Pearls come in eight basic shapes – round, semi – round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque, and circled – with perfectly round the rarest and most valuable.
Each shape has its own unique application:
- semi-round are used in necklaces or in pieces where the shape of the pearl can be disguised to look like a perfectly round pearl
- button pearls are like a slightly flattened round pearl and can also be used in necklaces, but are more often utilized in single pendants or earrings where the back half of the pearl is covered, making it look like a larger, rounder pearl
- drop and pear-shaped pearls are sometimes referred to as teardrop pearls and are most often seen in earrings, pendants, or as a centre pearl in a necklace
- baroque pearls have a different appeal often highly irregular with unique and interesting shapes, they are commonly seen in necklaces
- circled pearls are characterized by concentric ridges, or rings, around the body of the pearl aside from shape