I, like thousands of other Americans last night, was glued to my television set. The second round of the Republican candidates for President debate was airing, and like the first debate, I planned to watch it. You may be wondering how this ties into jewelry. I'm getting there.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, currently serving the 6th District of Minnesota, is one of the top contenders entering the 2012 Presidential Race. No matter whether you're a fan of her political beliefs or not, you'd be hard pressed to not admit that the woman is always impeccably dressed and accessorized. I took one look at her standing at the podium, and instantly noticed her flattering pearl jewelry, especially the floating pearl necklace circling her neck.
I've seen many different pearl necklaces in my time. The particular pearl floating necklace that she was wearing, however, was a definite variation of what is also considered an illusion or tin cup necklace. The big difference between her necklace and a typical illusion necklace is that her pearls were floating on four gold chains of varying length. Each chain was nested perfectly below the next, creating a very cohesive, polished look. With an illusion pearl necklace, pearls are often strung on invisible, or clear, filament. The focus in that instance is the pearls.
With Michele's floating pearls necklace, the attention was still on the pearls, but with the added sparkle and shine of the gorgeous yellow gold. It elevated the style of the necklace from a typically casual style to an updated and sophisticated design.
The pearls used for her necklace weren't especially large. This also greatly appealed to me, because it enabled her to wear large pearl stud earrings without detracting from the elegant simplicity of the necklace. I would estimate the pearls in the necklace to be about 7mm, the perfect size to wear with her blouse and blazer ensemble.
The floating pearls which she wore were also different from a tin cup style necklace. With a tin cup pearl necklace, single pearls are usually spaced out evenly around the length of the necklace. Michele's necklace had more pearls which were unevenly scattered about each gold necklace. This gave the necklace more presence, both in pearls and gold.
I'm going to be on the lookout for this style of floating pearl necklaces. I don't have anything like that in my current collection. This kind of pearl necklace will transform basically any outfit or shirt from casual to cosmopolitan. I'm sure designers will (if they haven't already) created knock-offs in faux pearls and base metals, to allow the hardworking woman with little to spend on pricey jewelry the chance to look glamorous. This is an instant way to update and stylize your pearl necklace collection.
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