I actually like colored gemstones as well, not just pearls.
Pearls, however, have a different look from any other gem. Their luster draws you in. They change with the lighting, so you want to look at them again and again.
As jewelry, their look is classic, never out of fashion, never wrong for the situation. They are ageless-- never inappropriate, however young the wearer.
They have a long history of desirability, as ready-made gems that didn't need cutting to show their beauty. So their place in history is a lure.
It used to be that only royalty and the very wealthy could own pearls, and the rest only dream of them. It's not really so long ago that people of ordinary means could afford them-- culturing is what made that possible. Much more recently, the improved culturing techniques of the Chinese made high quality round pearls affordable to many who would not have had the money to spend on a similar strand of akoyas.
Furthermore, the Internet has made pearls so much more accessible, as well as spreading the knowledge (as Pearl-Guide does.) We are no longer limited to the poor selection, high prices (and the unfortunately often-ignorant salespeople) of local shops. All of this makes buying pearls fun, interesting and affordable.
Seriously, what's not to love?
