Dont bother trying to get white gold pearl earrings! The shape of the pearl is a bit squished oval but it still looks great from the front and I go swim in these all the time and the needle is just fine :) The only thing is that the needle is a bit longer than normal earrings so i find myself having to tighten it often so the earring won't fall off. But it's not that dramatic and does the job. Love them