Guy needs help: Advice on pearl earring size

[ike]

Hey so I'm just looking for some suggestions here, I'm trying to get my girlfriend pearl earrings for her birthday since she lost her favorite ones recently. I'm looking at getting pearl earrings from Tiffany & Co. since she loves that brand but I'm not sure whether to get the 8-9mm or 9-10mm pearls. I haven't seen them in person since the Tiffany & Co. stores are way out of my way so I was planning on ordering online.

She's about 5'10 so I thought that maybe I should go with the 9-10mm ones since I'm not sure how large her old ones were and she's tall. I could just ask but that would ruin the whole surprise so help is appreciated. They're round, white "cultured freshwater pearls".

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I found the following thread on another forum in which the poster put up photos of what her various sized pearls studs look like on her ears; maybe it will help:

http://betterthandiamond.com/discussion/ubbthreads.php/topics/493626/1

Consider the size of your girlfriend's earlobes as you decide.

Also how much she will be wearing them-- it's harder to use the phone with large studs, so she might save those for going out and prefer smaller ones (7-8mm) for every day.

 

[Sea Urchin]

That's a nice guide, Pearl Dreams. Nothing like being able to see how they look "on."

Ike, I would go with the 9.0-10.0 mm ones. I don't think there's that much difference but I think the larger earrings have more "wow" factor as a gift. Also, I do think larger pearls flatter larger/taller ladies more. That said, either would be fine, in my opinion.

 

[Dizzie]

Another factor to consider is that with the time, most ladies prefer larger earrrings, or pearls in general. That would mean that if you go with 9-10 mm it is more likely that your girlfriend would wear them for years.

However you might want to check that the butterflys (backs) are large enough, not sure whether Tiffany sells them with the normal or enforced ones. With the backs too small, earring tends not to sit so nicely on the earlobe, while larger earbacks solve this easily.

 

[pattye]

Ike, I'm adding my vote with your suggested 9-10mm size. Very versatile and wearable for all occasions.

 

[Naan]

If she has small ears 9 -10 will be too big for her
*Maybe I'm wrong, but I have small ears and my big earrings 9-10 look like mushrooms when I put them on

 

[Naan]

I once read that Europeans prefer shiny pearls and Americans prefer large pearls. Is this true? I'm not an American and not European It is difficult to advise the right size

 

[Daddys Little Pearl]

Can you snoop around in her jewelry to see the sizes of what she already owns, or the ones she wears the most often? That might give an idea in general as to what she would prefer in size. We all tend to be creatures of habit.

 

[wild onion]

I agree with Naan that ear size is important. I have a pair of 6-7mm studs, and they "fill out" my ear lobes in the same proportion as the 8-9 and 9.5mm ones do for the model in the helpful link Pearl Dreams posted above. I have larger Tahitian studs that I feel self-conscious about wearing when my hair is pulled back, because I feel like they stick out too much (and I have nice large backs for them). Mushrooms is right! Checking out what she gravitates toward is smart - does she like bold pieces, or are they more understated? Make sure about the return policy before you order, and if they're not exactly what she wants, you could always exchange them for another size.

 

[Dizzie]

Another option would be to consider dangles instead of studs (presuming your girlfriend wears dangles). Normally I only wear up to 7,5 mm studs, as I have tiny earlobes, but can wear easily up to 12 mm dangles.

BTW, funnily I would be perfectly fitting into Naan's theory

 

[LitGeek]

I am of average height, very thin, and have smaller lobes and I would definitely want the 9-10 mm.