I purchased this strand of pearls as a "little something" for my wife. At the time they were marked down from $95 to $35. I read all the reviews first and decided to purchase the pearls despite some negative opinions.

First let me say for $35 I wasn't expecting Tahitian black pearls like my mother paid beau coup bucks for years ago. I figured they might be cheap looking  or fall apart at the slightest tug. So far I was wrong. My wife LOVES the necklace! She wears it with jeans and casual tops.. she wears it to work with black slacks and button down blouse. It is a versatile piece of jewelry.

The necklace came in a little velvet pouch for storing while not wearing. Very important to use the pouch too.

I would call the color closer to peacock graphite than black but nonetheless eye-catching. The pearls have a very nice luster. They are all uniform in size AND shape relative to each other. The clasp is stamped with a 925 telling me it's silver and not plate. The string job itself seems to be quality. It's double knotted on silk; that is usually how the higher priced [quality] pearls are strung. I read a couple reviews alluding to the "kinked" appearance their strands had. My strand had a mildly kinked appearance but after a week around my wife's neck it's worked all the "kinks" out. If you purchase this I would expect the same. My wife has some "expensive" jewelery as well as costume pieces. This necklace she can wear everyday and it does NOT look like costume jewelery... but at the same time if anything happens to it.. it wasn't and arm or leg. I think any female would love this set of pearls unless maybe she already owns a Tiffany's worth jewels. Thanks for reading!

SPO

***UPDATE 11/20/2012***
These pearls have held up wonderfully. My wife wears them almost everyday to work. They look great, have "broken in" nicely, and still have their original luster. I would buy them all over again. Well worth the money, hence I am upgrading from 4 to 5 stars.

***UPDATE 1/11/2014***
My wife's pearl strand has held up better than I ever imagined. I occasionally inspect the knots through a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Loupe-Magnifier-10x-Triplet-Folding-Loupe-Magnifier-High-Quality-Imported-BelOMO-Lens-10x21mm-with-17mm-viewing-area/dp/B0002OVC9W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Loupe Magnifier - 10x Triplet Folding Loupe Magnifier - High Quality Imported BelOMO Lens (10x21mm with 17mm viewing area)</a>&nbsp;and they look great. Do not worry about some reviewers comments stating the necklace is "kinked" or tight looking, because it's a sign of goo tight knotting and they broke in quickly. My wife still wears this necklace three or four days a week. I think this piece would still be a decent value at around the $50 mark. I mean how many pieces of jewelry can you pay less than $100 for these days that will still make a statement? Thanks again.

*****UPDATE 12/28/2016*****
OK folks.... the silk strand is finally showing some signs of fraying in one spot. It is close to breaking, so my wife has stopped wearing them until we get them re-strung. She wore this necklace 4-5 times a week for years, and it held up great!