Reading some of the recent posts on pearls has been interesting. I have never been a huge pearl fan, but I am a little interested to see if I could make them work for me and my style because I have a collection of them, most of which are inherited. I don't even know if most are real (I suspect many are not, but who knows?).

I thought I'd post some pics and see if you all have any suggestions for casual, nontraditional styling of any of these, considering my style (which is not very traditional/conservative/preppy), and my coloring. It seems like most of the ladies rocking these pearl looks lately are fair-haired and I think that makes a difference. My dark hair means more contrast and the pearls tend to stand out more.

1. Two sets of silvery grey pearls -- I think the graduated one was a gift from my mom when I was in college. I wore the two sets layered in the 80s when my style was more driven by my professional working environment. The white ones with the charms were a gift from my hubs -- I've worn them a few times with white shirts and, again, work attire, but I have no need for work looks anymore. The long dark purplish-grey strand was a purchase from Hawaii. I thought the color would make them easier to style, but I haven't been wearing beads, much less long strings of them, for the last few years.

2. Various inherited strands ranging from 18" to 36".

3. Bracelets. I'm partial to the multi-strand one and wore it for dressy occasions many years ago.

4. Earrings. One set dates to the 80s, the other was a maid of honor gift that I wore for a friend's wedding.

What do you think? Any ideas? See anything promising here? Photos of styling ideas incorporating denim and casual/rock'n'roll elements would be particularly welcome.