Buying Guide

Choosing A Necklace

Choosing A Necklace

Winterson offers a unique selection of beautiful pearl, diamond and gemstone necklaces and pendants. Our guide below to choosing a necklace features some of the questions that our customers ask most often.

What size of pearl should I choose?
Smaller pearls with diameters up to 9 mm typically make more discreet and classic jewellery, whilst larger pearls above 9 mm tend to be more eye-catching and luxurious. As pearls increase in size above 10mm diameter, their rarity and price increases.

What is the best necklace length to order?
If you are choosing a gift, the 45cm princess length necklace is the most popular length of necklace at Winterson, fitting most necklines and outfits. The different possible lengths of necklace are:

Necklace Length Length Description
Collar 30-33cm Should sit snugly around the neck, typically worn as evening or bridal jewellery. Can be matched with a multi-strand bracelet.
Choker 35-42cm Often made with slightly larger pearls more than 9mm in diameter, lies just over the collarbone complementing the neckline.
Princess 43-49cm The classic and most popular length for a pearl necklace, lies about two centimetres below the collarbone. An everyday necklace that is incredibly versatile, suitable for pearls of all sizes, shapes and colours.
Opera 65-90cm The extra length over the princess necklace gives the opera length a more casual and modern style. As a single strand it lies about halfway towards the waist or, if looped over the head, it can resemble a pearl choker.
Sautoir 95cm or more Worn as a single strand, the pearl sautoir can reach the waist and has a style reminiscent of the 1920s. Can be looped around the neck up to two or three times or worn knotted at the front.

May a necklace's length be changed after it has been ordered?
Yes, the length of many of the pearl necklaces at Winterson can be easily changed.

Depending on the work required, we would suggest that you should allow up to 5-10 days for us to restring a necklace. Please read our guide to our Restringing services for further information.

What is the best type of clasp to wear?
Although not the centerpiece of a necklace, a clasp is still an important aspect to consider when buying a pearl necklace. A good clasp will be secure and robust, whereas a difficult clasp can be awkward to attach and remove.

The lobster clasp, ball clasp and spring ring clasps are most commonly used with strands of pearls.  The ball clasp matches the shape and symmetry of a pearl, whilst the lobster clasp is a little easier to use.

Which clasps are available to order with a necklace?
Most of our necklaces are available with a choice of 18 carat white or yellow gold clasp, with 18 carat rose gold available as a bespoke order. Some of our most popular necklaces are also available with sterling silver clasps.

We also offer a number of different gold and diamond clasps, in round and oval shapes. If you are interested in a particular type or size of clasp, please Contact Us for further information.

How often should pearls be restrung?
We recommend that you consider restringing your pearls on a regular basis, perhaps every 18 months to two years.

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