14K Gold Pearl Cascade Stud Earrings - Rice Pearl Crescent

Pearl Cascade Earrings - A Crescent of Rice Pearls in Gold

Ten small freshwater pearls to the pair, each about 3.2 x 7mm in the elongated shape the trade calls rice, threaded into a shallow curve that follows the line of the lobe. Four small gold-toned beads sit between them for spacing and warmth. The pearls are white with a soft natural lustre and no two are quite the same width, which is what gives the arc its slightly uneven, hand-strung look. The pair weighs 1.9 grams in total, on 14k solid gold posts with push-back fittings.

Rice pearls are the honest end of the pearl world. They form in freshwater mussels without a bead nucleus, so they grow into whatever shape the tissue gives them - elongated, faintly ridged, never perfectly round - and because they are not round they have always been a fraction of the price of a matched sphere. What they give you instead is line. Ten of them curved along a lobe make a shape a round pearl cannot, and at under a gram an earring you feel nothing at all.

FAQs

1. What is a rice pearl?
A freshwater pearl grown without a bead at its centre, so it forms into an elongated grain shape rather than a sphere. All nacre, no core - just not round, which is why it costs a fraction of a matched round pearl.

2. Is the whole earring solid gold?
No, and we say so plainly. The posts and findings are solid 14k gold; the four small accent beads are gold-plated. The design is a strung one, so the metal is doing less work here than in a cast piece.

3. How big are they on the ear?
Small and close-fitting. The arc curves along the lobe rather than hanging below it, so they read as a line of light rather than as a drop.

4. Are they light?
Very - 1.9 grams for the pair including the pearls, so under a gram each. These are the pair you forget you have on.

5. How do I care for them?
Gently, and drier than you would treat gold alone. Put them on after perfume and hairspray, wipe with a soft dry or barely damp cloth, and never soak them or use an ultrasonic cleaner - both are bad for pearls and shorten the life of plating. Store in a soft pouch. For the gold posts, our Gold Care Card applies.

How to Style the Pearl Cascade Studs

A close-set curve suits a second piercing above it and looks right with hair tied back, where the line of the arc is visible. Wear them with plain colours and let the shape do the work. Explore the full 14k and 18k Gold collection, browse more Earrings, or visit JewelBuild™.