GRETCHEN BARRETTO IPINAKITA ANG KANYANG PEARL NECKLACE NA NAGKAKAHALAGA NG ₱8M!

It’s a given fact that showbiz icon, actress and socialite Gretchen Barretto knows what she’s worth. Given her fascination with everything that sparkles, the social media darling was spotted wearing what she loves: a pearl necklace that’s worth millions in pesos.

Speaking to showbiz website Philippine Entertainment Portal, Gretchen’s friend, RS Francisco once made a quip about the former actress’ penchant for pearls.

He said, “Parati kong sinasabi sa kanya, ‘Girl, isang condominium na iyan na maganda.’

“Alam mo ang sagot niya? ‘Masusuot ko ba ang condominium? E, di nadaganan ako!’”

Touche, La Greta.

According to the forty-something celebrity, her love affair with pearls began when her only daughter, Dominique, was just ten months old. She recounted her story through a post on Instagram, while she ran her hands over a long strand of South Sea pearls reportedly sold by Jewelmer.

“My dada [husband Tony Boy Cojuangco] purchased 2 sets of necklaces & earrings in time for Dominique 1st birthday,” she partly wrote.

In fact, Gretchen’s tasteful fascination with the pricey pearls make up quite the collection that includes earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets in a bevy of shapes – drop, oval, button, baroque, circled, and round, the rarest of them all.

Her social media is also filled with pearls in a variety of colors, such as crème rose, champagne, deep gold, and white – the most common hue.

Of course, like the diamond, the value of a pearl depends on the following factors: size (ranging from 13mm to 16 mm), skin purity (flawless, medium spotted, and spotted), and luster (fire, excellent, and dull).

To know how much her pearls are worth, PEP made a quick visit to La Greta’s favorite jeweler – Jewelmer, and discovered the following fast facts:

A 12-mm pair of white pearl earrings could set you back $1,350, equivalent to PHP69,000 at today’ exchange rate.

On the average, a single pearl pendant costs $4,600, approximately PHP236,000.

The usual La Greta accessory, her strand of white necklace, comprised of 13mm and 16mm pearls, has price tag of $64,000, or around PHP3.3 million. But two is better than one, so what Gretchen usually has on is worth more than PHP6 million.

You have to reportedly shell out PHP8 million for a big gold necklace strand, which, by the way, the actress has in her lustrous collection, according to certain tipsters.

White may be the most common, but champagne will always be the most expensive color of pearls. Suffice to say, Gretchen Barretto also owns this type of pearls as well.