Pearls Of Wisdom – And Fashion

As part of our Black Friday special offering on 23 November, we are dedicating the month to Pearls and the role this elegant jewel has played throughout history as fashion and status symbol.

Periculture is the term usually referred for cultured pearl farming.

The saltwater pearls, also called the Akoya pearls are extracted from oysters, whereas the freshwater pearls are gathered or farmed from mussels. What’s more, every one of the molluscs are capable of making pearls.

PEARL VALUE – A NUMBER OF FACTORS DETERMINE THE VALUE OF A PEARL:

• Size:
The larger the pearl, the rarer and more valuable it is.
• Shape:
A critical factor, the most expensive being the perfect sphere (more common in seawater pearls).
• Lustre:
This is the glow on the surface, not to be confused with the slightly iridescent colours that seem to be under the skin of the pearl.
• Skin:
The fewer blemishes, the higher the quality.
• Matching:
This is obviously important when determining the quality of a whole strand.

THE HISTORY OF PEARLS:

• During the Middle Ages, knights would wear pearls into battle as they believed the jewels contained magic and would keep them from harm.
• Pearls found their way to the West when thousands of partners, sons, and brothers returned from the war with pearls as gifts from Japan.
• The pearl reached what seemed like its high point in 1917 in New York when Morgan Freeman Plant made a deal with jeweller Pierre Cartier: He would trade Cartier his 5th Avenue mansion in exchange for a pearl necklace of 128 natural pearls (valued at $1 million) and $ 100. This property is still the Cartier flagship store to this day.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, Japanese entrepreneur Mikimoto Kokichi changed the industry by commercialising refined pearls. Rare natural pearls, collected and retrieved by hand from the seabed in the Indian Ocean, were replaced by a new scientific method, changing how the pearl industry operates.
• David Warner, director of Christies’s Jewellery department says: “Cultured pearls will wear out if you use them heavily, but because of the mother-of-pearl (the substance which makes up the outer layers) of a natural pearl, it won’t wear out for generations. It’s very important people understand that.”

Regarding a girl and her pearls, oh how the circumstances have changed. While it’s still graciously in style to wear a simple strand of your grandmother’s pearls, we suggest taking a lead from the Spring 2018 catwalks. Try a simple statement earring or a delicate cuff bracelet. If you’re a necklace lover, try a choker look custom strung for you.

HOW TO WEAR PEARLS IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS:

Pearls represent a certain sophistication that is transferred to the wearer. The simple elegance of pearls makes sure they are an excellent accessory to any occasion, regardless of whether you’re heading off to the workplace or something romantic and exciting for the evening. You can even don pearls to make your everyday outfits appear more stylish and classy. As the personification of chic and status, pearls were once only accessible to those who had expendable incomes. Today though, everyone is able to purchase their very own pearls.

Contrary to popular belief, pearls aren’t only for formal occasions. They can be perfect for casual outfits, jeans and simple dresses. Coloured pearls work particularly well for daytime when it is possible to have a bit more fun. With everyday attire, do not wear pearl earrings, necklaces and bracelets together, or it will overpower your look and you will appear overdressed. You can even pair several strands of pearl bracelets on one wrist with a short-sleeve shirt.

WEAR CLASSIC PEARLS TO THE OFFICE:

On the chance that you want to wear pearls to the office, try to wear your simpler and straightforward pieces. For instance, wearing a single strand at a time makes your outfit more modern. Basic pearl jewellery will support, not overwhelm your look. In case you’re wearing a matching suit, you can combine a short strand of pearls with it. Stud earrings can work with any outfit, however, you may not want to combine pearl earrings with a pearl necklace, as this pairing may make you seem to be overcompensating the theme.

CHOOSE ORNATE PEARLS FOR EVENING ENGAGEMENTS:

If you do opt for a dark-tie or cocktail look, don’t overdress in jewellery. Once more, simple is sophisticated and classy. Smaller pearls are ideal for decorated clothing. When wearing your hair up, select dangling pearl earrings. In case your evening outfit is sleeveless, pick a matching pearl necklace and bracelet pairing.

Mr Déonne le Roux has been travelling the world to source only the best and brilliant gems and jewels for us in every item created by Déonne le Roux Jewellers.

For our exquisite pearl products, we travel abroad to Asia, and specifically Hong Kong as they host a variety of hundreds of stands selling all kinds of pearls and semi-precious stones in all forms, shapes and sizes. In most Asian countries pearls symbolise “a diamond in the rough”. This metaphor is best shown by the beautiful pearl hidden inside the unappealing oyster shell. Because of its neutral, glistening hue, the pearl has lunar, and therefore feminine connotations. In Chinese heavenly cosmology, the moon embodies the female origin or yin. Pearls also represent patience, cleanliness, and peace.

When most people hear the words “cultured pearl” they think it means that the pearls are fake which is not the case at all. A cultured pearl is not an imitation or man-made pearl. It is still fabricated by a real pearl oyster or mollusc by mostly the same processes of conventional pearl growth. The main difference between the natural pearl and the cultured variety is that the pearl nucleus has been manually put into the mollusc to allow the pearl to start with the benefit of being monitored. It guarantees an increase in the size and more symmetrically shaped pearl and is delivered in a shorter time cycle.

View some images below of Hong Kong and the pearl markets and make sure to watch the video to get an idea of the vastness and bustle of this magnificent city:

Pearls that were naturally harvested in older times were certified and real. Today they are exceptionally uncommon and very costly. When a pearl merchant tells you that it is a ‘natural’ pearl, they most likely mean refined and cultured—not a phony pearl.