If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, pearls just might be a woman’s. Grace Kelly famously called the nacreous gem the “queen of gems”, choosing to wear it everywhere—be it for her royal duties as the Princess of Monaco or in her private life. Gabrielle Chanel too, was instantly recognised for wearing ropes and ropes of pearls, layered with the simplest of outfits. Yet the trick to her look? Amidst the long strands she wore in the ‘20s, she would mix faux pearls with the real deal, embracing a shift away from traditional luxury, and changing the narrative for how women would go on to embrace wearing jewellery without the pressures of luxury prices.
To this day, pearls continue to enthral. There is, after all, something quite special about the only gemstone to be made by another living creature. As far as pearls go, the preciousness of these darling gems lies in their subtle differences; no two pearls are the same in shape, size and even their colour. Tahitian pearls for one, boast a fascinating, vivid lustre that vacillates between silver-black tones to the blue-greens of a peacock’s wings. Naturally, some brands have become synonymous with the gemstone—think established jewellers such as Alain Boite and Mikimoto.
Whilst Boite is known for its exceptional quality of cultured pearls, and being the main source of gems for prestigious high jewellers around the world, the latter has an undeniable hold on the present narrative of how pearls are perceived. Driven by the dream for every woman to own a pearl necklace, founder Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first cultured semi-spherical pearl in 1893, followed by a full round pearl later on—making pearls more accessible to everyone. Perhaps one could say that it was Mikimoto’s vision which stood in tandem with Coco Chanel’s: of women having fun and wearing their pearls everywhere. Redefining the idea of beauty and elegance in a woman’s eyes, classic strands of pearls could be combined with diamonds, other coloured gemstones, or simpler, modern materials, all to find new ways of artistry and workmanship.
It is this same reverence for pearls that we find in some of today’s most fascinating jewellery brands that are designing with pearls. From Nordic folklore inspirations to sculptural work, these jewellers all obsess over pearls just as we do, each one demonstrating a desire for beauty, the clear pursuit of craft, and, above all, a deep respect for the gem.
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Aida Impact
Pearls and amulets. The simplicity of Aida Impact’s ethos is what makes it so beautiful. The Danish-born brand founded by Elina Siira is in the business of crafting timeless and ethical jewellery that has been designed with purpose, by working with Startup Refugees, a non-profit network that takes care of immigrant mothers from various cultural backgrounds and are seeking refuge in Finland. With a handful of key signature collections in its roster, some of its most interesting pieces play with freshwater pearls and recycled silver to create romantic baroque designs reminiscent of girlhood and desire.
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Melanie Georgacopoulos
New ways of being. The pearl is redefined with Melanie Georgacopoulos, whose eponymous brand has been collaborating with another famed Japanese pearl jeweller—Tasaki—since 2013, under the directional line M/G Tasaki. When it comes to Georgacopoulos’s craft, sculpture is the word. After all, it is her specialty. Giving pearls a fresh lens, she is always pushing the boundaries for how the natural gemstone can be treated, synchronised with other materials, and fused into unexpected shapes. So that pearls—commonly associated with innocent, romantic, and Victorian-era allure—might be rediscovered in a futuristic bangle instead: one cast in black rhodium-plated silver, with lines of freshwater pearls only visible through a clean, sharp gap in the middle.
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Ragbag Studio
Art, architecture and elements of nature influence the craftsmanship of contemporary jeweller Ragbag Studio. Based in Copenhagen, the pieces from Ragbag combine freshwater pearls with seasonal, naturally-sourced stones to dream up designs that feel unique to the market. Sculptural pieces are prominent too, like a simple sterling silver cuff bangle accented by a pair of beautiful pearls. Our pick: the Dualism line of pearl and black onyx earrings, which stand out for the strong use of contrast in its hanging line of stones.
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Maria Dilsdotter
Mystical, magical and magnetic. Pearls are often a harbinger of all things pristine and pure, but Swedish designer Maria Nilsdotter dreamed up her eponymous brand with the intention to inject something more enigmatic into the mix. With collections largely inspired by Nordic folklore, nocturnal creatures and childhood fairytales, she uses contemporary materials and symbolic motifs to add a darker edge to designs centred around classical freshwater pearls.
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Dulong Fine Jewellery
Uncompromising craftsmanship comes to the fore at Dulong Fine Jewellery. What started as a joint move between Danish jeweller Marianne Dulong and designer and renowned stylist Anja Camilla Alajdi is now a jewellery label that speaks to the modern, independent woman who cares about the jewellery she slips into. Quality is of great importance, as diamonds, pearls and considered materials such as 18-carat white gold and silver coalesce in a myriad of elegant designs that don’t shy away from being flavourful. Here, a single, nebulous pearl pendant is just as enticing as a string of playful coloured gemstones juxtaposed against the pearlescent white of saltwater or freshwater gems.
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Kamoka Pearls
It’s in the name. Located northeast of Tahiti, the pure waters on the atoll of Ahe are a treasure trove for this fascinating pearl variant. With every pearl directly sourced from their own farm, Kamoka Pearls is known for its eco- and socio-responsible approach to producing pearls, right from rearing the oysters to the grafting process and extraction. But it is perhaps the beautiful, liquid lustre of Tahitian pearls that feel especially unique to Kamoka Pearls, whether it is closer to the ‘black pearl’ it is often associated with, or the spectrum of colours that lie on the rainbow, ranging from leafy greens to deep plums and rippling blues.
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