There is an expression that has been repeated many times on Pearl Guide over the years: "Pearl Shrinkage Syndrome". Basically, you get used to larger pearls and over time they seem smaller. This is exacerbated by the continual increase in the size of pearls on the market and by the fact that as some of us age, we get larger and the pearls stay the same.
Consider this photo from 2010, taken at the offices of PearlParadise.com. I remember resisting trying on this strand of South Sea pearls...