfits more easily. Here are some of the recommendations of pearl jewelry for brides that are inspired by super gorgeous real brides.

This bride layered up an elaborate pearl necklace set with a gold and polki choker. Instead of leaving it to just the pearls, she chose smaller stones and a kundan and emerald centre piece to add some colour to the look. She went for an all-gold ensemble so the white and green gave a great contrast to her wedding day outfit.

This bride wore a beautiful string of pearls along with her bridal jewelry. Mix and matching gold with cream-toned gold pearls added some symmetry and the layers added a fun mixed with subtle pearl jewelry design. If you don’t want to go for the hackneyed kundan for your D-day, then this is something to try.

This bride chose to just wear a single pearl necklace for her reception and wow, what effortless beauty with such a simple pearl jewelry design. The outfit was extravagant as was the makeup so she chose to keep her jewelry to a minimum. She paired it with pearl earrings and looked absolutely bewitching.

This bride layered her neckpieces for a full-on bridal look. She wore a white saree along with a dupatta for her wedding so wanted the jewelry to be the prime focus. She chose an oxidized gold choker and necklace and used pristine white pearls to tie in her outfit and jewelry together. She chose to wear green bangles to add some colour to the look.

This bride paired her pearl necklace set with gold detailing. She used tiny pearls so that it gives a fuller and more intricate look. She even put on a gold and emerald choker and along with the bright yellow saree looked as bright as sunshine.

Absolutely love how this bride has paired her pearl jewelry with gold creating a beautiful colourful look. Her lehenga is purple and pink detailed and the neckpieces also align with those colours. The pearls are a gorgeous lilac colour and are so striking to the eye. Sure shot, this is the perfect pearl jewelry for brides.

If you want to include pearls in your bridal jewelry but don’t want to wear a bridal necklace then going for a traditional pearl nath is also something that you can do. Bold and makes a statement, this one is for the brides who want to take a more conventional route with their shaadi outfit.

This is another unique way of styling the pearl jewelry design that doesn’t look overdone. It looks classic and has that elegant charm to it. This bride used pearls as a hair accessory and tied it up with her gajra. Solid gold jewelry along with this pearl jewelry set for wedding day looks beautiful!

This seven-string necklace is very popular amongst brides these days as it should be... It looks beautiful. A layered pearl necklace along with green stones adds some colour to the bridal look. Along with a kundan necklace, this is great for the wedding day.

Now that we know the perfect recommendations of pearl jewelry for brides. Let’s introduce you to tips to style pearl jewelry for bridesmaids and other wedding guests, for whom wearing pearls is an easier solution. We understand, you don’t want to look over the top but you also want to be dressed for the occasion. So here are the styling tips to adorn pearl jewelry for bridesmaid the right way:

1. A single drop necklace: A gold chain necklace along with a single pearl looks more classy than you can imagine. If you’re wearing a boatneck or a deep V blouse where your decolletage is visible, this pearl sits just right.
2. A single pearl string: A single string pearl jewelry for bridesmaid is a good to go. It looks elegant and goes best with sarees. Pair an organza saree or a chiffon or georgette one for a day wedding and put on a matching pearl necklace and earrings. You can experiment with pearl colours or go for the classic white one that will go with everything.
3. Reuse your wedding pearl jewelry: If you wore a pearl necklace on any of the functions at your wedding, you can chuck the choker and kundan set you wore it with and just pull it off as is. This you can wear with a sharara set or a floor-length anarkali if you still want to keep it understated.
4. Hair accessories: If a necklace isn’t something you want to opt for then going in for pretty hair accessories is something you can consider. There are beautiful pearl hair combs available and even a maangtika with pearl detailing is something that looks stunning with Indian wear.
5. Statement bangles: These with pearl drop detailing will go with every Indian outfit that you wear. They look great with sarees and lehengas alike and also add that dainty, pretty look to the ensemble.

So ladies, let's get going!

Featured Image: Priyanka Kamboj Chopra Instagram, The Wedding Salad Instagram