Is there such a thing as PSS?

[diamondyes]

I am planning some studs and am wondering if I should go for the size that suits my earlobe, kind of a balanced fit for my tiny lobes, or if I should go for the biggest size they doesn’t look ridiculous on me. Is pearl shrinking syndrome a thing? Have you had it??

I bought tester sizes from 7-14mm. I’m thinking around 8-10 works on me, 8 looking demure and balanced and 10 looking a little more regal and almost overwhelming my love but not quite. Any thoughts?

 

[pearlsngems]

Since you have tiny lobes, go for the size that you feel flatters you. If you ever decide to go larger, you can always buy more studs!

And yes, PSS is definitely a thing. I used to think 8mm was the biggest size I would like wearing as studs, but now my sweet spot for studs is 10-11mm. But I have large ear lobes.

 

[Rhd3]

I prefer a balanced look but it's really up to you! Are these meant to be daily wear? If so, I'd take that into consideration as far as comfort. I don't know what you're using for testers but they might be lighter than the cultured pearls you buy. Personally, 8 mm is my maximum for daily comfort.

 

[diamondyes]

I prefer a balanced look but it's really up to you! Are these meant to be daily wear? If so, I'd take that into consideration as far as comfort. I don't know what you're using for testers but they might be lighter than the cultured pearls you buy. Personally, 8 mm is my maximum for daily comfort.

Yea thinking for daily wear. Ok thanks for your input! That’s helpful to know! My lobes are REALLY small.

 

[diamondyes]

Since you have tiny lobes, go for the size that you feel flatters you. If you ever decide to go larger, you can always buy more studs!

And yes, PSS is definitely a thing. I used to think 8mm was the biggest size I would like wearing as studs, but now my sweet spot for studs is 10-11mm. But I have large ear lobes.

Ok thank you! Do the 11mm go past the edge of your lower earlobe?

Hahaha I love that solution of always buying more if needed but I’m trying to buy one pair of pearl studs to rule them all!

 

[pearlsngems]

Ok thank you! Do the 11mm go past the edge of your lower earlobe?

Hahaha I love that solution of always buying more if needed but I’m trying to buy one pair of pearl studs to rule them all!

Hardly! Here are my 11mm Tahitian studs and my 10.8mm GSS studs:

 

[dk168]

Oh yes, PSS exists.

Good job I don't have many dressy occasions to wear my existing pearl necklaces, hence I am not planning to get a baroque WSS strand worthy of Wilma Flintstone.

A nicer strand of blue Tahitians is still on the card though, as I only have a strand of baroque ones.

DK

 

[diamondyes]

Hardly! Here are my 11mm Tahitian studs and my 10.8mm GSS studs:

Gorgeous!!! They look perfect on you and are kind of reinforcing my theory that the pearls should suit the earlobe they sit on.

Here is a weird cropped photo of my earlobe. I think this is a 7 or 8mm pearl.

 

[diamondyes]

Oh yes, PSS exists.

Good job I don't have many dressy occasions to wear my existing pearl necklaces, hence I am not planning to get a baroque WSS strand worthy of Wilma Flintstone.

A nicer strand of blue Tahitians is still on the card though, as I only have a strand of baroque ones.

DK

That’s a good reminder to me to think about where my daily life actually takes me!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I can assure you its a thing !
I would go up a size bigger than you think

 

[pearlsngems]

Gorgeous!!! They look perfect on you and are kind of reinforcing my theory that the pearls should suit the earlobe they sit on.

Here is a weird cropped photo of my earlobe. I think this is a 7 or 8mm pearl.

Whatever size that is, it looks good on you. I'd make sure of the size before buying your dream pair of studs, to be sure you don't buy a smaller pair than you intend. You wouldn't think there would be a huge difference between a 7 mm and 8mm pearl, but in fact an 8mm pearl is approximately 1.5 times the size of a 7mm pearl (49% larger.)

How so? It's because the pearls are spheres-- not flat circles as they appear in a photo. Therefore you can't go by the difference in diameter (7mm vs. 8mm) but by the difference in volume.
The formula for volume is: V= 4/3 π (r cubed)
I used 3.14 for π, which is close enough.

