If there's one staple in jewelry for formal evening affairs, it has to be pearls.

If you ask me, one pearl just looks like the others. Some are shinier than others or bigger than most, but they look the same to me. As it turns out, there are different classes of pearls as well. For my wife's birthday, I set out to buy her a nice pearl necklace and was confronted by a host of different choices. Since I'm one of those careful shoppers who love to compare, I went to different jewelry shops asking everything I could from the type of pearls available to how much they are worth. I got different answers from different places, except when I asked one thing. To the question, “what's the best kind of pearl that you have?” Most of the time, the answer always was ‘Mikimoto pearls'.

After doing some quick research on the internet, I realized that Mikimoto pearl necklaces are the top of the line as far as these little round cultured wonders go. They will make any woman's face light up and smile. I was really impressed when they placed the Mikimoto pearls right beside the other types of pearls. The contrast was simply stunning. The Mikimoto pearls just seem shinier and fuller, more solid looking. And when you touch them, their texture seems smoother and firmer to the touch. I'm already anticipating my wife's face when I give the pearls.

There was one problem that dawned on me, though. I wondered, if I got my wife a Mikimoto pearl necklace this year, what would I get her next year? Of course, I will have to top this year's gift, wouldn't I? They're a pretty hard act to follow. And all of a sudden, I knew what to do. On her next birthday, I'll just get her a Mikimoto pearl bracelet and earrings. Problem solved.