I was looking for a nice and affordable princess-length black freshwater pearl strand to add some polish to my everyday wardrobe, and this fits the bill perfectly. For potato pearls, these are surprisingly round, even and lustrous. Imperfections - comprising striated surfaces and the occasional dimple - are subtle. Most of the pearls are a dark purple-grey, with the rest having a green tinge, making this necklace a perfect accessory for cool- and neutral-toned outfits. The stringing and clasp are sturdy, and the whole thing is pleasantly weighty.

What it does lack is certification of authenticity and care instructions. This isn't a dealbreaker as it's hardly an investment or heirloom piece, though it would have been a nice touch.

All in all, I must say that compared to my Banana Republic freshwater pearl necklace that cost over twice as much (and didn't come with documents either), this one wins hands down.

In addition, it comes in a small black velvety pouch lying in a flat little dark blue box, making it easy to gift (and I think that any girl would be pleased to receive such a pretty present).

Update (11th Nov 2011): I later bought the 18-inch champagne pearl necklace. The pearls on this one are nice too - quite clean, lustrous and egg-shaped, and strung along the shorter axis to give a rounder appearance. The stringing, knotting and clasp are perfectly decent. However, I would give this necklace only 4 stars if I could (Amazon doesn't allow multiple reviews to be written by the same person for the same listing) because of the dye job, which left brown stains around the drill holes and some flaws in the pearls, and somehow left their surfaces a little rougher to touch than expected. The colour is nowhere as light and fresh as in the picture, being a heavier, duskier gold. Still, it is a pretty colour that goes well with warm- and green-toned outfits, and I am happy with my purchase.