Volume of 7mm pearl is 180 cubic mm
Volume of 8mm pearl is 268 cubic mm
268 divided by 180 = 1.49, which means an 8mm pearl has 1.49 times the volume of a 7mm pearl. In other words, it's roughly one and a half times as large (and as heavy).

This information can be useful when deciding if the higher price of a larger pearl is worth it, and also if the heavier weight is going to be comfortable.

1mm pearl = 0.524 cmm
2mm pearl = 4.19 cmm (8x the size of a 1mm pearl)
3mm pearl = 14.14 cmm (28 times the size of a 1mm pearl. It is almost 3 and a half times the size of a 2mm pearl. (3.37x)
4mm pearl 33.51cmm (2.37 times the size of a 3mm pearl and 8 times (7.997) the size of a 2mm pearl.
5mm pearl 65.45 cmm (1.95x (nearly twice) the size of a 4mm pearl.)
6 mm pearl = 113 cubic mm (74% larger than a 5mm pearl)
7 mm pearl = 180 cubic mm (59% larger than a 6mm pearl)
8 mm pearl = 268 cubic mm (49% larger than a 7mm pearl)
9 mm pearl = 382 cubic mm (43% larger than 8mm; twice as large as a 7mm pearl)
10 mm pearl = 523 cubic mm (37% larger than 9mm, 95% larger than an 8mm pearl)
11 mm pearl = 697 cubic mm (33% larger than a 10mm pearl)
12 mm pearl = 904 cubic mm (30% larger than 11mm and 73% larger than 10mm; over 3 times as large as 8mm)
13 mm pearl = 1150 cubic mm (27% larger than a 12mm pearl)
14 mm pearl = 1436 cubic mm (25% larger than 13mm; twice as large as 11mm, and over 5x as large as 8mm pearls)
15 mm pearl = 1766 cubic mm (23% larger than a 14mm pearls)
16 mm pearl = 2144 cubic mm (21% larger than 15mm pearls and over 3 times as large as 11mm pearls.)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Whatever size that is, it looks good on you. I'd make sure of the size before buying your dream pair of studs, to be sure you don't buy a smaller pair than you intend. You wouldn't think there would be a huge difference between a 7 mm and 8mm pearl, but in fact an 8mm pearl is approximately 1.5 times the size of a 7mm pearl (49% larger.)

How so? It's because the pearls are spheres-- not flat circles as they appear in a photo. Therefore you can't go by the difference in diameter (7mm vs. 8mm) but by the difference in volume.
The formula for volume is: V= 4/3 π (r cubed)
I used 3.14 for π, which is close enough.

Volume of 7mm pearl is 180 cubic mm
Volume of 8mm pearl is 268 cubic mm
268 divided by 180 = 1.49, which means an 8mm pearl has 1.49 times the volume of a 7mm pearl. In other words, it's roughly one and a half times as large (and as heavy).

This information can be useful when deciding if the higher price of a larger pearl is worth it, and also if the heavier weight is going to be comfortable.

1mm pearl = 0.524 cmm
2mm pearl = 4.19 cmm (8x the size of a 1mm pearl)
3mm pearl = 14.14 cmm (28 times the size of a 1mm pearl. It is almost 3 and a half times the size of a 2mm pearl. (3.37x)
4mm pearl 33.51cmm (2.37 times the size of a 3mm pearl and 8 times (7.997) the size of a 2mm pearl.
5mm pearl 65.45 cmm (1.95x (nearly twice) the size of a 4mm pearl.)
6 mm pearl = 113 cubic mm (74% larger than a 5mm pearl)
7 mm pearl = 180 cubic mm (59% larger than a 6mm pearl)
8 mm pearl = 268 cubic mm (49% larger than a 7mm pearl)
9 mm pearl = 382 cubic mm (43% larger than 8mm; twice as large as a 7mm pearl)
10 mm pearl = 523 cubic mm (37% larger than 9mm, 95% larger than an 8mm pearl)
11 mm pearl = 697 cubic mm (33% larger than a 10mm pearl)
12 mm pearl = 904 cubic mm (30% larger than 11mm and 73% larger than 10mm; over 3 times as large as 8mm)
13 mm pearl = 1150 cubic mm (27% larger than a 12mm pearl)
14 mm pearl = 1436 cubic mm (25% larger than 13mm; twice as large as 11mm, and over 5x as large as 8mm pearls)
15 mm pearl = 1766 cubic mm (23% larger than a 14mm pearls)
16 mm pearl = 2144 cubic mm (21% larger than 15mm pearls and over 3 times as large as 11mm pearls.)

