My love affair with pearls began many years ago when my husband bought a pair of gorgeous pearl earrings for our fifth wedding anniversary. I had never worn pearls and never thought I would enjoy owning any. My opinion of pearls at the time was that they were a step down from the diamonds and gold that most of us are accustomed to, and I likened them to gaudy costume jewelry baubles or southwestern turquoise jewelry that I still wouldn't be caught dead in.

That all changed with my first pearls, and ever since, I've been a pearl devotee. At that time, I had already amassed a fairly nice collection of yellow and white gold jewelry, from rings and necklaces to bracelets and earrings. I had diamond earrings and rings, ruby pendants, emerald rings and quite a bit of silver jewelry as well. I remember wearing the pearls on the night they were given, and the next day made a place for them within my jewelry collection. In the back of my mind, I had already designated them for permanent placement and thought they would rarely see the light of day again.

Pearls are beautiful on their own, but when placed next to other types of jewelry, one quickly realizes what makes them so unique. Pearls have an understated beauty that I can only describe as rich and deep. A diamond will reflect light and occasionally, the colors surrounding the room. Gold's beauty is almost lost once it's polished, as the inflections of what makes it gold disappear into a shiny haze. Pearls, on the other hand, have beauty from within. There is a depth to the reflection of a pearl, and an iridescence that sets pearls apart from everything else.

Since then, I've made it a point to ask for and purchase pearl jewelry, and I find that wearing pearls imparts an intelligence to my wardrobe that simply wasn't there before. I prefer the understated beauty of pearls to the other options at my disposal. Best of all, pearls can go with almost anything, and when I'm getting dressed, they almost always do.