No, your pearl earrings don’t have to be perfectly matched to your necklace, but the overall look should feel intentional and balanced out in terms of color, size and lustrous glow. Traditionally, all pearls in a set are matched for pearl type, size, shape, color, luster and surface quality, creating a classically elegant style.

These days, there’s more flexibility in how you can wear your pearls, like pairing slightly smaller pearl earrings with your necklace, or dangle earrings that can add some movement and feminine romance to your look.

If you are going to mix and match your pearl earrings and necklace, then we recommend coordinating elements like color and luster first, so that the pearls appear balanced and the overall look appears intentional and polished.  

Traditionally, if you’re wearing a classic pearl necklace, then opting for pearl stud earrings is the “safest” and most versatile choice. This elegant pairing is timeless – you really can’t go wrong here - as the pearl studs will mirror the simple elegance and refined grace of the pearl necklace.

With pearl studs, we recommend staying within 1-2mm size of the pearl necklace to maintain a balanced, coordinated look that doesn’t unduly draw attention away from the necklace as it would if the pearls were too small or overly large.

Dangle pearl earrings or pearl hoops can be paired beautifully with a pearl necklace as well, adding a touch of movement and whimsy to your look. These pairings have a more modern appeal; a statement that veers away from the conventional and into a style that captures the eye when executed properly. If you’ve chosen dangle or hoop earrings, keep the necklace shorter – a choker or a princess length pearl necklace works perfectly here – and keep the pearl earrings close in size to your strand to maintain a balanced structure. Larger pearl dangle earrings can be carried off beautifully with larger Tahitian or South Sea necklaces, long opera-length strands and thicker double or triple-strand pearl necklaces as the weight of the pearls will counterbalance against the larger pearl drops.  

There are a few key tips to know when pairing pearl earrings to your necklace if the pearls are different in size. Proportion is everything.

The first rule of thumb is that your earrings should be as close as possible in size, or slightly smaller than your pearl necklace. For example, if you’re wearing a 8.0-8.5mm Akoya necklace, pearl earrings measuring 7.5-8.0mm or even 7.0-7.5mm will pair beautifully together, creating balance without competing for attention.

For larger pearl necklaces like Tahitians or South Sea pearls over 11.0mm, opt for pearl earrings a millimeter or two smaller than your necklace; that way your luxurious pearl necklace remains the star of the show and the overall look remains refined rather than overpowering.

Another expert tip we tell our customers is to try and match the luster of the pearls as closely as possible. Luster is the most important attribute when grading pearls; high levels of luster will help the pearls appear brighter and larger than their measurements actually are, so if you wear a pair of Hanadama Akoya pearl earrings with a softer luster Freshwater strand, or a lower-quality Akoya pearl necklace with satiny or chalky luster, it will be noticed and the mis-match will stand out more.

As always, you want to create a cohesive, polished and well-balanced look with your pearl jewelry. Keeping these few expert tips in mind will help when trying to match pearls at home.