I need tp bookmark your post for future reference
Although after reading it just now i need a cup of tea and a lie down

 

[diamondyes]

Whatever size that is, it looks good on you. I'd make sure of the size before buying your dream pair of studs, to be sure you don't buy a smaller pair than you intend. You wouldn't think there would be a huge difference between a 7 mm and 8mm pearl, but in fact an 8mm pearl is approximately 1.5 times the size of a 7mm pearl (49% larger.)

How so? It's because the pearls are spheres-- not flat circles as they appear in a photo. Therefore you can't go by the difference in diameter (7mm vs. 8mm) but by the difference in volume.
The formula for volume is: V= 4/3 π (r cubed)
I used 3.14 for π, which is close enough.

Volume of 7mm pearl is 180 cubic mm
Volume of 8mm pearl is 268 cubic mm
268 divided by 180 = 1.49, which means an 8mm pearl has 1.49 times the volume of a 7mm pearl. In other words, it's roughly one and a half times as large (and as heavy).

This information can be useful when deciding if the higher price of a larger pearl is worth it, and also if the heavier weight is going to be comfortable.

1mm pearl = 0.524 cmm
2mm pearl = 4.19 cmm (8x the size of a 1mm pearl)
3mm pearl = 14.14 cmm (28 times the size of a 1mm pearl. It is almost 3 and a half times the size of a 2mm pearl. (3.37x)
4mm pearl 33.51cmm (2.37 times the size of a 3mm pearl and 8 times (7.997) the size of a 2mm pearl.
5mm pearl 65.45 cmm (1.95x (nearly twice) the size of a 4mm pearl.)
6 mm pearl = 113 cubic mm (74% larger than a 5mm pearl)
7 mm pearl = 180 cubic mm (59% larger than a 6mm pearl)
8 mm pearl = 268 cubic mm (49% larger than a 7mm pearl)
9 mm pearl = 382 cubic mm (43% larger than 8mm; twice as large as a 7mm pearl)
10 mm pearl = 523 cubic mm (37% larger than 9mm, 95% larger than an 8mm pearl)
11 mm pearl = 697 cubic mm (33% larger than a 10mm pearl)
12 mm pearl = 904 cubic mm (30% larger than 11mm and 73% larger than 10mm; over 3 times as large as 8mm)
13 mm pearl = 1150 cubic mm (27% larger than a 12mm pearl)
14 mm pearl = 1436 cubic mm (25% larger than 13mm; twice as large as 11mm, and over 5x as large as 8mm pearls)
15 mm pearl = 1766 cubic mm (23% larger than a 14mm pearls)
16 mm pearl = 2144 cubic mm (21% larger than 15mm pearls and over 3 times as large as 11mm pearls.)

This is amazing, thank you for taking the time to share this. I now see the folly of me asking for an 8 or 9mm pearl stud set… the difference is quite significant!

 

[yssie]

In-person I’m never looking at earrings relative to earlobe size - I only care about proportionality to face, stature, clothing style, etc. So TBH I wouldn’t even consider earlobe size, outside of what is and isn’t comfortable for you to wear! If there’s a size that you put on - and when you look in the mirror you smile because your outfit looks “complete” - that’s your size

 

[dk168]

The size of round pearl stud that I can wear on my big fat earlobes would make me look like a chameleon with stick-out eyes, and my already wide face even wider!

