The whole reason I got my ears pierced was because I saw Merrill Streep wearing akoya studs back in 1978 and I thought, "I want to look like that."
I still have those studs but never wear them. I cheaped out, and I wish I hadn't. They're not very good pearls, in hindsight, but I thought all pearls were the same back then.
I keep toying with the idea of buying some new Hanadamas or Tahitians, but I love drops.