Chanel Pearls Review – The real gem of costume jewellery | Unwrapped

Coco Chanel revolutionised the costume jewellery industry introducing the concept of faux pearls and making them fashionable in times when fake jewellery was still considered an inferior substitute to the real gems. To this day, Chanel pearls continue to capture imagination of many fashionistas who can choose from a multitude of designs including long and short strings, single or multiple rows, as well as bold and demure designs which can be selected to suit individual style.

While I have always admired the elegance of Chanel pearls and secretly longed for them, for a long time the pragmatic side of me could not rationalise spending that amount of money on faux pearls. Realising that the Chanel piece was equal in value or even exceeded the price of genuine pearls, the decision to commit to a purchase seemed utterly illogical. However, endlessly taunted by the sight of other women proudly wearing their Chanel pearls, the jealously took better of me and, eventually, I caved in.  

But that was not the end of it. Once I finally made the decision to buy the first string of Chanel pearls, the next step was to select the right ones. What I was not expecting was the sheer volume of style choices. Chanel website only features the seasonal options so for anyone thinking of their first strand, I would strongly recommend visiting the local boutique to view the available offer rather than being guided by what is presented by the store online.

Also, be prepared to be surprised. Although my mind was firmly set on buying the long strand first, yet I left the shop with the short, double row version. It is only when you start trying them on, you will be able to find your ultimate style match and it may not be what you have envisaged. Unsurprisingly, sometime later I also bought the longer strand, as I just could not resist them.

I suspect there may be many others who are going through similar motions mulling over whether to invest in the first strand of Chanel faux pearls. This is why I wanted to write this review which, hopefully, will be constructive to anyone who is thinking of the purchase but would like to have a better understanding of the pros and cons of this fabulous costume jewellery.