So I shall stick with 10mm maximum instead.

DK

 

[diamondyes]

In-person I’m never looking at earrings relative to earlobe size - I only care about proportionality to face, stature, clothing style, etc. So TBH I wouldn’t even consider earlobe size, outside of what is and isn’t comfortable for you to wear! If there’s a size that you put on - and when you look in the mirror you smile because your outfit looks “complete” - that’s your size

Oh that’s an interesting way to do it! I’m going to try that.

 

[diamondyes]

The size of round pearl stud that I can wear on my big fat earlobes would make me look like a chameleon with stick-out eyes, and my already wide face even wider!

So I shall stick with 10mm maximum instead.

DK

Haha! Ok! So it’s all about what looks good. Makes sense.

 

[dk168]

This is a photo I use as an example that I personally believe the earrings are too big on this person striking features, in that when I look at the picture, my eyes are always drawn to her earrings first! Hope this makes sense.



DK

 

[icy_jade]

I am planning some studs and am wondering if I should go for the size that suits my earlobe, kind of a balanced fit for my tiny lobes, or if I should go for the biggest size they doesn’t look ridiculous on me. Is pearl shrinking syndrome a thing? Have you had it??

I bought tester sizes from 7-14mm. I’m thinking around 8-10 works on me, 8 looking demure and balanced and 10 looking a little more regal and almost overwhelming my love but not quite. Any thoughts?

PSS is a thing. Imo 10-11mm is a lovely size for white studs. 11-12 is good for Tahitians and generally 12mm and above is quite a bit harder to swing.

I kinda think it’s a factor of size (earlobes, eyes and body build), age and attitude. So size bigger = bigger pearls, age older = bigger pearls and with the right attitude/mindset then just go with whatever you feel comfortable in. Eg I’ve heard of petite ladies with huge pearls and they love it and can swing the look so why not.

 

[Crystal_Dreams]

I think PSS IS a thing. But I agree- there is a size above which you simply cannot comfortably wear.

I got my 12mm studs first. They’re too big. I will still wear them on occasion, but I picked up some 10mm studs which are in my comfortable easy to wear size and they get worn far more! I think 10-11mm is my sweet spot.

 

[diamondyes]

I think PSS IS a thing. But I agree- there is a size above which you simply cannot comfortably wear.

I got my 12mm studs first. They’re too big. I will still wear them on occasion, but I picked up some 10mm studs which are in my comfortable easy to wear size and they get worn far more! I think 10-11mm is my sweet spot.

Interesting! So there IS such a thing as too big!

 

[diamondyes]

PSS is a thing. Imo 10-11mm is a lovely size for white studs. 11-12 is good for Tahitians and generally 12mm and above is quite a bit harder to swing.

I kinda think it’s a factor of size (earlobes, eyes and body build), age and attitude. So size bigger = bigger pearls, age older = bigger pearls and with the right attitude/mindset then just go with whatever you feel comfortable in. Eg I’ve heard of petite ladies with huge pearls and they love it and can swing the look so why not.

Great points. I’ll have to consider what suits my style best.

 

[pearlsngems]

Interesting! So there IS such a thing as too big!

But apparently not for some people! I've seen photos of women sporting huge SSP studs, even if they droop.
But that is not a look I, personally, like.

 

[Crystal_Dreams]

For me, it’s more the weight concern and droop. My piercings are not symmetrical and the droop really emphasises this, which is not a look I like! They also FEEL quite heavy!

 

[SparklieBug]

My sweet spot is anywhere from 8–10mm. Above 10mm gets heavy on my lobes. I also have smallish ear lobes. I've tried on larger sizes and they look ridiculous. Or should I say, I feel ridiculous in them.

 

[canuk-gal]

For me, it’s more the weight concern and droop. My piercings are not symmetrical and the droop really emphasises this, which is not a look I like! They also FEEL quite heavy!

I'm the same. I don't mind larger dangle pearls, but for studs, nope. I've got small lobes and just don't care for the look.

I've given away all my large pearls studs--and the recipients don't mind like I do!