If you're planning to buy pearl and diamond earrings either as a gift or as part of your jewelry collection, then you've made a great choice. This combination is not only valuable, it also has lasting beauty and elegance.

Know your pearls

If the pearl is the more dominant gem in your earrings, then be sure to pick a good quality one. Even if the diamond/s in your earrings is high quality, a bad pearl can ruin the whole look of your jewelry. Here are a few tips and info on pearls:

The pearl is the only gem that is produced by a live organism, namely mollusks and oysters. They are formed each time a foreign particle, like a grain of sand, enters the shell. The mollusk or oyster then reacts by treating it as an irritation and proceeds to coat it with nacre, a crystalline substance. It is the same substance that we find in the interior of the shell when we open it.

The foreign particle is continuously coated with layers upon layers of nacre until it grows in size. In the end, this foreign particle with the layers of nacre becomes a pearl. Natural pearls are formed this way and are more often shaped irregularly.

Cultured pearls are in no way inferior to natural pearls. They are still real pearls, except that their production involved a deliberate implanting of a foreign substance to stimulate a mollusk.

The value of a pearl depends on its quality: the size, shape, color, thickness of the nacre, luster and texture. Since pearls are naturally occurring gems and no two are alike, these factors can vary greatly.

Choosing your diamonds

There are four Cs to note when choosing a diamond. These are good to note especially if it is the more dominant or focal gem in your earring.

Cut ? involves two things: the shape of the diamond and the quality of the cut. Three of the most common are the brilliant cut, the princess cut and the emerald cut. The cut of the diamond will determine how brilliant its shine is and the more the cut brings out this quality, the higher the price. Of the three, the emerald cut is the most affordable.

Color ? since diamonds are a natural substance, they are not always crystal clear. They come in different colors ? yellow, pink and red, with the last two the more expensive.

Clarity ? refers to the number of imperfections found in your diamond. Imperfections or inclusions affect the way light is reflected by the stone, so the clearer the gem, the more expensive it is.

Carat ? refers to the size of the diamond with one carat equal to about 200 mgs. An honest diamond seller will have jewelry marked with ?ct? for carat or ?ctw/tcw? for total carat weight. When buying earrings with diamonds, look for the tcw. Earrings are bought in pairs and so they should have two diamonds of equal size.

How to care for your pearl and diamond earrings

Pearls and diamonds may look good together as components of an earring, but their contrasting characteristics can actually affect their care. Pearls are softer gems because they are organic while diamonds are the hardest gemstones in the world. Pearls can get easily scratched or damaged if you are not careful about their storage so the best thing to do is, tailor your care on the weaker gem which is the pearl.

It's not a good idea to store pearls with other hard jewelry. To keep your jewelry in good shape, try to store them in the box they were bought in. Each earring will have a separate hole where it can safely stay. This way, there is no danger of one of the diamonds scratching the pearl of the other earring.

Pearls can also get affected by hair spray, sweat, body oils, colognes and perfumes. If you're planning to put on your earrings, best apply cosmetics first. This way, you will minimize chemical contact with your pearls.