This grey pearl necklace is one strand of round Akoya pearls, all of them 8 mm, strung one after another to a length of 46 cm. There is no pendant and no spacer bead on it, only pearls of one size from end to end, which is what makes it a classic pearl necklace. On the model, in low warm sunlight, the pearls show a silvery grey with a soft sheen. On the white background of the first photo the same strand looks paler, because the studio light there is bright and even.

Akoya pearls grow in the Akoya oyster, a sea mollusk, which makes this an Akoya saltwater pearl necklace. Every bead on it formed inside an oyster on a pearl farm, and that is what cultured means. People often ask whether grey pearls are real, and these are. It is a real pearl necklace and a genuine pearl necklace, strung only with pearls an oyster made, and there are no coated glass or shell beads among them.

The pearls are graded AAA, the highest mark on the A to AAA scale, which stands for strong luster and a clean surface. That makes it an Akoya AAA pearl necklace, and for a buyer comparing strands by size and grade, it is a high quality pearl necklace at 8 mm. Because every pearl is round and the same size, this round pearl necklace lies as an even line of beads with no gaps or steps in it.

At 46 cm, about 18 inches, it is a princess length necklace. As an 18 inch pearl necklace it sits close to the neck. On the model it lies around the base of the neck, above the collarbone, and frames an off-shoulder neckline; over a crew neck or an open collar it falls in the same place. The whole Akoya pearl strand necklace weighs 49.9 grams, so you feel it on the neck without it being heavy. It is the familiar string of pearls necklace, made by hand in our workshop.

Pearl is the June birthstone, so this is a June birthstone necklace and a pearl birthstone necklace for anyone born that month. Pearl is also the traditional gift for the 30th wedding anniversary, known as the pearl anniversary, so as a 30th anniversary pearl necklace it is a pearl necklace for your wife that matches the name of the occasion.