There’s a clear new mood abroad in the country. Bling is dead. Conspicuous consumption is passé. Brand name must haves are so last year. Calm and collected Big Society Britain doesn’t want the ostentation of the ‘I’m so rich’ flaunt it decade.

That being so, and the indications are growing that I’m right, then there will be a return to manners and classy style. And what better to exemplify all this than pearls? Pearls are the very antithesis of bling: subtle and understated, yet immensely flattering to the complexion.

Pearls have been undergoing something of a blossoming, with farms in China now producing some truly stunning freshwater pearls in a huge variety of sizes, shapes and colours, as well as the steady production of classic South Sea, Tahitian and Akoya pearls.

Nearly all pearls available nowadays are cultured pearls (cultured is jeweller-speak for farmed). The majority of pearls are grown in China, whence now come some stunningly lustrous and huge pearls as well as perfect whites for the archetypical twin set pearl necklace.

Most people think of 8mm round white pearls when they think of pearls; the sort of necklace which debs were given to mark their 21^st birthday. But also the sort of pearl so easily imitated and found faked even in the supermarket.

So much more is now possible. Big 15mm round pearls, dripping in luscious lustrous nacre in natural shades of lavender, pink, peach, apricot and white possible. These are some of the Edison pearls, some of the finest and most expensive pearls presently available. There are pearls with wrinkled skin and patches of colour like someone has applied gold leaf to them. There are perfect round pearls with a lustre so bright that it reflects perfectly. Chinese pearl farm skills have grown exponentially, with the quality of the pearls beyond anything contemplated only five years ago.

This has meant that Akoya pearls, classically 6mm to 8mm round and white with great lustre, have languished. It was Japanese entrepreneur Mikimoto who developed the first commercial pearl farms in the 1930s and founded the firm which still bears his name and which is synonymous with that type of pearl. However much akoya pearl production has now moved to China (though it isn’t admitted).

The two other classic types of pear are Tahitian black pearls, which aren’t black and which aren’t from Tahiti (they tend to be dark green and are from most of the rest of French Polynesia). These pearls range from dark green, through shades of green, aubergines, purples, chocolate browns, to startling blues (very rare). And then the most expensive pearls of all tend to be the South Sea pearls from Australia and Thailand, in shades from deep gold to white.

I’ve talked about round pearls here, but there are many other shapes possible from elegant drops, which make fabulous earrings and necklaces, to the irregular potato pearls which are often dyed bright colours and appear on shopping channels (there is nothing wrong with that but they aren’t the epitome of fabulousness).

The top tip for picking pearls is to ignore what you think you will like or look to match to an outfit. The pearls that you will love will be the pearls that sing out when placed against your skin. For pale skins this is often pearls in the lavender shades, for darker skin peach shades are often fabulous, while blondes look great with gold south seas.

Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but women wear pearls.

Editor’s Note: Thursday 17th May 2012 is the ‘Girls with Pearls’ lunch in aid of the St Margaret’s Hospice, at Haselbury Manor, Dorset, ticket details to be announced in January, but do email us to register your interest.