I'm not a big pearl person, I like sparkly jewelry.  If an outfit screamed 'pearls', costume were good enough. Looked the same to me! I purchased these as they were so affordable, mostly to see how cultured pearls differed to fake. I was pleasantly surprised by both their weight and how cold they felt! There is a soft deep luster to them I appreciate. While I still like 'shiny' , I will wear my very own pearls very happily indeed!