in my opnion, I wouldnt spray the pearl in the clear. intercoat clear is pretty inexpensive, and you can reduce it with the same reducer as your base coat. The problem with clear, especially if you dont have much experience with it, is that it naturally wants to flow out, and since the pearl is mixed in with that, it could make to pearl look real spotted and uneven. With an intercoat clear, if you spray it even using a big overlap, something like 80%, the pearl should look fine. You will have enough to think about when you're spraying clear, and having pearl in it is just one more thing to worry about. You can probably get a quart of intercoat clear for around $30, and I think it's well worth the added expence. Good luck!