Not so long ago, a lot of people considered pearl jewelry to be a thing of the past, something that was to be found only about the necks of grandmothers and rich women with outdated fashion sense. But these ideas are changing fast. From the catwalk to the red carpet, the Sex and the City movie to the White House, classic pearls are making a comeback. It could be a result of retro fashion coming back in, or that a few of the most up to the minute fashion icons have taken their love for pearls public, but whatever has caused the trend pearls are definitely back with a vengeance.

Great news for anyone who was sick of so much ‘fake’ jewellery on the high street and wanting to go for something a bit more classic. But how can you be sure what you’re buying is the genuine article when there are so many imitation pearls out there? And surely pearls are a bit of an unnecessary expensive frivolity, particularly during a recession? Well in fact, with so many types of cultured pearls available to buy, you can pick up a genuine pearl necklace for a really quite reasonable price. You just need to know what sort of pearls you are looking for.

Real celebrity-style big saltwater pearls like those that Michelle Obama is often seen in will be pricey, but there are many varieties of pearl which don’t need to break the bank. Natural pearls cost many times more than cultured pearls, and are far more highly valued as they are much rarer. Cultured freshwater pearls are usually the cheapest variety, they are much more common as they are grown in pearl farms and they come in the largest selection of sizes and colours. Saltwater pearls take longer to grow, and are usually bigger and more regular in shape, and it is for this reason they are more sought after. It’s easy to tell real pearls from imitation ones as the fakes rarely have the same lustre or weight, and are smoother to the touch. Real pearls have a slightly rough texture to them, and perfectly round pearls are very rare, so a string of perfect spheres being sold cheaply is likely a fake!

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