Ok you guys asked so here’s the full review of these pearl stud earrings from Quince. So let me start off by saying I’m no pearl expert though my mother once worked for Pearl Factory in Hawaii (those shops where you can choose an oyster and they can make jewelry for you from whatever pearl the oyster has inside—I’ve done it once and it’s gimmicky but fun). So I defer to my mom when it comes to the quality of pearls (and I learned a trick from her: if you’re not sure if a pearl is real or plastic you can kind of glide it against your teeth and it should feel gritty not smooth—but don’t do it a lot because it can damage a real pearl). Anyway I have some pearl jewelry handed down to me from my grandmothers and mom, but no pearl earrings. So when I saw these for $99 at Quince I wanted to give them a try (I’ve tried jewelry from Quince in the past and though their quality was pretty good). And I have to say the quality of the pearl earrings were better than expected.
First off, I really like the size of these pearls (they’re 6mm). I’m not a fan of big pearl earrings and I thought the size they chose was just right. Not huge but also not too dainty. The 14k post is great since it doesn’t irritate my sensitive ears and the earring backing was not hard to take off and on (I hate it when it’s hard to take an earring off). The luster of the pearl is more of a blue/light gray and not pink which I like. And there’s enough shine that you can see your reflection (a sign of a good pearl). TBH their photos of these pearls on their website do not do them justice. On the whole I think this is a pretty good quality pearl (though not top of the line of course).
According to their website these are ethically made in India though they provide no further info. So I asked for more. These are the details they gave me about their jewelry factory in India: “We work with a bespoke jewelry factory [in India], meaning each piece is produced one by one using molds in which they pour the hot liquids into, let cool, and then emboss into the final product… All of our factories are compliant with ILO standards, paying fair living wages, and working conditions. We work with world-class factories that are supplying products to the top brands in the US and EU. The factories are subject to many audits during the course of the year to ensure compliance… Our pearls are ethically sourced and imported from Hong Kong. The pearls we use have a natural color, which is a factor dependent on firstly the oysters, and secondly the nature of the waters (ours being fresh waters) they are harvested in. Unless subjected to corrosion by chemicals, extreme temperatures and so on, no changes will occur in the color, quality & texture of the pearls.” I love it when a brand actually get back to me when I ask for more details. Thanks Quince!
But my only negative thing to say about them is the way Quince delivered them. They were in a felt bag inside a thin plastic mailer, and I could feel the pearls through the mailer (which means if it was under a heavy box they could have possibly been damaged). I think the they having at least used a bubble mailer or some bubble wrap (or tissue paper) would guarantee they would be delivered safely. But I inspected the earrings closely when I got them and luckily they were fine. [Feb 2021 edit: Since I wrote this post, I purchased another pair of pearl earrings for a giveaway and this time they mailed it in a box with some paper stuffing. I’m glad they have changed their shipment packaging and now I can say there are no negatives about these earrings lol.]
Anyway these are currently sold out, but you can put your name on their waitlist. I think if you’ve been looking for good quality pearl earrings made with 14k gold posts then these are a great deal. And you can read all my other Quince reviews here.
[November 2024 Update: I see now that they have a smaller 4mm pearl earring for $59.90 and the 6mm size is now $79.90. Honestly that’s an unbeatable value. I’m tempted to get the 4mm ones now since I tend to gravitate towards daintier jewelry. Quince also has a large selection of pearl earrings, and not just studs. If you need any pearl jewelry Quince is the way to go. Also all my Quince jewelry reviews are now collated to one post here.]