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National Wear Your Pearls Day

Fun · December 15

A day for taking pearls out of the jewelry box and wearing them, whether a single strand, a pair of studs or a borrowed heirloom.

National Wear Your Pearls Day falls on Tuesday, December 15, 2026. That is 49 days away.

Pearls are one of the few gems made by a living animal. An oyster or mussel coats an irritant inside its shell with layer after layer of nacre, the same smooth material that lines the shell, and over time a pearl forms.

That slow layering is what gives a pearl its glow. It is less a sparkle than a soft sheen, the kind that looks different by a window than under a lamp. Pearls come in more colors than people expect, from white and cream to pink, gray and nearly black, and plenty of them are not perfectly round.

The idea here is simple: wear them. A strand that usually waits for weddings can go to the grocery store. Studs work with a sweater. Many people own pearls that once belonged to a mother or grandmother, and those tend to come with a story attached, which is half the reason to put them on.

Pearls are softer than most gems, so they scratch more easily. Jewelers often suggest putting them on after perfume and hairspray, and wiping them with a soft cloth before they go back in the box. Strands are usually strung on silk with a small knot between each pearl, so a broken string loses one pearl instead of all of them.

Ways to celebrate

• Wear your pearls somewhere ordinary, like work or the grocery store.
• Ask a relative about the story behind a family strand.
• Wipe your pearls with a soft cloth before putting them away.
• Look closely at a pearl's sheen in daylight and lamplight.
• Share a photo of pearls you inherited or found secondhand.

Dates

All national days on December 15

Also on December 15

• National Cupcake Day
• Bill of Rights Day
• Cat Herders Day
• National Lemon Cupcake Day

Categories: Fun days